Solutions
Enterprise Strategy Management (ESM) is the only real-time performance management software application that translates corporate strategy into aligned objectives, initiatives, metrics, portfolios and projects.
The Y-Change® ESM solution links strategy to execution by providing a clear and complete view from any point within the strategic process. This gives employees the ability to access, connect and report on activities, so they can focus their efforts in a more strategic cost effective manner.
Whether you are just beginning on your journey towards strategic goal deployment, or have a process in place using Hoshin Kanri, goal deployment or other strategy execution methods, please check out our Y-Change Strategic Planning Software to “Transform your strategy into results”.
Resources
Articles
Ventana Research, the leading Performance Management research and advisory services firm, provides expert insight and detailed guidance to help clients operate their companies more efficiently and effectively.
Background
Organizations that want to improve performance throughout the organization should consider Y-Change for program and activity management. Ventana Research sees this application, specifically designed for performance management, as a useful tool for achieving the goal of linking strategy to execution.
Professional society whose mission is to enable people and organizations to succeed through improved strategic thinking, planning, and action.
Alan Leeds from Y-Change and Gaye Clemson from Cisco Systems presentation: A New Way to Drive Strategic Alignment in an Age of Disruption & Convergence
Alan Leeds from Y-Change and Jeff Mains presentation: "Bridging the Strategy Chasm: Achieving Strategic Goals through Cascading Management"
After a successful year of utilizing an on-line application for its Strategic Planning Process tool, Williams Company embarked on expanding its planning horizon through developing a three year strategic plan. During the workshop we will be presenting the step by step approach used by Williams to develop a focused and balanced strategic plan and rollout.
CFS won the Baldrige award in 2003. Their Strategic Planning process and Business Excellence Model were two key elements that contributed to this achievement. Through this presentation, you will learn about their Business Excellence Model, and specifically their ISDE Strategy Development and Execution breakthrough process, as well as their current results and lessons learned.
The association that helps supply chain managers connect, collaborate, and become more effective professionals.
World class transportation and supply chain companies today require seamless integration of strategy, tactics and metrics deployment. This case study tutorial combines a strategy, initiative and process deployment framework with metrics and implementation tools for Williams Company and Y-Change, Inc.
Case Studies
Strategic Goals and Objectives Deployment
Background
Company is a midsize aerospace/defense contractor in weapons training systems, strong software engineering and integration core competency. They embarked on a two year development of an Enterprise Management System (EMS), in order to continue to the next level of development of cutting edge technology. This included the achievement of the Software Engineering Institute’s, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI Level 3) proficiency to meet the U.S. Department of Defense requirements.
Objective
Y-Change was invited to assist in establishing and deploying a closed loop company strategy setting process, with goals and objectives relatable at each level of management. Every participating manager, from the top to supervisor, would be linked to both management above and below, providing a cascade allowing management to have visibility over the length and breadth of the corporate strategy implementation tasks & activities. Additionally, the goals and objectives would be tied to each manager’s annual performance appraisal, with quarterly progress reviews, to ensure accountability to the process.
Strategic Goals
The Y-Change application was also seen as a potential answer to one of the more serious issues, that of a consistent approach to monitoring and controlling each customer program. It allows management the ability to view program activities, and status on a real time basis, giving them the ability to drill down, at any time, to determine cause, effect and resolution of risks to successful program management. Feedback, from the participants, has been very positive with their seeing improved communication over the direction of their area, more frequent assessment and feedback on their activities, and a more productive use of their time through better planning and awareness of critical management issues. Significant cost savings have been attained, with the elimination of many cumbersome, time consuming reports and PowerPoint presentations.
Collaboration and Reporting of Strategic Initiatives and Projects
Background
As part of a leading high technology company, Strategic Alliances is responsible for identifying, developing, and managing relationships with key technical and systems integrators. Strategic Alliances (SA) consists of 125 plus professionals located worldwide.
Objective
As its name implies, SA’s work involves activities which are key to the company’s strategic plans. Good management practice dictates that the senior management team develops a process by which these initiatives, and their attendant programs and projects, receive regular internal reviews. These reviews must, however, avoid burdening those who are working to deliver successful results.
Complicating matters, the workforce must locate near its partners and the work involves heavy meeting and travel schedules. For these reasons, group meetings are rarely in person and almost always have less than 100% attendance.
Results
Tangible:
- Visibility for initiative, program & project status
- Improved collaboration across departments and time zones
- Automated monthly and quarterly reporting
- Increased efficiency due to the reduced status reporting requirements
- Improved accountability for quarter-over quarter performance
Intangible:
- Better understanding of the linkage between various projects and the strategic direction
- Improved clarity of the initiative planning and deployment process
- Agreement on terminology
Alignment of Initiatives and Project portfolio
Background
Company is a large high tech telecommunications corporation with a diverse product offering that is sold world-wide utilizing a variety of distribution channels. Organization is charged with managing the systems used to track service and maintenance contracts for the company’s customer base. Given the diverse nature of the products and means of distribution, a wide variety of projects are being tackled, some more closely aligned with company goals than others.
