Case Study

Process Optimization and Automation at a Fortune 50 Client

“Saved Time and Reduced Operational Risk”

A Consulting Consortium associate was contracted by a leading manufacturer to assess an internal audit process, optimize it, and develop an automation solution to improve the overall efficiency and communication within the internal audit organization.

To do this, they required a specialized process development expertise and subcontracted resources from another associate to fill that gap. The combined team was able to streamline the audit process, evenly distribute responsibilities, and deliver an automation solution that not only saved time, but also reduced operational risk for the client.

person sitting on chair holding iPad

Approach

The Consulting Consortium team collected process feedback from over 50 key stakeholders and held focus groups to identify opportunities for improvement in the audit process. They were then able to redesign the process and distribute key responsibilities more evenly to optimize the flow of information through a previously burdensome and iterative approval process. The Consulting Consortium team also developed audit conduct strategies and best practices to increase transparency and improve preparation for the audit teams on the ground.

Upon completing this assessment and redesign, the Consulting Consortium team developed a strategy to approach the development of a software solution to automate communications. Through an Agile approach, the team designed, built, and delivered an entity-tracking system with status and assignment automation capabilities. The team also developed support documentation to assist in change management as the new process and toolkit was rolled out to the broader organization.

Results

The final audit support toolkit allowed the client to reduce the burden of audits on their employees by cutting manual email load by almost 90%, automating task assignments and reducing the overall operational risk. The Consulting Consortium team also enabled KPI tracking to measure process health and foster continuous improvement.