Strategic Planning and Operating Model Design for Global MedTech Firm
CLIENT PROFILE
Industry: Medical Technology / Healthcare
Scale: $6B+ in annual revenue
Geographic Reach: 40+ countries
Functional Scope: 140-person shared-services organization
THE CHALLENGE
A global medical technology leader required comprehensive transformation of its business unit—a 140-person shared-services function supporting $6B+ in revenue across 8 functional areas. The organization faced multiple strategic and operational challenges:
No Strategic Direction: Lack of unified vision or multi-year roadmap for the organization
Accountability Gaps: Ambiguous decision rights and unclear process ownership across functions
Siloed Operations: Limited cross-functional collaboration and coordination
Metrics Fragmentation: 60+ ad-hoc performance indicators with no consistent tracking framework
Process Gaps: No repeatable strategic planning process or governance rhythm
Leadership needed an operating model defining clear capabilities, establishing governance structures, aligning stakeholders, and creating sustainable strategic planning processes.
THE APPROACH
Strategic Assessment Phase
Conducted comprehensive capability gap analysis across all 8 functional areas
Benchmarked organizational structure against industry best practices for shared services
Mapped cross-functional dependencies, handoffs, and decision points
Interviewed leadership to understand strategic priorities and operational pain points
Operating Model Design
Defined required capabilities and competencies for each functional area
Established accountability framework using RACI methodology for critical processes
Designed governance structure with clear decision rights and escalation protocols
Developed focused KPI/OKR framework establishing 25 enterprise metrics (reduced from 60+)
Created organizational structure optimizing for both efficiency and collaboration
Stakeholder Alignment & Change Management
Facilitated 6 alignment workshops with 8 functional leaders to pressure-test model
Incorporated stakeholder feedback into final operating model design
Used data-driven analysis to demonstrate costs of ambiguous accountability
Built cross-functional coalition around shared strategic priorities
Implemented and facilitated quarterly strategy review meetings (QSRM)
Implementation & Institutionalization
Established repeatable annual strategic planning process
Integrated financial planning, capacity modeling, and strategic initiative prioritization
Created quarterly governance cadence with senior executive to align on direction
Developed comprehensive toolkit of templates and frameworks for ongoing management
THE IMPACT
✓ Operating Model Adoption: Successfully implemented comprehensive framework across 140-person organization supporting $6B+ in revenue
✓ Metrics Rationalization: Reduced performance indicators from 60+ ad-hoc metrics to 25 focused enterprise KPIs, providing clear visibility
✓ Decision Velocity: Achieved ~40% improvement in decision-making speed through clarified accountability and governance
✓ Organizational Replication: Operating model framework became template adopted by multiple business units across the enterprise
✓ Sustainable Processes: Annual strategic planning cycle entered 2nd year of operation, demonstrating long-term viability
✓ Cross-Functional Alignment: Achieved alignment across 8 functional leaders on shared priorities, eliminating siloed decision-making
KEY INSIGHT
Operating model transformations achieve lasting impact when rigorous design is combined with disciplined implementation and authentic stakeholder engagement. Success requires not only developing strategically sound frameworks but also investing in change management that ensures organizational adoption and sustainability. The most elegant operating model fails if not actually implemented—and the most practical model succeeds when stakeholders are genuinely invested in its success.