RB&A's unique approaches allow rapid, sustainable solutions to challenges in Third Party risk, outsourcing and strategic transformation
Case Study – “Domestic Issues ARE Global Issues” Challenge: My IBM team was completing a large, highly complex migration of services from North America to China, when news of the Sony data breach broke. Within three hours, our client’s leadership team issued an immediate stop-work order on this migration, despite having confidence in IBM's readiness for just such a security threat. Our client conceded that their decision was based on “optics” and not on any substantive risk. The domestic resources with the knowledge and skills required to support this work had all been reassigned to other programs. Approach: I mobilized our transition team and coordinated planning with IBM’s Global Risk, Workforce Management, account and delivery teams. Within 24 hours we had a plan for repatriation of this work from China back to North America and reassignment of most of the skilled resources back to their previous roles. Outcome: We were able to continue domestic delivery of services without interruption, adapt to changing circumstances in a disciplined way and respect the client’s wishes. |
Case Study – “Bring a step-ladder to the maze” Challenge: A national retail hardware client had made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to integrate their online and bricks-and-mortar businesses. They hired IBM to design the IT “plumbing” to support their planning, but my discussions with the client’s leadership team revealed their belief that the company’s online strategy was “stuck in a labyrinth”. The client desperately sought fresh thinking and an innovative approach. We decided the plumbing could be designed only after they had conquered the labyrinth. Approach: I brought my childhood love of mazes to a facilitated session with the client. I knew that while there are typically two approaches to escaping labyrinths, neither is innovative or efficient because they are constrained by 2-dimensional thinking. I knew that my client sold step-ladders, so I suggested that having a step-ladder in a maze would give them a different perspective, let them see the full dimension of the problem and potentially let them see a way out. By bringing a conceptual step-ladder to the discussion, I created a risk-free environment for my clients to consider new perspectives, try out ideas and dream of what could be, without bumping into walls. Outcome: We were able to build the plans for an expedited, integrated multi-channel strategy within weeks. |
Case Study – “India doesn’t support French” Challenge: A Quebec-based financial services company directed us to reduce the cost of IT delivery and approved migration of problem management services to India. During the skills transition, we learned that certain infrequent but critical problem tickets (and the alerts, tools and systems that generated them) were in French, and that many of the client’s end-users only spoke French. Any solution had to be compliant with a number of regulatory and provincial language requirements. The India delivery team had no French capability whatsoever. Approach: Working with the domestic and India leaders, my team devised a service desk solution in Canada which would “broker” any French language requirements with India. As an interim measure, we applied an IBM natural language solution to translate some of the French language system alerts for the India team so they could immediately size up problem tickets and mobilize the right skills. I then leveraged my network of colleagues in India to see whether IBM retirees in the Pondicherry district might have enough ability in French to be called upon in the event of an urgent need. Outcome: We were able to honor our commitment to reduce IT delivery costs. Service quality was maintained and French language was supported. |
Case Study – “Solutions in Unexpected Places” Challenge: A multi-national technology client challenged IBM to significantly reduce the cost of IT delivery under its outsourcing contract. Other than migration to a lower-cost delivery location, no other cost reduction strategy (e.g. automation, cloud computing etc.) would meet the client’s requirement in full. However, as a global organization with European operations, the client would not authorize migration of work to any of IBM’s usual global delivery locations if they were not compliant with EU data privacy regulations. Approach: I had read an interview with the President of Costa Rica which highlighted the country’s pledge to maintain the highest standards of data privacy, unique in Latin America. Further research and consultation with IBM’s global workforce management team validated that Costa Rica was certified as EU-compliant and would be able to bring the skills on-board to support this client. With this assurance, the client gave consent to proceed and IBM invested in building the skills in Costa Rica. Outcome: IBM retained the outsourcing contract, and was able to offer Costa Rica as a new delivery location to other clients. |