Business Transformation

why business transformation

Navigating Growth, Risk, and Compliance in the Digital Age

Today’s economic conditions are constantly changing as businesses try to grow while managing risks and complying with laws, regulations, and internal policies.

RubinBrown’s greatest asset is the experience and thought leadership of our seasoned professionals. We have directed and consulted with a wide variety of companies, ranging from Fortune 500 public companies, to public and non-profit organizations, to small startup private companies.

In any business environment, the customer leads. Mobile devices, cloud environments, big data, and social media have taken us to a new level of interconnectedness — and it’s a permanent game changer. You can no longer stay competitive by simply replacing your technology. Business transformation puts you back in the game and keeps you there.

Our talented professionals provide cost-effective, value-added solutions to improve the financial position and operations of your business. RubinBrown’s Business Advisory Services team provides solutions-based services in the following areas:

Business and Technology Alignment

Before embarking on any technology initiative, it is critical to align overriding business strategy and goals with your technology initiative. RubinBrown integrates strategic business assessment and understanding with any advisory services we perform and is how we are able to provide true value-added services to our clients. In other words, we ensure that your technology investment will provide the necessary and expected return.

The below services are often integrated with an ERP or digital transformation, but in many cases these services may need to precede a transformation or may be offered as a discrete service.

Business Improvement

RubinBrown’s Business Improvement Services focus on planning, improving, and executing business strategies and processes with an objective view that aligns activities with the needs of your clients and stakeholders. Business Improvement is composed of two offerings:

BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

We focus on making business processes efficient and lean. A typical project can often lead to 50% improvement in time savings or capacity availability. We have Lean Six Sigma Belts on staff that lead teams of professionals with significant experience in process improvement. And while we bring Six Sigma certification, we don’t take a cookie cutter approach, rather we work with our clients as a team to ensure that business process improvements will benefit your strategic goals.

Every ERP modernization or business transformation involves some level of process improvement, Technology improves, and the need for technology changes. People grow their knowledge and skills, and turnover is a fact of life. As a result, your value streams accumulate waste. Process improvement removes the waste alongside the other company changes to prevent time and cost inefficiencies and to maximize the abilities of your technology and people. Even without a defined “transformation” initiative, every business changes over time and continued process adjustments are critical to business success.

Process improvement also maximizes your business performance and increases your overall operational agility. This in turn increases your ability to improve customer service and become a world-class competitor. Some results our clients have experienced from process improvement include:

Increased customer satisfaction
Clarity of accountability for decision making
Reduced complexity across the organization
Streamlined activities to work at optimal performance
Reduced cost
A company culture that understands how to solve problems versus a “band aid solution” mentality

We use a cross-functional and integrated approach that breaks down silos of information and helps you improve the way you work across your organization. This links business strategy with business process, workforce, and technology to help you put the necessary processes, tools, and governance in place for effective, ongoing process management.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Business Intelligence (BI) is often assumed as a simple inclusion in your ERP or technology reporting functionality, but this is only part of building out true BI capacity. Business intelligence not only leverages software to collect, store, and analyze data, but also requires internal processes and governance to monitor results and ultimately form actionable business decisions.

At RubinBrown, we help to organize your data, coordinate data inputs, define data mining procedures, create accurate benchmarking, align BI requirements with business strategy, and create monitoring mechanisms that help you effectively manage your business. When used in combination with Business Process Improvement, you will see concrete results that can be sustained.

Change Management

"CHANGE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PAINFUL"

Our change specialists help you set the stage to make change enriching and profitable for both the individuals and the company.

WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT

With any change, whether an ERP or enterprise technology replacement, process change, or a full business transformation, people must adjust. Organizational Change Management (OCM, sometimes called Change Management) recognizes the challenges that go with change across the organization and works with the individuals and groups involved to turn this change from a stress point into a productive and even exciting process.

"CHANGE MUST INVOLVE PEOPLE; NOT BE IMPOSED ON PEOPLE"

WHY CHANGE MANAGEMENT IS CRITICAL FOR RISK MITIGATION

It is a well-known fact that change is hard. If change is imposed on someone, the likelihood of this being a successful transition is low. Unless an individual has been involved in the change process, they will often resist the change, whether it is a change to process, technology, or both. This results in individual and company stress and lost productivity. Noncompliance is common. Lack of proper change management has been identified as one of the leading reasons for failure in many implementation assessments. For this reason, Change Management is considered a key component of Risk Mitigation. The right Change Management approach mitigates these risks and can lead to a successful project outcome on both the company and individual level.

HOW RUBINBROWN WILL HELP

Because organizational change management is such a critical component of project success, it is also integrated into our Customer Success Program.

All RubinBrown consultants and project managers are well versed in the components of organizational change management and understand the importance and integration of change components during a transformation. Additionally, RubinBrown employs change leads certified in programs including Prosci, Kotter, CCMP, CMI, and others as necessary to drive change programs for our clients.

We observe firsthand how new technology, new services, or process redesign manifests itself across the overall makeup of each unique organization and customize a change program accordingly. Your change program will ultimately help to smooth the transition for successful training and adoption, and may include components such as:

Leadership and stakeholder alignment and engagement
Change impact and readiness assessment
Communications
Organizational design
Resistance management
Training model and execution

Data Management

RubinBrown is one of few ERP advisory firms with the ability to navigate the complexities of data. Data is no longer an afterthought that simply needs to be cleaned and transferred to a new system, rather it is the lifeblood of any organization and is generally considered a critical asset.

Data management begins by completing a data assessment and developing a strategy to align data with technology use and with business goals and objectives. Common data work that is needed as part of any transformation include tasks like data discovery, mapping, cleansing, governance, and ETL & integration. Additionally, in some cases, a more advanced strategy is needed to comply with changing domestic and international regulations, data privacy and protection laws.

A key part of data management is having a clear and realistic goal outlined as to what data will be used for. Discussions of Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data, natural language processing, etc. are fun to have, but we need to ensure that realizable and cost-effective goals are set as part of the project plan. RubinBrown will help to set targets and provide education on emerging technologies as part of the data discussion.

Business Reorganization and Financial Restructuring

RubinBrown has extensive experience dealing with bankruptcy cases. We help troubled companies survive and continue to operate, negotiating with creditors and providing owners with return on their investment.

In the event a company cannot withstand business difficulties, we help owners and creditors maximize liquidation proceeds, recovering as much as possible.

Through our reorganization services, we provide critical assistance with both in-court and out-of-court matters to companies that are in crisis, underperforming, or healthy companies with underperforming sectors. We have helped numerous clients stabilize their operational and financial performance.

Enterprise Risk Management

RubinBrown’s experience has shown that the risk culture is so highly fragmented at many organizations that Board members, and the CEO, may find it hard to engage in a meaningful and informed analysis.

When properly implemented, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) can be an extremely powerful tool for identifying and taking advantage of the risks facing your organization.

ERM supports value creation by enabling management to deal effectively with potential future events that create uncertainty. Effective ERM helps management respond in a manner that reduces the likelihood of downside outcomes and increases the upside.

Every day, value is created, preserved, or eroded by management decisions in all activities, from strategy setting to running day-to-day operations. RubinBrown will help your company manage risks to create a competitive advantage that increases stakeholder value.

Unlocking Potential