Process Transformation
When the workaround has become the work
Problem to solve: A broken process that no internal fix has sustainably resolved.
Solution we provide: We deep dive into the end-to-end process to diagnose what is working, what is failing, and what needs small adjustment. Then we redesign the operating model end-to-end. We offer two options for implementation:
Self-implementation: We deliver clear documentation on governance, roles & responsibilities, and the required infrastructure for a sustainable ongoing process.
Syncopated implementation: We execute the solution ourselves using the self-implementation outcomes and our syncopated blend of PMI/Prosci approach. Timelines are based on the scale of the problem rather than a fixed format.
Why it works: Breaking down silos across individuals and teams to map out the full end-to-end process surfaces the root causes of process failure and brings clarity to what is working.
Who needs it: Teams or divisions with a process that continues to introduce risk and confusion rather than the expected outcomes.
Case Studies
Case Study: The Broken Funding Model
Situation: The number of required handoffs and approvals to meet regulatory funding requirements was inhibiting urgent projects from moving forward.
Friction: Each team understood the importance of a thorough review, but no one had visibility into how their individual delays compounded downstream.
What we did: We mapped the full process end-to-end with the relevant teams, simplified the inputs required for approval, and parallelized unnecessarily sequential steps.
Result: The new approval process reduced approval time from up to six months to within 30 days (44% efficiency gain).
Case Study: The Compliance Time Suck
Situation: The code change management process required two 1-hour meetings per week to discuss categories that were never used.
Friction: The teams had recently failed a Sarbanes Oxley audit and were afraid of future consequences. They knew the categories were not relevant, but did not want to risk another failed audit.
What we did: We clarified what was needed to successfully pass the next SOX audit and updated the documentation to remove the unnecessary categorizations, giving the team confidence that gaining the efficiency would not cause failure.
Result: The required meeting time to review code changes went from 120 minutes to 15 minutes per week (87.5% efficiency gain).
“As a Senior Program Manager at Morningstar, I partnered closely with Abby for more than three years on complex data enablement initiatives spanning a diverse portfolio of products and stakeholders.
Whether navigating organizational change, redesigning how teams worked together, or building a more effective end-to-end data process, Abby consistently helped teams cut through ambiguity, align on priorities, and move initiatives forward. My focus was on product delivery across more than a dozen software products, while Abby sat at the critical intersection of data producers and software product teams. She understood the priorities, challenges, and motivations of each group and brought them together around a common objective.
Abby’s ability to zoom out to see the bigger picture while still being able to dig into the details was what stands out the most in working with her. Rather than accepting short-cuts or workarounds, she pushed teams to state their needs, understand their working models and challenges, and bring it all together into a redesigned process that is meaningful, repeatable, and maintainable.
Abby has a knack for bringing together teams with different perspectives and helping them align around the needs of the broader organization. She brings together the right people at the right time, facilitates challenging yet productive conversations, and translates ideas into practical processes that teams can actually use. Additionally, she is exceptional at creating the supporting SOP documentation needed to launch new processes, roll-out tools and workflows, and give teams a foundation for continuous improvement.
The improvements Abby led were not simply process changes. They fundamentally changed how teams collaborated, prioritized, and partnered across the data journey. Having worked alongside Abby through two major evolutions of our intake and enablement processes, I saw firsthand how she could bring together groups with different priorities and help them build something better than what existed before. I would gladly partner with her again on any complex process or organizational change initiatives.”
- J. Maze, Morningstar Inc.
“Abby exhibits an infectious enthusiasm for every project she undertakes, which positively influences the other team members. She also brings a fresh perspective and usually discovers new, innovative ways to tackle an issue.”
- A. James, STP Enterprises