Center for Information Security Services:
Helping CISS turn change into profitability

The Challenge

In 2000, the GSA’s Center for Information Security Services (CISS) had to dramatically change the way it did business. This reflected a major shift in its business model. Instead of providing direct technical services to its government customers, it had to offer assisted procurement services. But as a fee-for-service operation, CISS had to be profitable. It was operating in the red.

To get back on track, a major business process engineering and organizational change effort was needed. CISS turned to SiloSmashers for a long-range strategic plan and an organizational assessment of its Business Services and Business Development Divisions. Transforming into a competitive, profitable and efficient consultancy would require a detailed roadmap based on an in-depth understanding of the new terrain the Center was charting.

Becoming Competitive Through Peak Performance®

With a crowded field of commercial information security (INFOSEC) procurement consultants competing for the government’s business, SiloSmashers needed to ensure that CISS was positioned to achieve Peak Performance®. How? By analyzing the organization, its customers, the INFOSEC market and the competition … guiding the CISS team through strategy and planning sessions … teaming our subject matter experts with CISS to assure buy-in from its stakeholders … setting long-range organizational goals and developing measurable objectives for each … and coaching senior executives throughout the transformation process.

The three-phase project began with the development of a viable, two- to three-year strategic plan. SiloSmashers conducted interviews with CISS staff to define current organizational structure and functions, produced workflow diagrams of critical business processes and surveyed employee/ talent skills to verify that the right people were doing the right jobs. We gave special attention to the functions most likely to affect CISS’ profitability, including financial management, training for project managers, recurring maintenance and contract management. Collaborating with CISS, we developed mission, vision and values statements – the basis of the organization’s new direction. We examined CISS’ financial statements to confirm core competencies, identify its most and least profitable activities and analyze billing structure.

SiloSmashers also conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. This enabled CISS to position itself against its competi-tion and gave stakeholders an opportunity to see, at-a-glance, the rationale behind the organization’s new marketing direction.
CISS’ successful transformation also depended on a variety of other internal and external factors. We needed to evaluate the CISS culture, customer perceptions of the organization and how the Center measured up against other providers in this crowded field. As a result, phase two included a cultural assessment survey, market research and an assess-ment of customer satisfaction. Each of these efforts led to recommendations that contributed to the success of CISS’ transformation.

In phase three, we worked with CISS to implement the strategic plan. All departments – across, up and down the organization – were operating from the same page. People were in jobs that maximized the skill sets. And, CISS was speaking with one voice to its customers.

The Results of Peak Performance®

CISS and SiloSmashers subject matter experts worked hand-in-hand to complete each phase of the project. Developing strategic initiatives, analyz-ing every aspect of the operation and building consensus for implementing change, SiloSmashers transformed CISS into a revitalized organization. Today, it’s a profitable provider of procurement services. It now has an automated financial system – with tracking and reporting capabilities – which interfaces with other accounting systems and is ready to be upgraded to the new enterprise-wide system. Vacant positions were filled and new ones created with an eye toward effective organizational change. Customer service became a priority, with exceptional performance rewarded. And senior executives gained the knowledge they needed to ensure that all parts of the organi-zation were pulling in the same direction.

In Fiscal Year 2002, the hard work paid big dividends. Revenue increased 16 percent despite a 22 percent workforce reduction. Best of all, CISS met its revised revenue goal of $80 million.

Together, CISS and the SiloSmashers team positioned CISS to successfully execute its new charter in GSA. Peak Performance® has turned transformation into profitability.