1. Work Force Management Readiness Assessment and Evaluations
2. Existing Work Force Management Implementation Remediation
3. Work Force Management Configuration
– Including Labor Standards and Standard Operating Procedures
4. Implementation Project Management Office
Case Study 1
| Client | A $30B+ national grocery retailer |
| Project Name | Workforce Management Review |
| Client business challenge being addressed | In 2010, the client embarked on a major change to it’s workforce management function in order to improve store profitability. It moved from a top down budgeting approach to managing remuneration across it’s store fleet, to a bottom up, sales driven approach. To deliver this, an extensive exercise to define the scheduling drivers (fixed and variable tasks) and labor standards was undertaken. An in-house system was built to drive the process and a dedicated team established to launch & train staff as well as manage the approach on an ongoing basis.While the organization did see improvements to wages once the new approach was delivered, the full expected benefits were not being realized in stores. BCI was asked to assist the organization in identifying issues in the workforce management function and the scheduling process that was preventing full realization of expected benefits from the new approach. |
| BCI solution and approach | Based on initial discussions to baseline the client against a WFM maturity matrix, the following approach for the review was developed in order to meet the client’s objectives to define key pain points in the current framework, understand how to get more out of current processes and systems in place, and define a sustainable solution to WFM/scheduling:• Utilizing quantitative data, store visits & walk throughs, interviews with store and head office staff and detailed reviews of existing systems, a detailed diagnostic of the WFM/scheduling function against they key areas of the WFM component model was conducted • Following the diagnostic, a store was selected to undertake a trial to validate the diagnostic findings and test initial improvement areas identified (incl. process improvements, store structure changes, base schedules, improved training & increased accountability at store and area level |
| Timing and Duration | 2011 |
| Engagement benefits & value to client | Based on the results of the trial and the diagnostic, 5 key initiatives to drive significant and sustainable improvements in WFM/scheduling were identified , including requirements for delivery and a potential size of the prize. As part of the that, a clear roadmap for the delivery of the initiatives was developed. |
Case Study 2
| Client | A $300M specialty retailer |
| Project Name | Workforce Management & Process Improvement |
| Client business challenge being addressed | Utilizing a manual grid-based scheduling program to provide guidance for store managers on staffing levels, the client was struggling with making a business case to invest in the use of an automated scheduling tool. They were also challenged with how to appropriately scale up labor for holiday business. |
| BCI solution and approach | BCI’s team began by reviewing the client’s current scheduling approach and business model. After the initial diagnostic, our team completed a series of store visits and observations to compile a list of key fixed and variable tasks for each store format. The list of tasks was validated with key client stakeholders. Time studies were conducted to develop reasonable expectancies for key tasks. Labor standards were rolled up into scheduling drivers based on store size and format.BCI’s conclusion was that a fully automated scheduling solution was too complex given the client’s business model. The team developed a shift-based schedule utilizing store forecasts and created a shift-based schedule for each store location. Drivers were devised that included customer traffic patterns, minimum staffing requirements and a production component. Primary and secondary roles and work force availabilities were defined to match optimized scheduling and staffing requirements. Staffing models for key store formats were developed and a training program was provided for roll-out and implementation. |
| Engagement benefits & value to client | The application of the shift based scheduling tool across the entire store resulted in the following qualitative benefits: • Improved customer service scores during the holiday season by 11 to 17% • Reduced employee absenteeism by 8 to 12% • Reduced turnover by 27 to 35%, • Reduced payroll costs ranging from .33% to .89% as a percent of sales |
Case Study 3
| Client | A $1B+ specialty retailer |
| Project Name | Workforce Management and Process Improvement |
| Client business challenge being addressed | Faced with both a declining sales trend as well as customer conversion results, this client decided to have BCI assess the workforce management approach and determine how to best improve selling coverage levels through store payroll recalibration. |
| BCI solution and approach | BCI’s team analyzed the client’s current labor budgeting and scheduling approach. This analysis included conducting a zero-based, bottom-up exercise to identify necessary changes to the client’s existing grid scheduling program. The effectiveness of the current organizational structure, roles and responsibilities were also assessed and recommendations for improvement were identified.The team then made specific recommendations to recalibrate staffing grids based on fixed and variable tasks, store formats and forecasted sales. BCI developed a customized tool to generate store specific shift-based schedules that matched staffing levels to customer traffic, sales patterns, fixed and variable tasks. |
| Timing and Duration | 2010 – 2011 |
| Engagement benefits & value to client | • Provided a scheduling tool that the client could use to reduce required labor spend by 60 to 80 hours per week on average for top-tier locations while at the same time protecting staff coverage levels for peak selling times• Implementation of the revised staffing grids and shift based schedule provided the client with a roadmap to reduce annual labor spend by $1.2 million • During the test of the shift-based schedule, conversion rates improved by 11% to 15% • During the test period, it was determined that the tool sales forecasting accuracy rate was approximately 95% |