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Matching Resources
to Demands
The Director of a Fortune 500 retailer
wanted to increase the productivity of his
development staff. He believed that the 25
employees in the Development Department were
spending too much time on maintenance tasks
versus enhancing existing systems and
developing new systems. Mistakes were being
made. Tasks often had to be redone. The
Director was concerned that his staff,
though qualified, was unable to meet the
ever-increasing demands being placed on it.
Sophelle was brought in to evaluate the
department's people and processes.
Sophelle's
Assessment
Sophelle identified four main problems:
The specific skills of various individuals
weren't being put to best use. Instead, some
employees were doing tasks and making
decisions in areas for which they lacked
experience and qualifications.
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Challenge
- A major retailer needed to improve
productivity in the development
department.
Solution
- A streamlined organization
including a new position of Senior
Project Engineer, freeing the
Director to focus on "big-picture"
management.
Result
- Improved productivity and work
quality, and increased
responsiveness to customers. |
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Many of the department's procedures were
inefficient. Sophelle noted that most tasks
were being handled the same way they had
been handled for the last 10+ years, even
though the company had grown significantly
and technology offered more expedient
options.
Decisions were being made too casually,
leading to mistakes that then had to be
remedied. Furthermore, there was little, if
any, documentation of these decisions,
causing confusion, duplication of efforts,
and quality control issues.
Too many people were reporting to the
Director. The Director was forced to oversee
virtually every task and spend most of his
time putting out fires instead of doing any
long-term, "big picture" planning.
Solution
Sophelle set up an organizational chart that
defined specific positions and
responsibilities. Sophelle also recommended
hiring a Senior Project Engineer who had a
background in technology and a familiarity
with best practices and processes. A
Sophelle consultant filled the new role
while the search for a permanent employee
was conducted. At the same time, Sophelle
helped the company establish systems,
formalize processes, and document decisions
to reduce inefficiencies and the incidence
of mistakes.
Result
Within three months after Sophelle began the
project, the personnel and organizational
changes had been completed. Productivity
increased substantially, and the quality of
the department's work greatly improved. The
department was more responsive to its
customers and was positioned to meet the
ever-increasing demands being placed on it.
The Director considered the project a
complete success.
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