Transitional Optimization

Executive summary

Transitional Optimization

All business is in a transitional growth stage at some level now and in the future. Transitional Optimization relates to companies that compete in aggressive markets, markets in decline or ones experiencing stagnant growth. Companies in these industries or markets must find ways to find additional revenue streams while also reducing costs to improve margins and increase profitable growth. Parallel focus into new product lines, add-ons to existing products/services, additional complementary marketing channels, joint ventures with companies with complementary products, mergers and acquisitions are all areas to be explored. A deep dive into existing product lines provides initial low hanging fruit to provide add-on product/services to existing customers or marketing to a new line of customers with only a slight modification to the current offerings. Analyze and understand the company strengths and identify the dysfunctional areas for retrofit and developing sustainable solutions to provide cost cutting and profitability. This initial analysis provides the company with an initial smoothing and enhancement of processes/procedures/development to minimize the risk inherent in executing a strategic plan. Phases would include focus narrowing in on essential opportunities and relevant risks that will affect the organization’s strategic plan, plan that will move the plan toward its vision, align with budgets to begin execution/ phased implementation to be rolled out that optimizes accountability and clarity. Lastly, continue monitoring as the plan(s) are executed establishing monitoring phases with objectives.

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Service Methodology

Initially, I would find the bright spots in the existing operation coinciding with the strategic plan/project. Using the clients existing environment carefully listening and understanding the company’s desired mission and vision. Working with the company’s identified team building on what is working and identify areas for improvement in line with the strategic plan that could create risk. Specifically script the critical moves giving clear direction, engaging the departments, employees and stakeholders. Point to the destination and clearly identify benefits to employees. Shrink the change degree perception would enable and grow the people to embrace the changes and build habits for the new processes and procedures with an open forum to keep developing new and better processes and procedures. Combine people, processes and technology leaving time to execute phases either simultaneously or linear with time built in to pivot and improve the processes along the way. Collaboratively developing a clearly defined mission with accountability and responsibility will drive execution.

In partnership with the Board of Directors and executives, I develop a collaborating and learning environment for not only defined plan execution but sustainability for company growth and profitability. Real time accountability will be developed to ensuring that the activities resonate with all stakeholders. Updated data is used to determine areas of greatest potential growth and risk. During the project, I continually use key stakeholders feedback to reorient and refine strategic priorities. To ensure a successful execution a continued accountability will be agreed upon and followed by the team and reported as agreed.

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Service Options

Companies can elect whether they just require Appleton Greene for advice and support with the Bronze Client Service, for research and performance analysis with the Silver Client Service, for facilitating departmental workshops with the Gold Client Service, or for complete process planning, development, implementation, management and review, with the Platinum Client Service. Ultimately, there is a service to suit every situation and every budget and clients can elect to either upgrade or downgrade from one service to another as and when required, providing complete flexibility in order to ensure that the right level of support is available over a sustainable period of time, enabling the organization to compensate for any prescriptive or emergent changes relating to: Customer Service; E-business; Finance; Globalization; Human Resources; Information Technology; Legal; Management; Marketing; or Production.

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Service Mission

I guide companies through the process of transitional optimization supporting the strategic plans and tactical actions through the challenges and opportunities in their business. My role is as a trusted advisor and teacher providing objective and results-orientated analysis, planning, solutions and execution planning. I work to innovate, transform and lead with the company’s stakeholders and team to help the company take decisive action with sustainable results. My focus is to assist in directing the activities so management can focus on the day’s business activities and to help contribute to the company’s success through utilizing the company’s capabilities and expertise. Methods I follow in the service mission are to question assumptions for true innovation, develop good design considering the task at hand, strive for progress with perfection, always be watchful and consider the details, continually design for new business growth and optimal profits.

My approach and activities encompass the following core values which form an integral part of my identity and my service methodology. and objectives. Honesty and objectivity in research and analysis for transparent objectives. Value creation leading to real company benefits. Consideration and respect in all company, colleagues and competitor relationships. I work in an ethical and transparent manner. I use knowledge gained through numerous consulting engagements in transformation optimization for growth/revenue, increasing value in exit planning, continuing education, developing my own companies and teaching and mentoring business stakeholders in the United States and abroad.

