IT Operating Model Redesign in Multi-Commodity Ports Operator

Post-restructuring, our client engaged Exent to refine their technology function. Exent’s recommendations aligned IT with organisational strategy, fostering continuous improvement. Outcomes include documentation, empathy maps, and an ongoing program for strategic efficiency through role recruitment and function realignment.

CHALLENGE

Our client, a regional multi-commodity port corporation, had recently completed a comprehensive organisational restructuring, which included significant changes in executive-level roles, resulting in a refinement of existing executive portfolios and the formation of an entirely new executive leadership team.

Reporting to the CFO, the client’s Information Technology (IT) function comprises a multi-disciplinary team of permanent employees and a contractor workforce. This team handles traditional IT functions, such as service desk, projects, business-as-usual operations (via Information Systems or IS), and operational technology functions (via the Operational Systems or OS business units).

Exent was engaged to review and redefine the technology function and operating model, focusing on the following key areas:

• Organisational structure – lines, spans and layers
• Workforce mix between permanent employees and contingent staff
• Physical location and geographic span
• Redesign of functional capabilities and roles
• Improved operating model for key IT and OT services, service delivery model, project delivery model, and aspects of people performance.

APPROACH

Exent employed various investigative techniques in the review process, including a comprehensive documentation review, key stakeholder interviews, a functional capability assessment questionnaire, and a high-level change impact assessment. This process spanned four weeks, involving visits to two different client locations, and numerous meetings and interviews with a diverse group of key stakeholders.

The interviews were structured as open and conversational sessions to capture insights and feedback across various dimensions. The analysis of this information produced a heat map, highlighting areas for improvement and revealing the current state maturity levels across individual functional elements.

Exent assessed the complexity of the change, considering expected business changes and their impact on stakeholders. Organisational factors were evaluated, encompassing both human elements and organisational readiness factors.

This analysis allowed for the determination of the level of acceptance and support for the change within the organisation, as well as identifying gaps and strategies to ensure the success of the restructuring efforts.

OUTCOMES

Implementing the recommendations successfully aligned the IT department with the organisational strategy, mitigating the effects of the changes in leadership. It paved the way for continuous improvement in procedures and the integration, adaptation, and support of human talent.

The change management model identified a significant transformation in the interaction and communication of stakeholders, resulting in positive impacts on the organisational culture and process optimisation.

The following outcomes were achieved as part of the engagement:

• Documentation of the current state organisational structure, processes, systems, and functional capabilities.
• Creation of Empathy Maps covering key organisational persona cohorts.
• Development of functional capability heatmaps, highlighting areas for organisational growth.
• An organisational change complexity assessment.
• Establishment of an integrated program of work and a corresponding roadmap to deliver and realise the recommendations. This focuses on organisational structure, functional accountability mapping, and business process frameworks.

A substantial program of work continues, aligned with the integrated execution roadmap. This includes recruiting and onboarding key IT leadership roles, strategic planning, and functional realignment based on developing a target operating model and accountability mapping.