In an era where organizations are increasingly striving for efficiency
and sustainability, the landscape of business transformation has become a focal
point across industries. This pursuit of business and operational excellence is
particularly evident in the realm of consultancy services, where firms aim to
assist their clients in streamlining the entire organization and fostering
growth.
Enter Emercomm Business Consultants Inc., a
pioneering force in the consultancy arena. Established in 2010, Emercomm has
emerged as a key player, offering tailored solutions designed to transform
clients into lean, agile, and winning organizations.
At the heart of Emercomm’s success lies the vision and leadership of the
management team. With a wealth of experience and strategic acumen, the team
spearheads Emercomm’s commitment to driving organizational success in a rapidly
evolving business landscape.
Streamlining Organizations for Sustainable
Growth
Emercomm Business Consultants was established with the objective of
offering a spectrum of services aimed at achieving a singular goal: ensuring
that the clients become “Lean Organizations that Win!” Since its inception,
Emercomm has engaged with various clients across seven countries. The clientele
ranges from small-scale entities with 12 permanent employees, supplementing
their workforce with up to 100 contractors during peak periods, to
multinational corporations boasting over 1,000 employees.
In response to the expanding client base in the United States, Emercomm USA
was launched, led by Larry Frey, and headquartered in Georgia, USA.
The terminology preference of “Organizations” over “Businesses” or “Companies”
is deliberate. An “Organization” denotes an entity comprising one or more
individuals sharing a common purpose, whereas a “Business” or “Company” refers
to a legal entity formed by a collective to conduct commercial or industrial
operations. The pursuit of ‘Lean Management’ status necessitates alignment
among all stakeholders towards enhancing the values of the enterprise.
The notion of “Winning” transcends mere metrics such as sales growth,
revenue increase, or profitability. While these metrics are vital, sustaining
success requires organizations to harmonize the needs and expectations of their
diverse stakeholders. Leveraging decades of collective management and
consulting expertise, including 150 years within the senior management team,
Emercomm offers a suite of services designed to aid organizations in:
- Reducing elapsed cycle times, thereby enhancing efficiency.
- Streamlining human effort by automating mundane and repetitive tasks,
freeing up cognitive resources.
- Identifying and eliminating non-value-added costs and optimizing
resource allocation.
- Managing and mitigating risks through robust process reviews and
contingency planning.
Complementing the senior management team, Emercomm boasts a pool of over
50 consulting and technical professionals situated across Canada, the USA, and
other international locations. No Emercomm team member has less than 15 years
of experience in their role.
The Path Forward
The methodology employed by Emercomm for business transformation is
termed Lean Enterprise Management. It centers on three pivotal domains:
• Process modeling and enhancement.
• People: Assessment of knowledge capital and organizational change
management.
• Technology: Selection and implementation of solutions tailored not only
to current requirements but also aligned with the organization’s strategic
plan.
The rationale behind this approach lies in the understanding that people
execute tasks within various stages of processes. For the organization to
thrive, it is imperative to ensure that the right people are engaged in
executing the right processes at the right time, armed with the right
information.
Strategic Engagement Evaluation
As a Lean organization, Emercomm acknowledges the importance of aligning
its services with the specific needs of each client. When assessing new
opportunities, the following factors are carefully considered:
• The requirements of the client.
• The expertise available within the Emercomm team.
• The level of commitment demonstrated by the client’s executive
management team.
Based on this evaluation, Emercomm determines whether to proceed with or
respectfully decline the opportunity to collaborate with new clients. To
mitigate risk for both parties, milestone events are established to assess the
progress of initiatives and the overall relationship between Emercomm and the
client. If a partnership is not yielding desired results, efforts are not
prolonged to avoid unnecessary costs.
In essence, Emercomm ensures that its processes are executed by the right
people at the opportune moments and with access to the required information.
Navigating Change
When clients partner with Emercomm, they typically present a set of
issues requiring attention, which form the initial focus of the project.
Addressing these visible issues often generates the return on investment necessary
to sustain ongoing continuous improvement and lean initiatives.
Significant issues usually involve multiple stakeholders both within and
outside the organization. The process of identifying necessary actions entails
engaging key stakeholders in several sessions. The initial session serves as an
introduction and educational opportunity, ensuring alignment and understanding
of the methodology to be employed. Subsequent process modeling sessions
pinpoint areas for improvement, assess potential cross-functional impacts, and
prioritize action items.
One key difference between Emercomm and other consultants is that we
deliver both ‘education’ and ‘training.’ Where training is typically specific
to the use of a product, education
provides those receiving it to envision the ‘future state’ of implementing
changes to processes and roles and using technology to improve stakeholder
values.
Upon agreement on the ‘future state’ model and action plan, review by the Executive Sponsor and/or Executive Steering Committee ensues, guiding subsequent actions. This process includes devising a plan for Organizational Change Management.
Efficiency Through Experience
Operating as a Lean organization, Emercomm has implemented its Virtual Office Process Management model, aimed at reducing non-value-added costs and optimizing team members’ commitment to client projects. While Emercomm does not maintain a physical office space with rental obligations, arrangements are in place to access conference rooms or meeting areas as necessary, ensuring competitive billing rates for clients.
