StratexSystem's Consultancy Partner’s Productivity Improved by 20-30% with StratexPoint

StratexSystems are pleased to announce the success of one of our key consultancy partners who have seen a 20-30% jump in project productivity through the use of StratexPoint as a project delivery tool. By delivering more for less, over a shorter time frame, our consultancy partner’s clients have seen considerable benefit, as have our consultancy partner with extended project benefits.

Our software solution, StratexPoint, is an integrated strategy execution and risk management solution built on Microsoft SharePoint. By using this unique product organisations are able to clarify their strategic objectives, align their risk appetite and manage their key risks to enable the sustainable execution of their strategy. The traditional approach of most consultancy firms is the design the strategy and/or risk frameworks using an array of spreadsheets and powerpoints. This often involves a significant amount of re-working, re-presenting data and information which adds little value to the project but is very time consuming. Seeking to eliminate this non-value add effort during projects, our consultancy partner selected StratexPoint as its enabling technology platform as it is built in SharePoint meaning it is familiar, easy to use and very fast to ‘slice’ information for different audiences.

In addition to eliminating time consuming spreadsheet and powerpoint manipulation, our consultancy partner has not only deliver productivity increases of 20–30% but also found StratexPoint enables it to rapidly create momentum, builds buy-in and support early in the project and allows clients to clearly see what the future of strategy execution and risk management may look like.

Andrew Smart, CEO and founder of StratexSystems, said "When StratexPoint is embedded into a consultancy's delivery process, it creates a compelling consultancy proposition which adds real value to clients. With our shared view that strategy and risk management must be integrated to ensure the strategy is sustainable, working with this consultancy partner, we are able to deliver significant additional value during the project phase and should clients chose, on an ongoing basis."

Webinar Download: 'How to deliver an effective, robust risk framework while responding to regulatory action'

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IT Governance and Systems Management

Systems management involves monitoring and managing the performance of, and risks and controls related to, operational systems to ensure the delivery of the strategy while operating within risk appetite.

Achieving strategic objectives, managing risks, implementing controls and delivering operational performance are all organisational activities which are underpinned and supported by an individual or a portfolio of systems. Managing the organisational portfolio of systems also enables organisations to become more innovative and to respond with greater agility to the needs of the market.

StratexPoint enables organisations to manage and align their portfolio of systems to deliver their strategic objectives; manage their risk; deliver a highly effective controls environment; and deliver operational performance. The solution enables users to:

· Define their key systems and visualize these using Microsoft Visio

· Define and manage risks and controls related to systems

· Conduct systems related risk and control assessments

· Define indictors for systems

· Align initiatives and actions to drive systems improvements 

Initiative Management – The ‘Lite Touch’

A critical part of delivering performance targets and managing risk is managing and aligning the organisational change agenda, which can be made up of short term actions and longer term initiatives. Additionally, ensuring initiatives and actions are managed and aligned will reduce waste and save scarce capital.

Research shows that there is significant waste and room for improvements within organisations' capital expenditure related to actions and initiatives. Indeed it has been estimated that organisations waste between 20% - 40% of their capital expenditure through a lack of alignment. Therefore continuously managing the portfolio of initiatives and actions is a critical management activity.

StratexPoint is designed to provide a ‘lite touch’ approach to portfolio management, uniquely integrating initiatives and actions management within an overall performance and risk management solution.

The flexibility of the solution means organisations can deploy it in various ways; they can manage initiatives-related risks and controls, monitor the performance of initiatives, and continuously manage the alignment of the portfolio of initiatives. Specifically, users are able to:

· Align their initiatives to objectives, controls and risks

· Apply KPIs around each initiative

· Define risks and controls, with associated indicators and assessments for each initiative

· Define tasks for each initiative and link those initiatives to Microsoft project tools, including Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft Project 2007/2010

Compliance – Keeping up with the Regulations

Organisations in many industries are facing a wave of new regulation and pressure from external stakeholders, including governments, regulators and clients, to improve their governance. Ensuring compliance in this changing regulatory environment is a challenge for many organisations, as is ensuring that the internal controls environment is robust and effective.

Developing and managing an effective, 'no surprises' internal controls environment is the only way to provide assurance to management, regulators and other stakeholders that your organisation is operating in a controlled manner and meeting its regulatory and legal responsibilities.

StratexPoint is specifically designed to support organisations in developing a robust and effective internal controls environment. The solution enables users to:

· Define key controls

· Define processes and systems, and their related risks and controls

· Define a set of Key Controls Indicators

· Assess controls related to the processes and systems

· Define accountability for risks and controls to individuals

· Automate process and systems related risk and controls dashboards and reporting, while enabling advanced analytics

· Encourage a collaborative approach to delivering performance via commentary, alerts and other web 2.0 collaboration capabilities Automating risk and controls dashboards and reporting, while enabling advanced analytics

StratexPoint and Enterprise Performance Management

StratexPoint enables the effective implementation of an Enterprise Performance Management approach, including the Balanced Scorecard, by:

· Developing clarity around the organisational strategic objectives

· Defining a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each objective

· Aligning the organisational change agenda to deliver the objectives via initiatives and actions

· Encouraging the right performance culture using the RACI model to define ownership and governance

· Automating performance dashboards and reporting, while enabling advanced analytics

· Encouraging a collaborative approach to delivering performance via commentary, alerts and other web 2.0 collaboration capabilities