Preserving an AAA rating has been a notable feature of the trading company's performance during the turbulent times of the past 15 years. The future, however, requires the trading company to make a committed step towards actively coordinating its global treasury operations, which have historically operated independently. This drive to global working comes from a general need to use and deploy capital more effectively and also to offset the potential loss of European revenue that would follow the introduction of common European currency. It is axiomatic that the introduction of global working must in no way undermine the trading company's ability to manage its business risk and retain its AAA rating.
Since IT underpins and is embedded in the way the global treasury operation will work and be managed, the management required an approach which would enable them to manage the risks and benefits of implementing the IT required to enable its business strategy. The 'Transition' framework and approach was used to identify how the trading company was positioned and what issues had to be addressed to develop an Execution Plan for timing and phasing the roll out of appropriate global systems:
1. What were the relative IT supply and demand capabilities of the various global treasury centers?
2. Which centers were best positioned to use and/or supply global pilot systems or to act as centers of excellence for developing modules of a global package?
3. What IT supply and demand capabilities would be required in the various global treasury centers to support the proposed way of working and managing?
4. Which systems could be rolled out - and when - to enable global working and managing?
5. What management frameworks and procedures would be needed?
6. What would be the operational impact and extent of global systems on local ways of working and management?
Having developed an Execution Plan, a program of work was identified to enable the senior treasury management to balance the strategic advantages of rolling out global systems quickly against the risks inherent in forcing global systems into a local environment; and to co-ordinate the various programs of IT, organizational and operational work in a linked and cooperative way.
At the end of the engagement, the framework, with its Execution Plan and Program Management techniques, had provided management with a clear picture of what was needed to roll out the business strategy and manage the risks and benefits associated with its implementation.
What is required is a program which ensures that the skills and disciplines within an IT organization are planned and used to the fullest extent to the advantage of the business. To do this, a program which ensures that the IT effort is closely integrated and identified with the business is essential, with information technology planning established as an integral part of overall business planning. Only in this way can clear shared objectives be established, executive commitment ensured, and strategic implementation success and anyone from the business side involved in these major program must view such opportunities as career enhancing.
Since IT underpins and is embedded in the way the global treasury operation will work and be managed, the management required an approach which would enable them to manage the risks and benefits of implementing the IT required to enable its business strategy. The 'Transition' framework and approach was used to identify how the trading company was positioned and what issues had to be addressed to develop an Execution Plan for timing and phasing the roll out of appropriate global systems:
1. What were the relative IT supply and demand capabilities of the various global treasury centers?
2. Which centers were best positioned to use and/or supply global pilot systems or to act as centers of excellence for developing modules of a global package?
3. What IT supply and demand capabilities would be required in the various global treasury centers to support the proposed way of working and managing?
4. Which systems could be rolled out - and when - to enable global working and managing?
5. What management frameworks and procedures would be needed?
6. What would be the operational impact and extent of global systems on local ways of working and management?
Having developed an Execution Plan, a program of work was identified to enable the senior treasury management to balance the strategic advantages of rolling out global systems quickly against the risks inherent in forcing global systems into a local environment; and to co-ordinate the various programs of IT, organizational and operational work in a linked and cooperative way.
At the end of the engagement, the framework, with its Execution Plan and Program Management techniques, had provided management with a clear picture of what was needed to roll out the business strategy and manage the risks and benefits associated with its implementation.
What is required is a program which ensures that the skills and disciplines within an IT organization are planned and used to the fullest extent to the advantage of the business. To do this, a program which ensures that the IT effort is closely integrated and identified with the business is essential, with information technology planning established as an integral part of overall business planning. Only in this way can clear shared objectives be established, executive commitment ensured, and strategic implementation success and anyone from the business side involved in these major program must view such opportunities as career enhancing.
