Targeting a new operating model
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Shared Services Group were eager to improve their service to the rest of NZDF, but found that a constant stream of new initiatives left them struggling to find time for the continuous improvement they wanted.
By listening closely to our client, we were able to tease out the future vision for the Shared Services division and build a Target Operating Model that could cope with an uncertain future.
NZDF is building an integrated defence force – a connected, coordinated and agile military organisation. They aim to bring all personnel together to work as one force, harnessing collective effort and valuing diversity of skill and thought. Highly effective support services are needed to help build this seamless organisation.
NZDF had established the Shared Services Group more than ten years ago. Despite several formal reviews of progress, it still wasn't working as well as they had hoped. They knew they would need to be more flexible in future but weren't clear what this would mean for their structure. They asked Sysdoc to take a look and recommend how they could best organise themselves.
Our analysis confirmed that the initial thinking and vision for shared services was still sound. The challenges were to stabilise current service delivery and introduce the capability to manage new initiatives more effectively, so they could scale up operations over time, without scaling up resources commensurately. We proposed a target operating model that included a phased approach to get them from now to the target future. We also incorporated the impact of projects and initiatives likely to hit over the next three to five years.
Our client was delighted with the proposal. They were clear on what needed to be done but could also see how the model could 'flex' to incorporate new priorities in future.
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