Objective
Y-Change was invited to assist in the development and deployment of a methodology that would aid the organization in establishing priorities and tracking progress of its portfolio of projects. Each functional manager would thus be able to show how their programs and projects tied to organization’s initiatives as well as monitor progress of each project team. The senior manager would be able to view all activities as they related to his initiatives, thus evaluating if the proper amount of emphasis was being placed on the key strategies of the company.
Results
Although the organization had not identified this as an objective, one of the most important outcomes of this deployment was the identification and elimination of over 40% of the projects that were being undertaken. By so doing, greater attention could be paid to the remainder of the projects – thus aiding in the accomplishment of the organization’s overall goals and objectives.
Another key benefit of this work was to create objective and actionable data associated with each project. Project managers could no longer gloss over important details, and managers could no longer claim a lack of understanding on the issues their PM’s faced. In short, the project portfolio moved out of the shadows and into sharp focus.
Modules
Strategy Manager
Manage your Strategy
Portfolio Manager
Manage any portfolio of projects
Project Manager
Executing and aligning of projects
Report Manager
Customized Reports
Collaboration Manager
Connect with employees
Strategy Manager
Y-Change enables organizations to integrate, align and manage all strategic, tactical and performance information.
With Y-Change, your company can support all strategy and initiative management processes, including Hoshin, OGSM, and VSE.
Each department or area can organize, manage and link their strategies, objectives, initiatives and tactics to all programs and projects throughout the organization.
Our tool allows you to work on your current year, while planning for your next year’s information, as well as referencing information from previous years.
Executives and managers can easily create and update dashboards and performance metrics, with simple double clicking to edit information, in accordance with company security procedures.
Additional resources, including meetings, metrics, documents and action logs are easily available.
Portfolio Manager
With Y-Change, executives and managers can select, plan, manage and track a portfolio’s lifecycle from idea to execution.
The ESM portfolio tracker allows you to setup and track the stages of a portfolio, as well as linking and reporting on those selected projects in that portfolio.
The rules engine allows for quick phase gate approvals, emails, and prioritizing of projects for selection or re-sizing.
An organization can easily view the metrics of their portfolio, as well as (what) the objectives and initiatives they are supporting.
Project Manager
The Y-Change software will enable your company to align, track, manage, and account for decentralized teams collaborating on a variety of programs.
You can improve project workflow by collaborative scheduling while aligning projects to objectives and initiatives in an intuitive manner.
Many features such as Gantt charts, risks, deliverables, phase status, heat maps and custom dashboards allow for companywide visibility and expeditious reporting.
Organizing projects around user specified project types allows for customization of information specific to the needs of each organization or project,
Whether you need a simple project reporting tool, or a detailed phased based six- sigma or product development management system involving customized charter elements , financial and metrics requirements, Y-Change can do both.
No need for additional support…all features are configurable by the user.
Report Manager
With ease, of Y-Change functionality, your company will be able to create, save and export unlimited cascading and filtered initiative, portfolio and project reports and dashboards.
Results will flow from top management through the organization, showing the tactics, timelines, and action items.
There are unlimited reports, with customized filters that can be generated with the report wizard. Reports have on-line editing of the data ideal for monthly or quarterly reviews and updates.
Dashboards can be easily created, saved, emailed and exported to your favorite desktop application.
Collaboration Manager
Y-Change will enable you to connect employees and teams through real-time threaded discussions, status reporting, actions and meetings.
Integration with MSOutlook allows for seamless sending of automatic emails for selected timeline, deliverables, action items ,meetings and phase gate events.
Documents can be stored in our repository with check-in, version control and key word search, or can be connected to existing applications such as internal file share drives and MS Sharepoint
Y-Change can do an on-line search by all key topics and document key words and employ threaded discussions and action log updates that are provided in the strategy and project portions of the tool
All objectives, initiatives, and projects can be linked or hyperlinked and cascaded, allowing for transparency of information and linkages of activities throughout an organization’s departments and levels.
Why Change?
Have you outgrown your single user applications such as exel and powerpoint to drive and report on your organization’s strategy, objectives, initiatives and projects?
Are you looking for a way to integrate these organization critical activities in an easy to use, cost effective, scalable application that can grow with you?
Are you ready to change but are afraid of the "hidden costs" and risks of change?
Configured for your organization
Use only those modules and features that best fit each department’s needs and requirements. Ranging from basic goals and objectives alignment, to complex portfolio and project management. Phase reviews, phase gate sign-offs,and interactive emails. Are just a few
Rapid Implementation
ESM offers template driven setup which allows the user to define their own strategy, project, portfolio and reports. Templates are created by the end user, without the use of IT or an application developer, in less than 1 week.
Ease of use with personalized pages, double-click editing and reports you can edit in real-time.
Only pay for what you use and use successfully
Y-Change will set up and configure a test environment for you to try out the modules, features, reports and linkages that you need to be successful, at no cost to you!