Results

Our clients measure our effectiveness through bottom-line improvements in their financial statements, production and performance efficiencies, market exposure, employee retention rates, and personnel management costs.

Selected Projects:

Strategic Planning

The consultants at WBS are firm believers in the importance and value of a clear plan. To that end, WBS pushes its clients and works closely with them until a solid Vision and Mission are developed. Then, WBS guides them in developing the organizational goals and Plan roll-out.

Case Study: A large State Agency was facing extinction and needed to re-define itself or be abolished due to private sector competition.

WBS Solution: Through the strategic planning process, WBS helped the Agency define what its most viable future services should be. WBS then guided them in defining the program roll-out. The Strategic Plan, resulted in a total restructuring of an Agency of over 700 employees. The Agency eliminated several ineffective services, restructured and merged several Bureaus, and developed re-training and outplacement for many of its employees. In addition to the Plan, WBS aided in facilitating and communicating the Plan through organized Agency Communication Sessions. WBS provided speeches and training sessions that enabled the Change Process to move quicker. The Agency is now leaner, more efficient, and more responsive to client needs. An Agency Director has stated: “(this) session was not the first, but it was probably the best session on Change that we’ve had…, Our group was MUCH more open to change than they would have been without (this) session!”

Marketing Outreach

WBS helps its clients determine the proper marketing media to use to 'get their message' across and reach the 'right' customers.  Effective marketing is vital to business operations, but with limited marketing skills and limited marketing dollars, many organizations believe they have to do without.

Case Study:  A small financial services firm needed to grow to stay viable, yet it had no idea how to reach out to prospective new customers.  With no professional marketing staff on hand, limited marketing funds, and limited staff in general, they seemed to have no options.

WBS Solution: After several discussions with key staff, WBS helped the client develop a marketing plan that was workable, affordable, and targeted towards the most cost-effective marketing segments to assure the greatest return for the limited marketing dollars spent.  With a combination of paid and unpaid media placements, community activities, customer market research conducted by front-line staff, revisions to current forms and databases,  current customer incentives, staffing shifts, and other speciality programs, the client has realized greater market exposures, name and brand recognition - and new customers.

Team Building and Infrastructure Development

WBS regularly works with clients to develop or re-design internal operating procedures and processes to enhance efficiencies, clarity, and alignment of responsibilities. These changes are made to stream-line operations, enhance customer response time, and provide better internal structures that enhance the overall working environment for all staff.

Client Case: An international manufacturing firm asked WBS to develop a multi-program curriculum to help them transition to team and work-cell structures. Production efficiencies and quality levels were too low; costs of production, scrap and errors too high; and customer satisfaction was waning.

WBS Solution: After consultation with internal key people, WBS designed a program that included topics ranging from Understanding Personalities and Communication Styles in Teams to Process Improvement. 300+ employees, including senior management, participated. After one session on Productivity Improvements, the firm was immediately able to reduce set-up and production cycles on key products by over 30 minutes per shift. The program also identified future leadership and supervisory candidates. Special leadership and coaching programs were identified for them, and closer working relationships were developed with key customers.

Employee Development

WBS has also worked with several public and private sector clients to design full training curricula to develop staff: front-line to senior staff. The programs have been multi-year programs and have included topics such as Process Improvement, Strategic Planning, From Peer to Supervisor, Keeping Productive Time Productive, Running Team Meetings, and Understanding the Numbers.

Client Case: A military base had a number of personnel who lacked the skills needed to move to new and more challenging positions. As a result, these employees were losing interest in their current jobs, believed they were in “dead-end” careers, and were quickly creating an environment that lacked energy, clarity, challenges, and efficiencies.

WBS Solution: WBS designed The Future Leaders Program (FLP) for the client. The FLP was an eight-week program designed for those personnel seeking to advance their careers. It covered topics ranging from Results-Oriented Goal Setting to Professional Writing and Presentations. The Program was developed as a means to increase the skills of individuals “stuck” at the top of their current grade level. The Program was challenging but rewarding. The potential “graduates” were required to provide a final, formal presentation to the Base Commander, their supervisors, and to their managers. Their presentations each identified a procedural or systemic problem at the base, then offered a detailed course of action to correct the problem. The “graduates” inevitably were named project managers to correct the problem. The project provided a highly-visible opportunity for them to manage a project and gain recognition and skill by doing so. Their ability to move into other career and grade tracts greatly improved.