In today’s volatile business environment, executives face the dual challenge of optimizing costs while maintaining exceptional customer experiences. Our new report, The Golden Thread From CX To Value Streams Reveals Optimization Opportunities, offers a strategic approach to navigating these complexities.

The office of the CIO, however, often faces specific hurdles when engaging teams to leverage business architecture and customer journey artifacts for problem-solving. They encounter a lack of understanding — teams may not fully grasp the value and application of business architecture and customer journey maps in their daily work. There are perceived complexities — some may view these artifacts as overly academic or time-consuming to utilize for practical problem resolution. Organizational silos can hinder the sharing and collaborative use of these artifacts across different departments. Even when faced with these barriers to execution, doing nothing isn’t an option.

Aligning customer journeys with operational processes is crucial for maintaining high-quality customer experience while optimizing costs so that the benefits of creating methods for strategic focus are worth it. The success of these focused teams can then serve as a catalyst for wider adoption and integration into standard problem-solving practices.

We find that in working with our clients, the need to mobilize against a framework is an opportunity often overlooked and that using the “tiger team” strategy to bridge customer experience and operational excellence is a best practice worth sharing. Here are some key steps to Forrester’s integrated approach to overcome initial resistance and demonstrate the tangible value of these strategic tools to the broader organization.

Empower A Tiger Team

Accelerating problem-solving and fostering a culture of continuous improvement are musts, and these squads of cross-functional experts are pivotal in diagnosing and resolving your complex operational issues. They use forensic process analysis and capability assessments to pinpoint areas for improvement.

Connect Maps And Artifacts

Integrating artifacts helps you maintain operational efficiency and meet customer expectations. Connect customer journey maps, business capability maps, and value stream maps so that you prevent the doom loop of passing bottlenecks to unsuspecting colleagues. A holistic view enables your organization to reallocate your investments effectively while avoiding service-level-agreement breaches.

Dissolve Silos And Enhance Collaboration

Breaking down silos and promoting shared accountability are essential for aligning organizational goals with customer needs. Siloed perspectives often lead to disjointed priorities and unexpected outcomes. Dissolve your silos by fostering collaboration across departments.

Continuously Improve And Monitor

Continuous monitoring and optimization are vital for sustaining operational excellence and adapting to evolving customer needs. Transition from crisis response to continuous improvement by establishing a robust operational microscope. This means deploying skilled personnel, adopting a strategic viewpoint, and using structured methodologies guided by a customer-centric mindset.

Execute Our Eight Steps To Sustainable Success

Forrester clients can use our eight-step process to scale operational improvements, from prioritizing fast fixes to treating journeys and value streams like products with dedicated owners. This approach ensures that optimization efforts are aligned with strategic goals and are continuously monitored for effectiveness.

 

If you need help understanding how your tiger teams can take you from crisis to opportunity, let’s talk.

Schedule an inquiry or guidance session with me or Linda Ivy-Rosser to talk about how you can use the eight steps in our best-practice report to optimize your IT landscape with tiger teams. We can ensure that this action aligns with your strategic commitment to the pursuit of continuously improving business results through technology. In the meantime, Forrester clients can read The Golden Thread From CX To Value Streams Reveals Optimization Opportunities.