Type of Company: Food Manufacturer
Situation: Transitioning to paperless system; loss of accounting staff with no backup; organizing the company for sale.
Objective: There were multiple objectives: (1) Losing key members of the accounting team – document the critical tasks before they left; (2) Create process workflows for multiple departments to help create the underlying structure for document management software; (3) Assess / reassess accounting department processes to improve efficiencies; then gather and document the critical knowledge; and (4) Help organize company for sale.
Action: We spent time to understand their processes and evaluated new software to determine potential efficiencies. Then we created comprehensive process workflows to help Apple & Eve’s software company and technology department. When some key players were leaving, we gathered and documented the information needed to retain critical and unique knowledge internally, allowing to quickly training replacements. We also reassessed some of the practices in the accounting department, enhancing efficiencies. We were able to evaluate the staff and help make critical decisions on the future of the staff and company. In addition, our network of business contacts helped them hire a new Controller.
Results: We opened their eyes to some vulnerability in both their staffing and the way they conduct business. We helped enhance efficiencies, improve processes, and make moves necessary to put them in position for the sale of the company. We coordinated effective meetings and achieved our objectives, all while meeting deadlines and adhering to budget constraints.
Type of Company: Manufacturer/distributor/retailer
Situation: (2) Two new software packages installed; current staff trained
Objective: Capture the process and all tasks performed by the various staff in the finance department for all tasks including daily weekly monthly quarterly and yearly finance transactions
Action: Work closely with each team member to audit and capture the individual processes: create workflows for individual tasks and create step-by-step process documentation for new staff that will be hired; as we worked with these processes we found some that were cumbersome and working with the director of finance and his team streamlined many processes.
Results: Created a comprehensive 83 section document that included workflows and step-by-step details for all procedures for the Department of finance. A side benefit to Canon USA was to help see our processes more clearly to reassess our practices, enhancing efficiency and improve our processes.
Type of Company: Pharmaceutical
Situation: Limited software, process not consistent, no documentation, new employees
Objective: Buying a software system that would incorporate all departments and processes. Needed to document all processes in order to present the processes that the company was accustom to performing and match the appropriate software to their needs.
Action: Spend time to get to know the company. Coordinating a large number of departments; set up schedules; get the right level of cooperation from both managers and staff. Audit the processes while creating Workflow documents. Gathered a software “wish list” of procedures department managers required to move forward making their team and software more efficient.
Results: A&Z Pharmaceutical for the first time had their workflows in writing as well as the wish list from each and every department. The company recently has installed a new computer system and most of that wish list has been realized.
