A financial advisory business had a very large Philippines-based team compiling detailed reports for clients around the globe.  The reports varied by region and client, and there were many intermediate steps and required to get the reports client-ready. There were peak volume periods every quarter.  Volumes were increasing due to sales growth, however the manager was not able to hire more analysts due to budget constraints.

 

The team faced several challenges: Missed deadlines, high error rates, burnout from the quarterly overtime, friction with the account managers, increased volumes, a tight budget, and low employee morale, all of which contributed to very high employee attrition, which only exasperated all these problems.  Greg initiated a Lean Six Sigma program.  This started with a foundation of training, coaching, Kaizen and Green Belt certification, and culminated in several process mapping and process redesign projects. The team was completely restructured, and almost every activity was redesigned to minimize risk of error and improve turnaround time.  The result was:

1. Lower error rates

2. Higher on-time delivery

3. Reduced overtime during quarterly peak periods

4. Improved relations with the account managers

5. Higher employee morale

6. Employee attrition was cut in half

7. Increased capacity to take on increasing volumes without adding staff – the team eventually was able to add 30% more volume without adding headcount.