GEOSMART METHODOLOGY
The GPC Group has evolved its unique methodology and services over the years characterized by several enabling factors that are balanced to deliver on the client transformation objectives as follows:
Planning & Design Thinking:
Approaching an organizational transformation in general and digital transformation in particular requires comprehensive understanding of the business and key value chain areas within the organization touching on its internal operations as well as on associated activities with its strategic partners. It follows that, in order to grow the intended transformation in the organization, applying master planning and roadmap tools & methods based on “Design Thinking” principles becomes key to surface out and prioritize the initiatives that are activated incrementally towards achieving the goals and objectives. Within that direction, adequate allocation of resources within the organization supported by the necessary consulting and program management teams is key towards successful implementation of the identified strategies. Furthermore, depending on the situation at hand, several synergistic enablers that are complementary in nature fold out incrementally including the conception, development, rollout, and scaling of digital platforms that would constitute the backbone of the organizational transformation. This is typically complemented by specific enabling institutional developments such as decrees, formulation and adoption of service level agreements, guidelines, operating procedures, standards, etc.
Governance & Stakeholders’ Engagement:
In order to achieve the required transformation in the organization, the stakeholders’ engagement across various disciplines is key towards establishing and sustaining a two-way communication between the executive leadership and the concerned internal and external stakeholders in charge of various aspects of operations and developments in the value chain. This is usually facilitated through a well-designed governance framework comprising well-conceived and moderated steering committees, working groups, and special interest groups empowered by service level agreements or memorandums of understanding; the latter provide the umbrella for collaboration among the various stakeholders. This is complemented as well by outreach & communication events that are used as venues for wider involvement of the stakeholders and beneficiaries in the community who will be apprised continuously on the strategic direction and provide input into the process as necessary. Furthermore, gaining appreciation of the organization culture by the project team is key towards effectively facilitating the stakeholders’ coordination activities.
Digital Transformation Towards GeoSmart Community Services:
Digital transformation is perceived by GPC as a process of reorganizing the pieces of a puzzle within an organization towards alignment and synergy of specific strategic activities clusters. While drawing on the roadmap prepared by the project team adopted by the executive leadership with input and buy-in from the concerned stakeholders, the well-conceived digital transformation strategy outputs start to unfold. This comprises several tracks: services formulation which includes comprehensive understanding and representation of the organization business areas and assets, policy & governance, human and capital assets readiness (the latter comprises the enabling technology solution components), funding, and ROI. It is important to highlight inhere that at any point in time in the organization, the transformation may undergo bottom-up or top-down evolution depending on the strategic and/or tactical direction being followed. GPC, through its suite of solutions and services, provides a range of support services to its clients that range from turnkey projects, master plans/ roadmaps, to managed operational services i.e. adapting its services to align with top-down, bottom-up, or hybrid approaches being followed by its clients.
Refer to GPC GeoSmart Community Services and the GeoSmart Technology Architecture methodologies for more details.
Agile Programs and Project Management:
While in many cases the vision and strategic direction may be set forth by the client via varying articulations of requirements, goals, and roadmaps, the “how to” methodology and scope adaptation may unfold only on-the-go and incrementally during the subsequent project implementation. In order to cater for such contextual developments, agile programs and project management provide the flexibility and adaptability for the clients to manage their projects in pieces or batches. The associated by-products and services from such individual agile project implementations mesh together over time with various pieces of the puzzle towards fulfilling the intended outputs and outcomes of the overall program or project. We at GPC Group have developed, based on long years of experience and lessons learned, a comprehensive and agile project management framework to support our clients with well-oriented and capable project managers empowered with the tools & methods to manage effectively and efficiently as per agile project management sound practices.
Capacity Building Including Human and Capital Assets:
Most often, a systemic and systematic capacity building is required to provide the backbone of the transformation process in general and digital transformation in particular in an organization. In several cases, this may be championed via a project-based task force with a clearly defined mission, goals, and objectives. And depending on the nature of the intended transformation, this may evolve into a dedicated service center or unit in the organization assigned the role and mandate to empower the required transformation while readying the remaining building blocks identified above. This comprises the development and rollout of comprehensive technologically-enabled-solutions envisaged as integral capital assets in the organization enabling digital maturation over time.
Managing Performance Towards Goals Fulfillment and Achieving ROI:
Based on the principle of “what is not measured cannot be managed”, GPC has developed, throughout its long experience in programs, projects and operations management, a comprehensive process of performance management that is followed rigorously in its projects and initiatives. Importance is given particularly to orchestrating, at any point time, the performance management elements based on sound principles and practices that embed the following: design thinking, continuous adaptability based on strategic direction updates and/or organizational changes, utilization of different tools and methods to fulfil specific needs and requirements, balancing between both technical and economic dimensions, temporal and location-based dimensions, value chain and underlying processes dimension, alignment with the enterprise strategic direction and priorities, and last but not least, encompassing the common nature of key performance indicators that may be interwoven across multiple disciplines (internal and external to the organization). Furthermore, a Return-On-Investment (ROI) periodical analysis, informed by the updated strategic direction and goals on one hand, and by the insights gained via the performance management environment on the other hand, ensure sustained growth and maturity towards vision, mission and goals.
Partnerships, Risks and Opportunities Management:
Organizations acquire services from industry partners to contribute to their enterprise transformation agenda based on prevailing priorities. The various success factors behind the service acquisition strategy by the client may comprise mission criticality, internal capacity building and readiness requirements, complexity of the required transformation, perceived benefits and costs, funding model, risk apportionment including service partner, capacity of the service partner to deliver, innovation opportunities, etc. To the extent that the contextual information for a particular initiative is reasonably acquired, GPC adapts its service model to suit the particular needs and requirements of its clients. This comprises, but is not limited to, the strategy, implementation and operations support methodology to be followed, the resources allocated on the project including professional associations and subject-matter-experts, the proposed operating model including governance and stakeholders’ engagement, the pricing and financing model being recommended for activities and services as applicable including considerations for total-cost-of-ownership and benefits, the human and technical capacity building within the enterprise, the type and potential impact of innovation being introduced, and last, but not least, a commitment to manage performance as a joint responsibility with the client towards successful outputs and outcomes.