Telecoms, Media & Technology

A €2.4bn telecoms group based in Europe

Competition within the telecoms industry has been fierce since the dot.com TMT bubble burst in 2000. Most fixed line operators have been faced with both mobile and fixed line ‘reseller’ challenges on the pricing front. In analysing its cost profile the group had decided that it needed to reduce run rate expenditure in its ‘Networks’ division. With extensive subject matter expertise in telecoms dms was asked to lead a team reviewing the current environment and then  design and run a programme that would achieve both its cost and customer service objectives.

The programme also involved creating an overall framework and writing eight individual project plans. Up to twenty staff were required at different times including consultants, contractors and client staff.

Key objectives achieved included creating a technical shared service centre, building and handing over a suite of forecasting and planning models, introducing new KPI’s, re-engineering all of the division’s core processes and training client staff in process maintenance and continuous improvement techniques. The initial programme also acted as a catalyst for a major country-wide management training initiative, successfully undertaken by a colleague.

Benefits of up to a 30% improvement in lead time were identified and savings of between €9.7m and €11.5m.  

The £800m owner of a terrestrial TV network, 5 teleports and 80 satellite uplinks

To reduce costs the company wanted to introduce a demand/capacity planning framework into its UK operations division.

This was a hybrid role involving both consulting and interim management elements. Terms of reference included helping develop some forecasting and planning processes, advising on aspects of the demand planning model development, and hiring and creating a team capable of supporting an improved approach to matching resources with the demand pipeline. A key challenge also included implementing the new forecasting model and associated processes into the business-as-usual environment.

Specific tasks included hiring Lean Sigma experts, an accountant and re-defining the roles of a number of internal staff. External consultants were managed in developing a capacity planning model.

Achieved the assignment objectives which included building a management team, installing a demand planning framework including KPI/OPI reporting, creating a continuous process improvement culture, and assisting with the establishment of a shared services unit.

A small £30m London based telecoms reseller

Following a strategic investment by a private equity house the company had been asked to accelerate its plans for growing to £100m turnover. Titled ‘Readiness for Growth’ the assignment involved evaluating the operational functions preparedness for rapid growth, both organically and via acquisition.

The review involved reviewing and evaluating operational processes, IT and organisational structure and making recommendations on how the function could be prepared for growth.

A report was developed and presented to the CEO and the findings accepted.

Development of a cost management framework for a subsidiary of major outsourcer

The IT division of a major UK outsourcer acquired the company in the first half of 2014 and proceeded to absorbing it into its IT services unit.

The new subsidiary had been experiencing all the challenges of growth plus integration with an existing unit in the division.

The terms of reference involved analysing the cost base (ABC used), developing some high level resource models and helping internal staff launch a several thousand Ethernet circuits RFP worth £15m.

The client was left with a report recommending an ongoing programme of cost containment, supported by appropriate analysis and forecasts. 

Germany based multi-national with 360,000 employees

This IT based challenge primarily involved the management of the group’s global IT trouble-ticket backlog to within outsourcing contract parameters.

The 2012 Munich based assignment involved the daily management of a cross-border IT team based in several time zones and supporting over 250,000 worldwide employees. Resolver centres were based in Germany, The Philippines, Turkey and Spain with each regional IT manager delivering reports on performance each day.

With 10,000 tickets per day the objective was to manage the cumulative backlog to within 2.5%.

Achieved sub-2% at one point in the assignment; contract conditions met as required.

$1.7bn publishing group based in the U.S.

The inexorable advance of digital has been impacting all publishers, large and small. With declining revenues and a static cost base the requirement was to align costs with revenues and help facilitate the development of a new strategy within one of the group’s key divisions.

This North American based assignment involved leading a small team in achieving significant ongoing operational savings, consolidating and redesigning targeted core process areas and driving the development of a new strategy. It involved direct and active involvement in redesigning the organisation and other restructuring related work.

Programme management tasks also included attending and reporting to the global implementation board based in New York. 

Savings of over $20m were achieved, targeted processes were completed and a basic continuous improvement framework installed. Strategic work helped set the scene for two corporate acquisitions effected in the following year.

A new business product line in one of the world’s largest mobile operators

The group wanted to launch a new technology in the M2M (machine to machine) space. A new division had been created and skeleton organizational structure created.

The assignment was hybrid in that it involved both project and operational support aspects in the Pricing department.

Project objectives included creating several new pricing based processes, recommending an organizational support structure and developing an Excel based commercial pricing model that could be used to quickly support bid submissions.

Operational support included day to day support on multiple small, medium and large proposals including an $80m TCV submission for a multinational in the photocopying industry.

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