AST Digital Magazine October 2017 Digital-Oct | Page 22

Rather , the concept of a sting was initially prototyped
Volume on a small-scale
17 that was assessed and honed before being widely rolled-out .
Evaluating concepts on a tightly controlled , trial basis could prove equally useful to companies seeking to upgrade their middle and back office capabilities while avoiding the risk of making significant investments that may not pay off .
The Marshals ’ success in leveraging its capabilities is also evident in the way the Service brings in extra personnel when they are needed . In the days of the Old West , this included forming a posse of volunteers to hunt-down fugitives .
In business , the “ force multiplier ” concept could be used to increase operational leverage . By way of background , “ leverage ” comes in two broad forms : financial leverage or debt ( measured by , for example , debt ratios ) and operational leverage or efficiency ( measured by , for
October 2017 Edition example , turnover ratios ).
Managing these two forms of leverage over time is not easy . Indeed , some companies leverageup financially but operate inefficiently , which can seriously impact performance over time .
One way to increase operational leverage is through the select use of corporate task forces .
For example , many firms employ outside consultants on a project-by-project basis .
However , relatively few firms use consultants as a source of longer-term operational leverage to improve overall efficiency .
NY / NJ RFTF
Today , this “ force multiplier ” approach forms the basis of the RFTFs .
To be part of a RFTF , a municipality , state agency or Federal agency allocates one-to-two people to the task force on a full-time basis .
In return , the municipality , state agency or Federal agency is provided with state-of-the-art fugitive apprehension equipment and the resources of the entire Task Force to help retrieve their most dangerous fugitives .
One useful approach that some firms have employed is to select a small number of consulting firms with both project-specific and strategic expertise who are locked-in for two-to-three years of project activity with key company employees . For the consultants , the allure of steady longterm work is enticing .
Further , the threat of losing a long-term client due to service shortcomings helps to ensure superior delivery quality .
Once the project team meet ’ s the company ’ s strategic needs , the consultants are rolled-off ; in other words , the corporate task force is disbanded .
Such an approach has produced more successful project portfolios for a number of firms over
time . Information Advantage The lifeblood of every manhunt is information .
To gain a sustainable “ information advantage ,” the Marshals Service , like many modern corporations , employs advanced analytics , internet-
22