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Service objectives

The following list represents the Key Service Objectives (KSO) for the Appleton Greene Transitional Optimization service.

1. Focus
   The company’s focus on transitional optimization service objectives provides measurable change in the state of a company’s lifecycle. Overall the service will provide increased value to itself and its customers leading to increased profitability. Whether the organization competes in an aggressive market, a market in decline or a stagnate market it must find ways to increase quality of product/service while also reducing costs. Companies are constantly changing which has a significant impact on how the business, service providers, and their personnel work together. The economy, the industry and the strategic plan of the company will guide the service objectives. The change process may be of one or more new business development activities for existing products/services, mergers and acquisitions, product re-engineering, research & development leading to new entrepreneurial start-ups are just a few opportunities and outcomes in transitional optimization service. The service looks to the future in respect to the potentially highly-effective performance of their people, process and technology. It includes understanding, analyzing, and seeing things in a different perspective and building a way forward to align and maximize company value. In any one of the strategic plan executed directions the goal will be to use cross functional collaboration to deliver potent financial planning and analysis insights that boast profitability and performance. The optimization service will develop on-time execution in line with embedded financial key performance indicators to continually monitor the plan/project. Each phase builds on the next solidifying strategy, identifying the key deliverables, monitoring the efforts and leaving time to pivot and improve procedures along the way. The service would narrow in on essential opportunities and relevant risks that will affect the organization’s strategic plan. All predictive analytics to develop, leverage and enhance decision making will maximize effectiveness could be used. This could be in the form of rolling forecasting and innovative talent management and techniques. Cost cutting VS growth is a balancing act. Good ideas plus effective action equal positive growth.
2. Plan
   After the focus and definition phase, regardless of the actionable opportunities identified an executable plan is developed that can have multiple identifiable directions and outcomes to align with the discovery during the focus stage. Planning would ensure that goals resonate with all stakeholders. The plan focus will be interdepartmental and emphasize collaboration. Details developed would be to create strategic goals and objectives including measuring, action plans, project leads, stakeholder reporting and funding requirements. The plan would clone what’s working, script the critical moves and identify a clear destination. Once the intended trajectory is clear a strategic change agenda would be developed identifying existing well-functioning and silo systems that lack effective interaction with existing systems, systems, systems needing enhancement/upgraded and new systems with deliverable timelines. Of note, often what is perceived as a people problem is really a situational/system problem. During the planning process the goal will be to develop innovating thinking and engagement for the plan. The plan will also address workplace productivity with new processes, combining ideas that work together to make new, innovative productive process/systems, showcase unique qualities and be creative in better ways to showcase productive/service, connect with customers, market the business. In the plan, using simple analytics, connecting the dots to multiple data streams to identify patterns that can drive a company’s growth and highlight areas of revenue and revenue leakage and cumbersome costly delivery systems are examples. With Collaboration across the company’s lifecycle the plan can develop a synergistic and integrated platform for the infrastructure, tools, methods and best practices.
3. Align
   Good plans will engage all business units and keep senior managers informed to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities and their department’s deliverables. The transaction optimization plan(s) will cascade to managers throughout the organization. This will prevent improper or unclear delegation of duties and responsibilities. An internal communications program will be developed to pave the way for greater alignment and more effective reporting. The reporting will include a pre-launch and ongoing communications throughout the year to keep teams aligned. Communication activities can include town hall progress meetings, newsletters, banners, email blasts etc. Open forums for suggestions will be implemented with review, feasibility and project timing activities. Throughout the engagement there will be a clear path toward on time direction of the plan, motivation and shaping the environment for the new plan. In today’s uncontrollable external uncertainties can have an impact on businesses There are also internal factors to consider whether it be new product/service development, merger/acquisition or realignment of existing product/service. These factors can lead to a wide range of business outcomes which must are accounted for in the planning but also must be accounted for in the alignment in executing the plan. As the plan’s execution becomes a reality with the proper alignment the business is in a prime position to both minimize the negative impacts and efficiently capitalize on the new opportunities. As the plan progresses it is important to create business sustainability and agility in the face of complexity. The business model of the plan will have operational dexterity and the ability to change the business model and alignment as necessitated by market forces, competition and stakeholders. Lastly, the plan objectives are the domain of senior executives but they must be used in a way to align the entire organizations team.
