Advisory Services
Business Intelligence Strategy
Intelligent decision-making, driven by world-class analytics and insights, is the key driver for organizations to increase revenue, market share and agility. In fact, it’s an executive imperative. The increasing sophistication of consumers makes identifying trends and new revenue streams more difficult every day. Industry leaders require accurate and meaningful forward-looking data to help make the right decisions to grow their business.
Best-in-class companies are taking advantage of recent developments in the Business Intelligence (BI) arena to optimize and improve corporate performance. Clarkston Consulting guides clients in the Life Sciences and Consumer Products industries to implement an enterprise-wide, coordinated and synchronized Business Intelligence strategy. This involves establishing strategic and tactical analytics that become ingrained in the culture of the organization. The result is an organization with a corporate vision for BI that is constantly searching for new ways to leverage information to boost their competitive advantage.
Clarkston’s BI Strategy approach emphasizes the convergence of top-down, bottom-up flow of critical information and metrics. Introducing the Holistic Organization Model (HOM®) and Enterprise Destination Mapping (EDM) frameworks to identify misalignments to maximize BI benefits becomes a key competitive differentiator. Depth provided by vertical- specific and revolutionary indexes coupled with technology support enables our services to bridge the gap between strategy and execution.
Shared Services
Replicating services across multiple business units can lead to inefficiencies and inconsistencies for many companies. Integrating these non-core areas is a proven way of delivering more efficient and customer-focused services. Financial savings obtained from these streamlined services either can be returned to the business or invested in service delivery. A shared service center can add substantial benefits by reducing costs and creating more efficient, streamlined processes and centralized activities.
Clarkston’s experience spans the full range of potential shared services functions with deep expertise in corporate services, finance and accounting, human resources, information technology, and supply chain management. We have performed noteworthy shared services work for clients – assisting companies in managing a “business within a business,” resulting in improved efficiencies and economies of scale through innovative service-delivery solutions.
Clarkston‘s shared services expertise helps clients optimize their performance of important, but noncore, business functions. We bring clients the creativity and experience to achieve new and improved types of service models coupled with the necessary governance structures.
Outsourcing Strategy
Clarkston’s outsourcing strategy advisory solution leads clients through the end-to-end process – from determining what functions should be outsourced and defining business requirements to implementation and realization of business value. The Clarkston difference is we approach it from the “outside-in” rather than the typical “inside-out.” What is “Outside-In?” One way of defining “outside-in” is to contrast it with “inside-out.” Today’s “inside-out” outsourcing processes and decision-making tools often begin with “the problem.” They are initiated in response to existing pain points inside the company, and the supplier selection processes focuses solely on those capabilities that will fix the pain and make the company “better.”
On the other hand, an “outside-in” process begins and ends with the customer. The decision is initiated in response to strategic needs that exist outside the company, and the decision-making process focuses on how changes will enable an improved customer experience. A quick contrast follows:
| The Typical “Inside-Out” Model | Clarkston’s “Outside-In” Approach |
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An “outside-in” approach focuses attention on what is truly important – the markets the business operates in, the business strategy, integrated supply chain processes, organization, and the supporting technology. Finally, taking an “outside-in” approach encourages the organization to work cross-functionally and collaboratively throughout the RFP and selection processes. That in turn better positions the members of the pending partnership to work in a similar manner. Simply put, external collaboration begins with internal collaboration.
Services:
Business Intelligence Strategy
- Identification of the strategic and tactical analytics that will help optimize and improve corporate performance
- Gap assessment and alignment roadmap with refined strategy using the HOM and EDM frameworks
- Planning and execution of enterprise-wide, coordinated and synchronized Business Intelligence strategy
Shared Services
- Assessment of current state and identification of needs for shared services operations
- Identification of customer expectations, experiences, and requirements
- Definition of the shared services mission and value proposition, creation of business plan, and development of implementation strategy
- Design and implementation of governance models to manage shared services or third-party sourcing relationships
- Development of the service delivery framework – the blueprint for services and their delivery across the company
- Definition of an appropriate change management program to recognize, guide and manage the human elements of change, a critical element in the success of shared services initiatives.
Outsourcing Strategy Services
- Outsourcing Decision
- Business Case Development
- Supplier Selection (from RFP to service level agreement)
