At first, the client was searching for new ways to grow. But after realizing that industry changes made returning to its earlier growth rate unrealistic, the client decided to take on the challenge of rethinking it operations.
The big question was, “Can the network be more productive without sacrificing the performance of its many channels?” The client’s success depends on its creativity, and its senior team was wary of introducing standards or processes that would get in the way of producing innovative programming.
The client first asked us to identify where it could make the biggest improvements in productivity. We studied its organization and working methods, as well as its competition, to make our initial recommendations. After weighing its options, the leadership team decided to focus on three priorities: purchasing, promotions, and production.
A dedicated team was assigned to investigate each of the three areas. All shared the same goal—to find opportunities for the organization to be more efficient—but each had its own approach.
The production team set out to scrutinize the most important aspect of the client’s business—how original programming made it to the air. The team’s goal was to document the many steps groups throughout the network followed to create a television show, from developing ideas through production to transmission. They wanted to understand a few things about the process:
1) Which steps were repetitive, and therefore able to be standardized, and which were inherently creative.
2) Where were the biggest trouble spots and inefficiencies?
3) Why did things happen this way?
The promotions team looked at how the network developed commercials and other marketing materials. The team wanted to test whether the same commercial could be used in different countries, with some tailoring, to promote the same show.
The purchasing team needed to examine how the client negotiated contracts with its suppliers as well as the terms it agreed to. Because there was little communication among the network’s many channels, the team thought increasing coordination across purchasing decisions could save a lot of time and money.