Our team of problem solvers in Indianapolis offers tailored solutions to overcome business and technology challenges.
While helping find solutions to our clients’ toughest problems, we’ve learned a thing or two. In this series, we share insights from our Indianapolis team of seasoned solvers on overcoming today’s technology, people and business challenges.
Technology
Meet Your Problem Solver
Tony Hunter | Manager | Business Analysis and Project Management
THE BUSINESS PROBLEM
As companies upgrade systems, move to the cloud, or modernize processes, they commonly encounter data challenges. When those challenges occur, it’s natural to start where the problem is encountered. But when they do so, they risk simply replicating the "dirty” data and building it into the company’s processes.
OUR INSIGHT
We’ve seen many cases in which a data issue actually occurs much further upstream. For example, the company’s business processes may have holes that cause the data problem experienced downstream. It’s like treating the symptom, not the disease. That’s why it’s often best to take a more holistic view and review processes at both the front end, where the problem is encountered, and the back end, where the problem may originate. It can seem like a lot more work, and you may need additional resources, but you’ll be better off in the end.
Business
Meet Your Problem Solver
Scott Stover | Manager | Project Manager, Delivery Excellence
THE BUSINESS PROBLEM
One of the major risks to American companies today is corporate debt, which often comes back to staffing. Companies often take on debt to invest in new systems or technologies without considering how those new tools will affect every part of the organization. Their investment leaves out the ongoing costs of the additional people needed to implement and maintain the new asset while staffing the new processes that result.
OUR INSIGHT
Addressing unanticipated staffing needs may require thinking beyond your traditional talent pools. A great place to start is to consider offshoring. With remote-work technologies, you literally have a world of talent at your fingertips. India is one resource to consider. Its highly talented employees, especially in areas like engineering and technology, can help you meet your staffing needs at a lower cost.
Another staffing alternative is AI. However, rather than thinking of AI as a way to replace employees, think of it as a way to make the employees you have more efficient. AI can automate thousands of predictable, repetitive tasks, freeing people up to do more rewarding — and valuable — work. And with generative AI exploding, more opportunities to use this technology to lower costs across the board emerge every day.
People
Meet Your Problem Solver
Renee Sullivan | Senior Manager, Service Offering Lead | Business Consulting, Change Management
THE BUSINESS PROBLEM
Some clients often see change as one-dimensional. They are focused on implementing technology X or process Y, but any time you are making a significant leap from today to where you want to be tomorrow, you must consider not just the technology or process but also how the change will impact people — both employees and customers — as well as how the data or information is affected. Unfortunately, organizations often lack alignment, even among leadership, about the vision, let alone what all the impacts of the change will be.
OUR INSIGHT
Alignment is the crucial first step to any significant, transformational change. For example, say you have not changed a critical piece of your technology in 20 years. Some leaders might say the technology needs to be replaced because its vendor will no longer support it, while others will see the change as a step toward a better future state. Until leadership aligns around the “why” of the change, employees will be unable to understand how their work may be different and why they should support the change. When leaders align, support, and communicate the vision clearly, it becomes the basis for creating an understanding of the changes employees will encounter in adopting the new future state.
[cta bg="purple" button="Read the Story" link="https://centricconsulting.com/client-stories/scaling-offshore-support-to-build-a-custom-b2b-app-for-a-global-fb-company/"] In only 10 months, we created a B2B app for easier ordering and customer data analysis in a global, data-driven industry.[/cta]
