StoneLaurel rejuvenates IT department at top regional health insurance company with new business optimization models and information systems.
Business Challenge
A leading regional health insurance company’s IT unit experienced considerable change: It had seen two CIOs in three years, other leadership roles had rotated, while outsourcing and offshoring positions had made the group smaller. Department heads came to StoneLaurel asking how to best optimize their business and redefine their goals while maintaining a strong identity and a renewed energy for the team.
StoneLaurel’s Solution
As a people-first company, StoneLaurel consultants interviewed more than 40 individuals – from the CIO to team members to vendor partners – about their roles, challenges, and hopes for the IT department. After the interviews, the seasoned consultants began an in-depth analysis process. They compared performance plans, compensation data and employee engagement surveys for the past three years to find if associate pay aligned with division goals. With consolidated interview results, they compared business stakeholder needs to the department’s strengths and weaknesses.
They then examined project portfolios and associated budgets to see where money was going, and if the department was maximizing those funds to achieve customer and company objectives. Next, consultants watched for inefficiencies as they observed project management and business processes. Consultants synthesized the information from the interviews and analyses into recommendations for widespread change in the IT organization and associated practices throughout the department, offering detailed, practical plans for how to make those changes and how to use various resources to do so.
Big Results
StoneLaurel’s solutions create a positive work environment and arm employees with tools for greater efficiency that affect the department’s people, processes and capabilities. The IT department gets a morale boost and opens lines of communication between team members after implementing consultants’ employee engagement plan. Employees also gain a stronger sense of identity and purpose within the group with modified individual performance plans. Before StoneLaurel stepped in, one person was often in charge of key business functions, without any backup.
Now department heads breathe easier with a new business continuity and succession model. A revised PMO business model makes work completion faster, particularly with data-driven accountability. IT also increases its work speed with updated tools per consultants’ recommendation. StoneLaurel’s solutions are so successful that the company, which serves 2.2 million people, also hired the firm to optimize business plans in the IT Testing department.