Process Optimization for Digital Innovation

Opportunity

A multinational sportswear company needed support to assess and improve the key business process for its digital innovation team. The team had several structural reorganizations in the last few years, and needed to refresh and optimize their innovation process to better reflect their new charter direction. 

The innovation team engaged Pepper Foster to assist them with coordinating and conducting key focus groups, documenting stage gates/movements, process flows, and delivering key findings to the leadership team for approval and integration.

Solution

Pepper Foster conducted a current state analysis by interviewing 30+ stakeholders at all levels and positions of the organization. The objective was to identify friction points and areas where further clarity was needed in the team’s operating model. After uncovering themes from these conversations, three main deliverables were determined to be valuable:

• RASCI Roles and Responsibility Alignment
• Governance Meeting Optimization 
• Innovation Process Stage Gate Definition

Pepper Foster leveraged a collaborative approach seeking alignment and consensus across stakeholders. Multiple workshops were held with various groups of team members that were designed to foster discussion around each of these objectives, and reach a consensus for action.

Outcome

The three deliverables were prepared and presented to the leadership of the innovation team. The recommendations were agreed upon, and incorporated into the ways of working for the team. In order to ensure stability and longevity for any transitions to in the way folks work, a focused change management approach was utilized to bring the larger team onboard, and broadcast process changes externally to other business partners within the enterprise. 

‍