From Chaos to Coordination
How 3N Consulting Restructured Operations, Leadership, and IT to Unlock Scalable Growth for a Fast-Growing Manufacturer
The Situation
A global cosmetics manufacturer experiencing rapid growth faced significant operational strain across its core business functions. The company's CEO and Board had recognized that while demand was rising sharply, its organizational model—particularly within operations, HR, finance and procurement—was not equipped to scale effectively.
Symptoms of Misalignment
- Overlapping roles and unclear accountability under the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
- Fragmented reporting lines and communication breakdowns between executive leadership and production teams.
- Reliance on temporary contractor staff to meet seasonal demand spikes, creating inconsistent quality and rising costs.
- Multiple, disconnected systems for financial, production, and customer data—leading to inefficiency and delayed decision-making.
- Leadership uncertainty about the COO's current scope, performance metrics, and long-term fit for driving operational excellence.
The CEO and Board sought an independent partner capable of assessing organizational readiness, redesigning structures, and aligning leadership and workforce capacity to meet the company's growth objectives—quickly, objectively, and with measurable outcomes.
3N Approach and Solution — Guided by O-RAM™
3N Consulting applied its proprietary Organizational Readiness Assessment Methodology (O-RAM) to evaluate the company's leadership structure, workforce utilization, and operational efficiency. O-RAM's five dimensions—Leadership Alignment, Governance & Controls, People & Capability, Technology & Data, and Process & Performance—formed the backbone of the assessment and solution design.
Leadership Assessment
- Conducted in-depth interviews with the CEO, principal founder and Board Chair, and senior executives to evaluate decision-making cadence, transparency, and alignment of goals.
- Analyzed the COO's span of control, communication process, and performance metrics, identifying gaps in governance and role clarity.
- Recommended redefinition of the COO role, emphasizing proactive engagement with operational leaders and accountability for cross-functional outcomes.
Workforce and Operations Evaluation
- Reviewed workforce utilization and production capacity, identifying inefficiencies in scheduling, workload balance, and contractor management.
- Developed a rightsizing plan aligning headcount with projected demand, optimizing both full-time and contingent labor.
- Introduced process improvements to streamline production planning, inventory management, and vendor sourcing.
IT and Systems Analysis
- Evaluated the company's ERP and CRM environments to uncover duplication of effort, inconsistent reporting, and missing integration points.
- Recommended data centralization for financial and operational metrics, establishing a "single version of the truth" across departments.
Governance and Performance Framework
- Established new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and dashboards to track operational performance daily, weekly, and monthly.
- Redefined governance structures to ensure alignment between business units and executive priorities.
- Introduced value-engineering levers—reskilling staff and realigning tasks—to reduce cost and improve agility.
Strategic Advisory and Leadership Transition
- Benchmarked comparable organizations to advise the CEO and Board on future leadership requirements.
- Designed a search strategy and executive selection framework to identify the next operations leader equipped to drive transformation.
Results Delivered
Within six weeks, 3N Consulting delivered a comprehensive Operations and IT Transformation Plan, integrating leadership, workforce, and systems improvements. The results were both immediate and transformative:
Operational Efficiency
Streamlined production planning, rightsized staffing, and clarified job roles
Cross-Functional Alignment
IT, Finance, and Operations adopted new workflows aligned to production forecasting
Leadership Clarity
Redefined COO responsibilities with improved communication and accountability metrics
Real-Time Visibility
New dashboards and KPIs providing performance visibility to CEO and Board
Cost Reduction
Workforce development initiatives reduced reliance on contractors and lowered operational costs
Rapid Implementation
Workforce capability improvements implemented within weeks of recommendations
Client Outcome
The company's Board rated 3N Consulting's performance as "Exceptional" for Quality of Work, Schedule Management, and Cost Control—and "Very Good" for Management Team performance.
The client acted swiftly on 3N's recommendations, implementing workforce capability improvements within weeks. The CEO and principal owner subsequently invited 3N to assume a broader operational advisory role, reflecting the firm's deep trust and the tangible impact of its work.
Why This Matters
This engagement exemplifies how 3N Consulting uses its O-RAM framework to deliver transformation that is both analytical and actionable. By aligning leadership, people, processes, and systems, 3N enabled a high-growth manufacturer to scale efficiently, sustain profitability, and build a leadership model for long-term success.
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