Shortly after starting a new leadership position, I began to realize that service and technology deployments were suffering and client satisfaction was very low as a result. The sales organization was making unrealistic commitments to clients that could not be supported by the delivery organization. Projects were consistently starting too quickly without adequate preparation due to the aggressive dates set by the sales organization, which resulted in frequent delivery issues, cost overruns and unhappy clients.
In an effort to regain control over existing projects that were struggling and to ensure new projects were started in a more orderly fashion, the delivery organization made several significant improvements. First, the sales organization was re-trained on the necessary lead times to plan, start, and pilot projects. Repeatable process templates were created to streamline the common functions of various project types to reduce the planning timeline. Every project required a kick-off meeting with the client and delivery organization stakeholders to ensure the project was ready for execution. When conducting large scale technology deployment, a pilot program was utilized to ensure technology deployments were successful in a small sampling before ramping up to the full technology deployment schedule. Finally, post-mortem project reviews were conducted to identify successes and areas of improvement for future projects.
As a result of these efforts, the majority of new projects were delivered on-time and within budget constraints. Client satisfaction was greatly improved, which opened the door for future business opportunities.
By Bart Barber
What is HT Cares!
For HT Group, our mission has always been about changing lives. This isn’t just a marketing catch-phrase! To us, this is a way of life. When the pandemic started, our leadership gathered together to brainstorm on how we could impact our community and change lives while so many were hurting around us. What came out of those sessions was a multi-phased approach that started with HT putting approximately 75 people BACK TO WORK that lost their jobs due to the COVID crisis! Rather than file for unemployment or struggle with paying their bills, they had a steady paycheck!
This program went to the next level when HT gathered approximately 30 C-Suite executives into a collective “think tank” to answer the question, “How can we help business leaders re-open Texas by utilizing the collective experience from this team?” This exercise turned into an amazing collection of Austin based operating executives that have come together to help companies in the Austin community get through this difficult time. The final step in our HT Cares! Strategic Initiative is a free Executive Leader to Leader Conversation with their C-Suite and a peer(s) from a similar position, industry, or expertise on our team. This would act as another “set of eyes” while also being a confidential sounding board. NDA’s will be signed for their protection and ours.
Management Consulting, Staffing, and Recruiting:
The HT Group is a comprehensive management consulting, staffing, and recruiting agency in Austin, built upon the foundation of integrity, transparency, and trust. Deeply rooted in its communities, The HT Group’s philosophy is to change lives, one job or project at a time. With an agile core, The HT Group team delivers services through contract, retained search, direct-hire, management consulting and advisory services. The HT Group strives to go above and beyond and truly empower its clients.
