Case Study
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT FOCUS
Marketing Communications
& Creative Services Dept
The Need
Facing a significant increase in marketing and creative workload, the North American Marketing department experienced an expanding backlog, increasing lag time, late projects delivery and client dissatisfaction. In addition, internal creatives and stakeholders were becoming more frustrated, working long hours under increasing pressure, with no end in sight. At one point, about 20% of projects were delivered on time, many a month later, with new projects requests arriving daily.
The Action
To understand the current workflow, I conducted a series of stakeholder interviews, including creatives, managers, directors, clients and even printers. Based on data collected from these sessions, I was able to map the process end-to-end, spotting areas in need of improvement, bottlenecks, and problematic handoffs between departments. Key stakeholders were assigned as leads for the new 22-step process. The team was empowered to drive the projects forward in "relay-race" style manner, and morning standup meetings were introduced to keep all members aligned and participating. Data from project management software was extracted and analyzed for further improvement solutions as the process evolved.
The Results
The team bought in to the new process immediately and began to work more efficiently. Errors were reduced and so was the backlog. Over a 4 month period of improvement, on-time project delivery increased from 20% to 73% and resulted in both satisfied clients and team members. For projects delivered late, late delivery dropped from 38 days to 1 day on average.
These trends are expected to continue improving as long as the department adheres to the new process control plans.
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TESTIMONIAL
"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris recently to help our department implement processes and transform our workflow. His expertise and dedication have been instrumental in mapping, restructuring, organizing and analyzing our workflow. Through his exceptional problem-solving skills and data analysis, our marketing and creative staff have experienced a significant acceleration in project delivery, allowing us to catch up on backlog and consistently meet deadlines. Moreover, Chris's efforts have fostered a culture of cooperation and communication within our team, enhancing our overall effectiveness.
His commitment to excellence and passion for continuous improvement have had a profound impact on our department's success. Chris's strategic insights and meticulous attention to detail have not only streamlined our processes but also elevated the quality of our deliverables. We are grateful for his dedication, professionalism, and leadership."
Christina Strassburg
Director, NA Marketing Communications
QuidelOrtho
