As a leading travel platform managing business trips, vacations, and last-minute stays worldwide, this company operates Global Capability Centers (GCCs) that manage key functions, including IT, finance, customer service, and digital marketing. However, rapid growth and a push for digital transformation exposed limitations in their previous approaches using capability models and conventional enterprise frameworks.
This case study highlights the challenges the company faced, the shortcomings of legacy models, and how ICMG’s holistic approach—combining assessment, rating, training, prototyping, and consulting—helped create a sustainable, integrated anatomy for their GCCs.
The Challenge: When Capability Models Fall Short
The company initially relied on capability models to structure their GCCs. These models focused on developing specific functional capabilities within IT, finance, and customer support. While the model provided some structure, the GCCs experienced:
Misaligned Operations: Each capability function operated in silos, resulting in fragmented processes.
Limited Strategic Alignment: There was no clear link between capabilities and corporate strategy, causing misalignment with key goals like cloud adoption.
Insufficient Collaboration: Isolated capabilities lacked integration, which created bottlenecks between departments such as customer service and finance.
No Operational Roadmap: Capability models provided a snapshot of what the GCCs could do, but lacked a framework for execution—leading to delayed implementations.
“The capability model gave us a view of the existing capabilities, but it didn’t offer a path forward. We needed more than just isolated functions; we needed an integrated framework to link strategy with operations.”– Senior Vice President, GCC Operations
Additionally, the company explored conventional enterprise architecture (EA) frameworks. However, these efforts also fell short:
Lack of Execution: Traditional EA approaches provided high-level views but did not offer the detailed steps required to execute strategy.
Fragmented Outputs: These frameworks focused on creating architectural views without connecting them to operations, resulting in beautiful diagrams with little impact.
Static Models: EA models were static, unable to adapt dynamically to the evolving needs of the GCCs.
ICMG’s Holistic Approach: Assessment, Rating, Training, Prototyping, and Consulting
Recognizing these limitations, the company partnered with ICMG to transform their GCC operations using a comprehensive, integrated approach.
Phase 1: Fast Track Rating and Initial Assessment
ICMG’s engagement began with a Fast Track Rating Service that quickly assessed the GCC operations.
Assessment Focus: Evaluated strategic alignment, process efficiency, system performance, and cross-functional collaboration.
Findings: Identified operational bottlenecks, misaligned strategies, and underutilized automation tools.
Rating Outcome: Provided a detailed performance scorecard with actionable recommendations.
The rating served as a diagnostic foundation, identifying key gaps across the GCCs and setting the stage for deeper engagement.
Phase 2: Training Teams and Building Capability for Transformation
After the assessment, ICMG conducted customized training sessions to align the company’s internal teams with the Enterprise Anatomy Model framework.
Training Focus:
Educated teams on how to create strategic models aligned with corporate goals.
Trained GCC staff to rethink processes using the ICMG anatomy model.
Demonstrated the 1-13 Strategy Execution Model for linking strategy, systems, and operations.
The training ensured that all stakeholders—across IT, finance, and customer service—were aligned with the transformation goals, equipping them to participate actively in the change process.
Phase 3: Prototyping the Anatomy Models
ICMG worked closely with the GCC teams to prototype and build functional models for their projects, departments, and overall operations.
Project Anatomy Model: Prototyped for specific IT and finance projects to ensure short-term goals were aligned with enterprise strategy.
Department Anatomy Model: Created for finance and customer support departments, ensuring collaborative workflows between these functions.
Enterprise Anatomy Model: Integrated the GCC’s entire operations with corporate objectives, forming a cohesive, scalable framework.
This iterative prototyping phase allowed for quick validation, enabling the company to fine-tune its operations in real time.
Phase 4: Stage 2-7 Problem Analysis – Diagnosing GCC Challenges with Precision
ICMG’s Stage 2-7 Problem Analysis Framework ensures that every challenge is thoroughly assessed from multiple angles. While traditional problem analysis often stops at surface-level observations, ICMG’s framework dives deep, identifying strategic, operational, and technological misalignments. This comprehensive approach ensures that no hidden bottlenecks or gaps are left unresolved.