Emercomm’s wealth of experience translates into efficient and cost-effective client engagements. Unlike less experienced staff or consulting firms reliant on standardized templates, Emercomm’s seasoned team possesses the expertise to discern and execute necessary actions without rigid corporate directives.
A notable distinction lies in Emercomm’s organizational structure and compensation approach. Unlike firms with billable hour targets and performance-based bonuses, Emercomm’s focus is solely on the success of client engagements, measured against agreed metrics, goals, and deliverables.
Strategic Solutions for
Organizational Success
The client engagement process commences with a scope and budget
definition stage, wherein the initiative’s boundaries, executive decision
items, and out-of-scope areas are delineated. The defined scope determines
resource requirements, facilitating the estimation of time/cost and the
creation of a time-phased budget for approval. Notably, prioritizing pressing
issues often yields returns that sustain ongoing initiatives.
Emercomm offers distinctive services, such as the Virtual Chief Process
Officer (CPO) and Virtual Chief Information Officer (CIO). Small organizations,
typically unable to afford full-time CPO or CIO positions, benefit from these
senior management-level roles on an as-needed basis. These services support
tactical and strategic planning and performance management.
The Virtual CPO aids in identifying and quantifying improvement targets,
offering guidance on methods and team structures conducive to lean management
adoption. The ultimate aim is to enhance organizational accuracy across
monthly, quarterly, annual, and strategic plans.
The Virtual CIO aids organizations in identifying IT requirements,
managing technology risks, and devising future strategies aligned with
organizational goals, spanning the near term through the strategic plan’s
duration and beyond.
In certain scenarios, organizations require new Enterprise Solutions,
commonly referred to as ‘ERP’ solutions in manufacturing, distribution, and
various service sectors. Emercomm has a successful track record in assisting
organizations with solution identification and selection of suitable
implementation partners. Emercomm can also assist organizations with the
project management tasks associated with the implementation of new
technologies.
Achieving Customer Expectations
Client engagements at Emercomm are held in strict confidence. However, an
exemplary illustration of a successful project involves addressing the
organization’s top concern of timely shipping according to customer expectations.
A presentation detailing this successful client engagement is available
on YouTube channel: YouTube.
Overcoming Implementation Challenges
Lean initiatives form a crucial component of Business Transformation,
with implications for the entire organization. Common challenges encountered
during the implementation of these changes include:
• Ensuring executive leadership possesses the requisite skills to drive
and manage the change.
• Equipping human resources with an effective Organizational Change
Management plan and the necessary resources for plan execution.
• Promptly identifying and eliminating obstacles to success.
Emercomm’s approach involves educating every level of the project team,
from Executive Management downwards, on their respective roles and
responsibilities during projects while assisting them in identifying their own
WIIFM factors.
WIIFM, an acronym for “What’s In It For Me,” underscores the importance
of individuals understanding how change will positively impact them. Such
impacts can manifest in various ways, encompassing both on-the-job improvements
and enhancements to quality of life.
Introducing LeanControl RTO
Utilizing advanced process modeling technology, Emercomm has dedicated
substantial time and resources to develop LeanControl RTO (Real Time
Organization). This integrated platform encompasses groups of processes
designed to streamline the creation of ‘future state’ process models, thereby
reducing wasted time, human effort, and costs.
A unique component of the methodology is the Virtual Office Process
Management (VOPM) process group. VOPM facilitates the remote setup of
organizational personnel, minimizing operational risks associated with remote
work arrangements. VOPM implementation encompasses not only technological
considerations but also ensures clear communication of human resource
expectations, thereby mitigating organizational risks and ensuring
uninterrupted information and process flows. The service delivery of VOPM
includes education and assistance in creating hybrid working schedules (remote
and in-office) that ensure community interactions are not compromised.
Moreover, the technology employed by Emercomm offers additional benefits,
including its adaptability for various purposes such as ISO documentation,
HTML-based online help, instructions for new hires and role transitions,
process data mining requirements set up, and standards establishment for
different types of process automation.
Harnessing AI for Success
The emergence of AI presents a significant opportunity to accelerate the
progress of Lean Enterprise Management. AI capabilities can facilitate rapid data
analysis and the establishment of key business metrics. Once these metrics are
defined, AI empowers organizations to proactively respond to changes,
safeguarding and enhancing the investments made in Lean practices.
In the realm of continuous improvement, future business success will
increasingly hinge upon the content, quality, and validity of data for
predictive management. Reliable data will be indispensable across multiple
domains, and the integration of AI will be pivotal in validating and leveraging
data effectively, thereby ensuring the ongoing sustainability of businesses.
Leveraging a wealth of experience and a comprehensive client engagement
process, Emercomm is poised to guide both clients and its own enterprise
through the dynamic landscape of Lean Enterprise Management.
Connecting with Emercomm
Contacting Emercomm should be via email: services@emercomm.com
Website: www.emercomm.com
YouTube channel: @EmercommConsulting
URLs from the podcast interviews with SME Canada:
SPOC Explained: https://youtu.be/UF9LSeiWfww
SPOC Overview: https://youtube.com/shorts/VUCcwVoUfEw
BT Explained: https://youtu.be/1myRGQOqH2k
BT Overview:
https://youtube.com/shorts/vXWzKG8w62s