4. Resources
   The cost for development of the key component(s) of the transitional optimization within the strategic plan will be identified. The costs of execution – capital, labor and non-labor will be identified and placed in the budget cycle identifying their placement to align with the strategic plan time line. In addition, the growth and performance improvement objectives will have identified increased revenue and cost –saving opportunities which will be quantified and incorporated into the financial plan. In assembling the resources deep dives will be made to analyze and reduce the time collecting data so more time analyzing and understanding what that data is telling them. Cutting down on the time it takes to develop and re-develop reports, budgets, and forecasts by automating data collection as much as possible. KPIs, dashboards and scorecards can, and should, be automated so you can update plans with real-time information to allow focus on transactions and metrics evaluating the strategic plan that will drive the business forward. A review of the resources allocated and needed is ongoing and dynamic. Resources that allow for employee resources to access, update and analyze their data with minimal training will take the strain off of the Finance and IT teams, while achieve a level of fast-paced execution, reporting and on-going forecasting required in today’s business environment. In identifying resources for the team, training may be instituted and is available during transitional optimization to enhance skills that may be necessary. Depending on the plan there may be rapid prototype concepts, maximize success in early stage enterprise, transfer ideas to market, understand how ideas are created and launched, debug, alignment and integration during mergers/acquisitions to name a few.
5. Execute Monitor
   As the plan is executed a formal real-time monitor phase starts. Objectives are monitored and course corrections are made. The focus will be on timely implementation with reporting to ensure the proper tools and resources are in place for accountability and success. We will focus on monitoring the short-term goals with immediate results while keeping aligned with the long-term project goals. There will be continuing emphasis on management reporting, developing key performance indicators and reporting dashboards. Frequent forecasting and plan re-assessment with internal and external factors for impact will be ongoing to identify new realities. This will eliminate driving toward a plan goal that is based on a previous reality. In today’s highest-performing businesses a rolling forecast is used to create dynamic plans that give the needed information to take advantage of new opportunities. Current information can give the company the agility to take advantage of opportunities ahead of the competition increasing their profitability. Profitability will continue to be a business issue, but the path to profitability may change in the ebb and flow of transitional optimization and come from some combination of increased revenue and decreased cost. Thus it is expected to simultaneously formulate and execute both revenue and cost strategies. Companies are entering a new age of economic uncertainties and limited resources dispersed within the company. Optimized companies must ensure that the resources are leveraged to their best potential to create the unique capabilities, effectiveness and utilization. Defined in the plan, aligned and resource developed, key triggers will be monitored as optimization is achieved. Key triggers such as globalization, pace of change, profitability through cost and growth, focus on capabilities, complex regulatory environment, mergers and acquisitions, rapid technological evolution and higher customer expectations will be monitored.

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Testimonials

Talent Acquisition Professional

“Ms. Bennett is a true professional, leader and mentor. As owner and president of AIS, she was able to assemble a winning team to support company growth and a significant presence in a very competitive partnership accounting and tax environment. Her genuine customer service approach with clients along with a keen understanding of their business environment was a key to building and sustaining lasting relationships. Ms. Bennett continued to support the AIS employees in their integration and growth during the merger with PWC. I recommend Ms. Bennett without hesitation.”

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YK Capital

“Ms. Bennett is a passionate, energetic and thoughtful professional that I have known for 20 years. she has the ability to navigate very difficult and competitive situations with enthusiasm and tenacity to achieve a successful outcome.”

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YK Consulting Inc.

“Ms. Bennett combines her professional expertise with direct and effective application to real life situations. She works to combine the individual worth of every individual into a cohesive team effort for the growth of the organization. I first met Ms. Bennett when she was presenting a software solution to Chase Private Banking. She has continually demonstrated her unique contribution of expertise, innovation and solutions and if she accepts a challenge, you can be assured of a valuable contribution in any endeavor.”

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Super Radiator Coils

“Ms. Benne