Entities responsible for national defence are generally broad organizations with a multitude of different departments and stakeholders, each with its own objectives, strategies, and ways of working. This can easily lead to business silos and miscommunication. Eager to prevent this, our client, a department within a national defense organization responsible for IT service provision, reached out to Eraneos to help design their IT processes.
The challenge
Following the client’s decision to source non-mission-critical services from external providers, establishing a service management organization to ensure the correct sourcing and necessary quality of these services was of paramount importance.
A major hurdle facing the client was the heterogeneous nature of requests, with no two alike. This meant constantly dealing with unique and often complex demands. A lack of clear and efficient internal processes only exacerbated the problem. This often led to significant delays and confusion, with responsibilities not clearly defined and the use of internal systems inconsistent. As a result, the time taken to fulfill an order, from initiation to completion, was often excessive.
In addition, there was a lack of alignment across different departments. When a customer placed an order for an IT service, for instance, internal alignment was not guaranteed, further complicating and slowing down service delivery. Staff shortages compounded these operational challenges, with the client struggling to handle the sheer volume of work and lacking the internal capacity to implement the necessary improvements.
The approach
Recognizing its need for external support to improve IT service delivery, the client sought assistance from a team with the ability to get things done, acknowledging that they needed help delivering on their responsibilities.
In collaboration with all the client’s relevant stakeholders, we developed the necessary processes, roles, and systems for the new IT system. We were directly involved in fulfilling customer orders, which provided us with invaluable insights into the client’s internal operational inefficiencies. This hands-on approach allowed us to identify the processes that were not working optimally within the organization.
Our collaboration is not a typical management consulting role. Instead, we provide a dedicated team for over 2,000 hours per year, essentially acting as an extension of the client’s IT department to reduce operational workload. After the first few iterations of the new system, we supported the client in the Continuous Improvement Process to ensure they were aligned closely with reality.
The result
The primary impact has been enabling the client to get work done more efficiently. By handling the operational workload, we have significantly increased the client’s capacity to deliver IT services. This direct support has allowed the client to maintain service provision despite their internal challenges and staffing shortages.
Beyond task completion, our involvement has led to a growing level of trust and influence. We maintain an honest and open dialogue with the client, identifying both successes and failures in their processes.
Looking ahead, our partnership is poised for a long-term future. We are currently laying the groundwork to enhance the client’s processes across various fields, leveraging our expertise in ServiceNow and business process optimization. Our main approach remains focused on delivery. We remain committed to guiding the client towards greater efficiency and maturity.
About the client
Our client is a European national defence force. With around 20,000 active personnel, in addition to thousands more reservists, the client’s IT service delivery is necessarily complex, encompassing on-premises solutions and cloud-based platforms, involving a multitude of different vendors.
