Engagement Result
Organization: U.S. Navy
Numbered Force:
Unit: Strategic Systems Programs
Project: CPI Program
Location: Crystal City - Arlington, VA
Expertise: Independent Assessment & Continuous Process Improvement
Assignment: The U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) has a 50-year history of providing credible sea-based deterrent missile systems, including assisting our nation in winning the Cold War. Today, their deterrent systems remain a key factor in preventing nuclear war.
The SSP’s senior leadership recognized that the delivery of high-quality and well supported systems to the fleet on time and within budget was no longer sufficient. In the current environment and in the foreseeable future, the SSP deemed it necessary to better this performance to achieve more with greater efficiency and to free resources to address emergent needs. MainStream GS was engaged by the SSP to conduct an independent assessment of the SSP’s current CPI program/initiative and provide recommendations to enhance the current CPI program.
Actions: MainStream GS evaluated historical CPI investment and benefit data, conducted Key Stakeholder interviews to assess CPI awareness and maturity, and evaluated CPI project data. In addition CPI activities relative to industry best practices were benchmarked and project selection and project prioritization methodology was evaluated.
The assessment conducted by MainStream GS revealed opportunities to improve and enhance the existing CPI program through tighter alignment with the SSP’s strategic plan and a new way to prioritize and select projects and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In addition, the assessment identified actions necessary to ensure that the projects were also linked to the strategic plan.
At the request of the SSP’s Deputy CPI Deployment Champion, MainStream GS developed a Project Prioritization Tool (PPT). The PPT provides a structured and disciplined approach to identify, select and prioritize projects and ensures effective and efficient utilization of organizational assets and Strategic Plan alignment. Next, MainStream GS assisted the SSP’s executive staff with the development of “Future State” KPI’s that were clearly aligned to the Strategic Plan. This effort resulted in a reduction of KPI’s from 632 to 31. MainStream GS focused on several recommendations to drive increased organizational alignment, leadership engagement and to provide the platform for sustained CPI results. These recommendations included:
- Implement and stand-up clearly defined and aligned KPI’s based on customer requirements (outward facing) and balanced between proactive/forward looking and reactive
- Establish an enterprise-wide Value Stream metrics driven methodology that is clearly aligned to the strategic plan
- Senior leadership ‘leads the way and models the behavior’ while being held accountable for results
- Implement the Project Prioritization Tool (PPT)
- Establish a DMAIC project review process to ensure active leadership engagement and effective project management
Results: At the executive out-brief SSP’s Senior Leadership team accepted Mainstream GS’ recommendations to enhance their CPI program and began to implement the recommended actions to improve their CPI Program and deploy the Project Prioritization Tool.