Telecoms Operator Strategic Planning

The Customer

A global telecoms group.

The Challenge

The client group includes several operating companies (Opcos), which are physically and operationally separate from the client’s main business. Each has a unique mix of services, market, regulatory and technical challenges. As part of the client’s corporate planning cycle, the Opcos needed to undertake a detailed strategic planning process with two broad objectives:

  • To ensure that the Opco management teams dedicate some quality time away from the “rock face” to build a shared understanding of the business’ strategic priorities and the initiatives needed to deliver these. This, in turn is needed to ensure coherence across the Opcos, in prioritising resources and in making tactical responses to emergent opportunities and threats.
  • To provide the central corporate teams with a detailed understanding of the Opcos’ challenges and plans. This, in turn, enables senior management to inform the overall group strategy and bring guidance and support to the Opcos.

Although not mutually exclusive, these two objectives present a challenging balancing act: How to ensure the management teams think-though and take ownership of, a range of strategic considerations (beyond their immediate day-to-day battles), while still bringing rigor, consistency and detail to the plans. The main complications in meeting this balancing act, was the shortage of dedicated skills and resources within the Opcos and negative sentiment arising from a poorly executed process in the previous year.

The Solution

To meet the client’s challenges and overcome the complications, STL worked as an integrated part of the client team, adopting a four stage approach to the planning cycle:

  • Review and amend the templates and spreadsheet models used
  • Define a planning process with greater up-front, Opco-led “words-only-no-numbers” thinking
  • Provide on-demand stimulus materials and advanced understanding of future industry developments
  • Bring rapid, detailed feedback on the Opcos’ work-in-progress, though multiple iterations, to final submissions. Key to this, has been the building of trust through valued insight, delivered in a constructive, collaborative manner.

The STL Advantage

Flexibility, extensive telco operational experience and a rich understanding of industry developments, enabled STL to build the necessary credibility with the Opco management teams. Adopting a collaborative approach from the outset, accelerated progress and maximised the contribution from scarce resources.

The Result

STL is currently working with the Opco teams to finalise their plans. Initial feedback from the Opco teams is very positive, both in terms of the burden of conducting the process and the benefits enjoyed from it. Comments from group personnel attest to the improved quality of the Opco plans.