Getting the team back on track

The client

Our client, a key player in a large insurance group, primarily offers insurance services, with a niche in banking for private and business clients. Their mission is to manage financial matters so that their customers can focus on what truly matters in life, finding inspiration in the everyday.

The client turned to TriFinance for urgent assistance in getting their financial management team back on track. They needed a consultant with a unique blend of people management, stakeholder engagement, and deep business acumen. Having worked with TriFinance for years, they were already familiar with our hands-on approach and trusted us to deliver.

The challenges

The financial management team faced a significant backlog in reconciling financial data. This issue stemmed from several factors: the team leader’s limited time for follow-up due to a heavy workload, unclear processes, inconsistent working methods among team members, and a major impending software update whose go-live date kept being postponed. These challenges also took a toll on the team’s motivation, making the workload seem insurmountable.

Additionally, the relationship between the financial management team and the operational team was strained, largely due to uncertainties surrounding the software transition. The existing software, no longer supported, added to the stress, creating a final straw for the team.

Results and professional growth !

As you can read, quite the challenge! But over the course of seven months, I managed to get the team back on track and gave them the tools and confidence to tackle their workload.

Step 1 : Get to know the team and the other stakeholders

From day one, it was clear the team needed structure and guidance. I held several initial meetings with each team member to understand their work styles, state of mind, and feelings about the team and the organization. These meetings set the stage for weekly one-on-one sessions focused on team building and workload prioritization. Biweekly team meetings, with the team lead present, allowed us to address broader issues together. I also established regular follow-up meetings with key stakeholders, including the operational team lead and the project manager for the software change.

Step 2 : Optimize the team’s way of working and document their processes

During the first few months, I closely observed each team member’s work, which enabled me to analyze, streamline, and document the team’s processes. This documentation proved invaluable during an internal audit, helping to address issues identified in a previous audit. It also encouraged team members to reflect on their workflows, leading to the adoption of a unified approach.

The operational team’s processes were also reviewed, resulting in improved inter-team collaboration. When a key user from another team departed, I expedited process documentation through recorded digital meetings, allowing for rapid knowledge transfer and providing a visual, informative resource for remaining team members.

To further optimize the team’s workflow, I introduced a reporting tool to track and prioritize the backlog. This tool also enabled the team and the manager to provide concrete progress updates to directors, other departments, and the internal audit team. Sharing these documented processes with the software change team allowed for a more refined analysis and contributed to my growth in process analysis, documentation, and optimization.

Step 3 : Optimize quality

Improving the quality of reconciliations and the input from the operational team was another key focus. Through weekly one-on-one sessions, I challenged the quality of the team’s work, and learning points were shared during biweekly team meetings. This collective effort significantly improved the financial management team’s output. We also made a small addition to the reporting tool to track errors, which helped us enhance the quality of the operational team’s input. Monthly meetings tracked concrete actions between the teams, leading to reduced frustrations and increased awareness on both sides.

Step 4 : Empower the team and support the team leader !

The final and most crucial step was to ensure the team could maintain their progress after my departure. The reporting tool was in place, but the team needed to learn how to prioritize their work independently and report effectively to the team lead and operational team.

To achieve this, I introduced Agile principles. The reporting tool acted as their ‘Kanban board,’ with a two-week sprint cycle culminating in team meetings where they reviewed progress and planned ahead. Weekly stand-ups allowed the team to divide tasks, discuss risks, and seek help without the team lead’s presence. Each week, a different team member served as ‘scrum master,’ facilitating the meeting and summarizing outcomes. In cases of disagreement on priorities, the team lead made the final decision.

This approach empowered the team to manage their backlog and workload, keeping the team lead informed without reverting to top-down management. The result was a win-win situation for both the team and the organization, and a rewarding learning experience for me as a consultant.