Putting the Share Back in Shared Services (Winter 2009)
Synopsis
There are multiple methods for assessing the current position of one’s business entity. We have written separately on FAST Benchmarking, the external perspective on current position. In this case study, we review the internal perspective through the eyes of our work with a luxury goods manufacturer and retailer. Despite the fact that our client was already quite streamlined, the systematic approach we took to understanding cost drivers and identifying solutions led to an 8.8% cost improvement on a £3.4m cost base over the 10-week duration of the project. The client’s conclusion was that “lean and mean” can become “leaner and meaner” but it took an outside pair of eyes to know where to go to get there.
