No. 8 Consulting Case Study

Scale up and Technology transformation

Scale Up Updates Case Study - Energy Sector

Background

With origins in a regulatory infrastructure environment, our client experienced rapid growth by diversifying into the commercial energy sector. From this, an organic operating model emerged; each new step resulting in a new division (and client offering). 

When you’re in the throes of a battle with the chaos of scaling and rapid growth, focusing on your operating model isn’t prioritised.

What We Found

The consequences of their complex and inefficient operating model were staring them in the face: uncompetitive or variable margins; limited technology, with manual or duplicated ways of working; variable productivity, quality assurance, and engagement; plus a 40% decline in its forecast in the leadup to the completion of the NBN rollout, eroding all the work done to position themselves in the marketplace.

Following a review by a Global Big 4 Consultancy, a suite of technology and operating model recommendations and business cases were outlined.

The transformation agenda was scoped and planning/design phase was mid-flight when Number 8 Consulting was engaged. The challenge now was to understand the change climate, opportunity, and risks. 

Our initial findings indicated that our client had backslid from its strategic intent.

Far too often, people talk about high-growth businesses like machines. There are inputs and outputs, resources and tools, and market needs and solutions used to create value. Operating models must revolve around the most important ingredient for scaling success — people. At our point of entry, the program experts engaged to deliver the transformation were largely lacking urgency, understanding, and had not yet considered their audience.

What We Did

We quickly helped them make up for lost time.

  • Brought together project team and leaders to raise the visibility and awareness of how impending changes would impact
  • Conducted complex transition planning through the lens of the impacted work groups
  • Architected an Agile approach to technical training that would be sustainable beyond the life of the program
  • Restored the brand reputation of the transformation program and got the program’s initiatives back on track. A smaller adoption program team was installed to sustainably continue to roll out and embed the changes at a team by team, system by system, process by process level, and all within their new operating and governance model
  • Provided a bespoke Agile change framework, change communication and technical training library for system-related elements

Outcomes

All of this paved the way for our client to:

R

Gain visibility of profit margins and variability

R

Reduce costs via the automation of transactional construction financial management processes, by introducing new technology and leveraging existing technologies

R

De-risk construction quality assurance exposures through a total operating model design and process changes

R

Improve in-house financial and commercial capabilities of construction/project management functions and increase financial tracking of client projects

Think we'd make a great team?
Reach out.​