Stage 2 – Strategy Analysis:This phase examines whether the GCC’s operations align with the company’s strategic goals. In this case, the travel platform’s cloud-first strategy was not reflected in the GCC’s IT processes, creating delays in adoption and rollouts.
Stage 3 – Process Analysis:Here, the focus is on workflow bottlenecks and inefficiencies. For example, manual finance workflows were delaying month-end closures and reporting, exposing a need for process automation.
Stage 4 – System Analysis:This stage assesses systems and infrastructure to identify whether they support the required processes. The legacy ERP systems in use were insufficient, limiting collaboration between finance, IT, and customer service teams.
Stage 5 – Component Analysis:This analysis looks at specific tools and components to identify missing or underutilized resources. The absence of automation tools, such as ticketing systems and reconciliation platforms, was a critical gap.
Stage 6 – Implementation Analysis:Implementation analysis uncovers adoption challenges related to new systems or processes. User resistance to new technology was identified as a significant hurdle, slowing down the company’s digital transformation efforts.
Stage 7 – Operational Analysis:This phase ensures operational efficiency by identifying inefficiencies in day-to-day activities. Delays in resolving customer support tickets were harming customer satisfaction and overall brand experience.
By applying this structured framework, ICMG provided the travel platform with actionable insights that spanned from strategy to operations, ensuring nothing was overlooked.
Phase 5: Strategy Execution – Putting the 1-13 Execution Model into Action
Once the problem analysis was complete, ICMG guided the GCC teams through the 13-step Strategy Execution Model, ensuring that every recommendation was implemented effectively.
This model translates strategic goals into operational realities by linking strategy, processes, systems, components, and operations seamlessly.
Define Goals & Strategy Models:The GCC teams aligned their objectives with the corporate cloud-first and customer-centric strategies, ensuring all efforts moved toward these common goals.
Create Processes:Workflows were redesigned, particularly in finance and customer support, to reduce manual effort and enable faster responses, improving agility.
Develop System Models:The GCC implemented new cloud-based ERP and CRM systems, ensuring that key operations were well-supported by modern, scalable technology.
Specify Components:Automation tools were identified and deployed for ticketing, reconciliation, and reporting to remove bottlenecks and improve efficiency.
Plan Implementation:The rollout of new systems and processes was conducted in phases, minimizing disruption and ensuring smooth adoption across departments.
Establish Operating Models:Real-time dashboards were introduced to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide immediate insights into operational performance.
Link Strategy & Processes:The newly aligned business goals were directly connected to operational workflows across IT, finance, and customer support functions, ensuring each activity contributed to strategic objectives.
Link Processes & Systems:Seamless integration between workflows and systems ensured that technology enabled—not hindered—operations.
Link Systems & Components:Automation tools were integrated with cloud platforms to create a cohesive technology ecosystem, enhancing performance.
Link Components to Implementation Tools:Proper configuration of all components ensured smooth execution without unnecessary delays or failures.
Link Implementation to Operations:Continuous monitoring of KPIs ensured that the new systems and processes delivered the intended outcomes and met operational benchmarks.
Ensure Coherence Across Models:Every model—from strategy to operations—was checked for alignment and consistency, ensuring smooth collaboration between functions.
Develop On-Demand One-Page Models:Concise, easy-to-read models were developed to provide leadership and stakeholders with clear visibility into the transformation process, ensuring informed decision-making.
This structured execution process ensured that the travel platform’s GCCs were not only aligned with corporate strategy but also equipped to operate efficiently across functions. Each step was designed to remove bottlenecks, foster collaboration, and build an adaptable framework capable of continuous improvement.
A Holistic Transformation for Sustainable Growth
Together, Phase 4’s problem analysis and Phase 5’s strategy execution ensured that every part of the travel platform’s GCCs—from individual tools to enterprise-wide operations—was aligned and optimized. The company was able to shift from fragmented operations to a high-performance, integrated GCC ecosystem.
This transformation process highlights how ICMG’s Enterprise Anatomy Model goes beyond conventional frameworks, offering a dynamic, actionable roadmap that ensures both strategic alignment and operational excellence.