Our Expertise
Curious for our point of view on topics like using AI for tangible benefits, actually realizing the value of mergers, and more? We’ve compiled recommendations, frameworks, and resources across several areas of expertise to get things started. Of course, if any of these topics are on your mind, we’d love to continue the conversation!
AI & Automation
It’s nearly impossible to miss the hype around generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation, but it can seem like technology is advancing too quickly to keep up with. If you find yourself wanting fewer complicated techy words and more practical advice, you’ve come to the right place.
The FlexPoint team is passionate about deploying technology in the service of people. So, while we are indeed keeping up with the latest generative AI models, we’re far more concerned with how these advances in technology can serve you and your team. We’ve been through many hype cycles before, and we know how to understand your business needs, match those to potential technology enablers, and chart an achievable path forward.
How do we thread the AI needle between hype and meh? We hold these five principles in mind with every AI-related engagement.
We’re aiming for the Goldilocks of AI and automation initiatives.
We want to address challenges and opportunities already in your sights.
This is a people puzzle as much as it is a technology puzzle.
This is about more than Generative AI and large language models.
Data is getting more important, not less.
See more on each of these, plus an assessment to determine your best next steps with AI and example use cases to get your creativity flowing.
CXO Advisory
What do you call a consulting service where the CXO just needs someone in their corner? Someone to help bounce ideas around. Someone to drive progress on the really difficult, really important things. Someone to help ensure the leader has the right people in the right seats on the bus to succeed.
At FlexPoint, we act as a trusted thought partner for executives. We help assess the current landscape, prioritize what matters most, and build actionable plans that drive results. Our role isn’t to tell you what to do and walk away. It’s to walk alongside you, offering strategic insight and practical support so you can lead with confidence.
See more of our thinking on this topic, including our six-part framework to set new executives up well for immediate and long-term success.
Visioning & Strategy
Visioning and strategy are about more than setting goals. They’re about creating a shared understanding of where we’re headed and why.
Here are the key elements in the FlexPoint approach:
Define a compelling vision. Together with our clients, we paint a clear picture of the desired future.
Create a strategic framework to achieve the vision. We identify specific pillars that are needed to accomplish the vision.
Align people, process, and technology for progress. We flag opportunities for the organization to generate value for stakeholders more effectively. This could include operating model updates, greater process clarity, or using new/different technology approaches to deliver for internal and external customers.
Embed accountability and innovation. We establish frameworks for feedback, measurement, and continuous improvement, making sure that organization-wide objectives are mapped to the teams that enable them.
Keep reading to see how we set teams up for success by connecting the aspirational vision with behaviors and outcomes that that show the vision is being achieved.
People & Change
Have you been on a team where the sum is greater than its parts, where there’s electricity throughout interactions, where working hard toward the shared goal can be characterized as, well, fun? We truly hope so.
We are passionate about the people side of change because we want more people to be part of high-performing, well-connected teams that accomplish meaningful goals. This doesn’t just happen: it takes real effort and expertise to accomplish.
We focus on two sides of the people and change coin:
Organizational change management: effectively supporting team members in adopting a major change. This includes understanding expected impacts of a change, how ready stakeholders are to adopt the change, and taking a thoughtful approach to sponsor and leader enablement, communications, and training & adoption.
Operating model and organizational structure: designing and equipping teams throughout the organization to deliver their unique value and contribute to overall success. We follow a deliberative framework to map strategy and vision from the firm to each department’s contributions and capabilities needed to deliver what the organization is ultimately trying to achieve. Each component of the operating model gets us closer to an intentional and effective organizational structure.
See more of our thinking and approach to people and change, as well as a podcast on how to drive business value through your operating model and org structure.
Product & Agile
Why do we love product management and agile ways of working? Because we like getting things done for and with our clients. In our experience, using product management in an agile manner allows us to collaborate with customers far more effectively than we can using waterfall project management. This is based on several factors:
Shorter, iterative development lets us learn faster. Our first idea for how to solve a problem is often not our best… so getting through that first idea to the better one after it, quickly enough to do something about it, helps us develop a better solution overall.
The product model clarifies ownership and pushes decision-making closer to the customer. By specifying a product owner and giving them the runway to create a solution to delivers a specific set of value to their customers, we unlock better prioritization and decision-making.
Discovery is much richer in an iterative, deliberately collaborative environment. We get more comfortable with terminology and business needs, and all groups involved can suggest ways of solving the stated business problems. Then, when we have something to review, customers were involved in discovery just days or weeks prior, so the concepts still resonate.
If your team is cranking out technology solutions that provide true business value – no matter which approach you use – awesome! We’re not here arguing for change for change’s sake.
But if you see some daylight between what business stakeholders are asking for and what technology teams are able to deliver, read on for more on the what and why of product and agile, as well some immediate next steps you can take to quickly start realizing benefits of these ways of working.
Platform Modernization
Many organizations understandably take a cautious approach to modernizing platforms because most legacy systems are simultaneously complex, rigid, and business-critical. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to meet internal and external stakeholders’ demands with legacy technology solutions, whether because they’re tricky to integrate with other tools, rely on outdated practices like daily batches, or simply can’t support the transaction volume or responsiveness expected today.
Despite the challenges, platform modernization can be a critical step for an organization to remain relevant to all stakeholder groups:
Everyone wants intuitive, easy-to-use tools and information at their fingertips.
Customers and clients expect to find answers online, mobile-ready, and lightning-fast.
Functional team members don’t want better technology training; they want technology to be so intuitive that they don’t need training!
Technical team members want to benefit from the latest efficiency tools, which may only work with cloud-based, connected solutions.
FlexPoint can help your organization answer the daunting questions of when, why, and how to modernize legacy platforms. More than that, we can work with you to deliver the platform(s) that will serve your organization for many years to come.
Read more on our approach, client success stories, and lessons learned from years of experience.
M&A Integration
A lot of effort typically goes into the consideration, due diligence, and commercial aspects of mergers and acquisitions, but the integration phase after deal close can be underestimated in its complexity and duration. Integration can include everything from employee resistance to leadership attrition, from duplicative processes to fragmented technology, and from operational oversights to cultural clashes.
Our proven partnership and expertise in successful M&A integrations ensures:
Employees from both organizations feel heard, valued, and engaged
Leadership is aligned with a clear vision for the combined entity
Processes and structures are optimized without disrupting productivity
Customers experience continuity and strengthened relationships
The punchlist from deal discussions through close and well beyond can see endless. So, we’ve identified the critical activities to prioritize throughout the process, separated by focus area — people, process, and technology — because each deal differs in its mix and intensity. Here’s the people-focused flow:
See more on all of this, along with downloadable versions of all three process overviews, for a tangible start to your next post-merger integration.
IT Leadership Alignment
Technology is both the reason for disruption throughout many industries and part of the solution to remaining relevant for years to come. According to a recent survey, 82% of CEOs believe their average competitor won’t be in business in ten years unless they update their business model. And over 70% of executives intend to use technology to make these structural changes.
That makes it even more important for IT leadership to be aligned — within the technology team, with business leaders, and with the executive team. Alas, this is easier said than done.
What do we do to actually get on the same page? We recommend getting clear on these four items, to start.
Medium-term organization goals
Technology objectives
Role definition & decision rights
Execution priorities
See more on each of these, along with additional resources on driving alignment throughout various stakeholder groups.