customer testimonial

usG PeoPle in a nutshellWith revenue of € 3.2 billion in 2011, USG People is one of the largest providers of HR services in Europe. In Belgium, USG People operates under well-known brands such as Start People (expert in general staffing); Unique, Secretary Plus, Express Medical and Receptel (focusing on specialist’s staffing); and Legal Forces, USG Financial Forces, USG HR Forces, USG Innotiv and USG Sales & Marketing.

A PeRFoRMAnce MAnAGeMent coMPetence centRe

enSUReS conSIStent InFoRMAtIon MAnAGeMent

AcRoSS ALL bRAndS oF USG PeoPLe In beLGIUM

Performance Management | consulting | technologyKeyrus nv nijverheidslaan 3/2 b-1853 Strombeek-bever, belgium t +32 2 706 03 00 F +32 2 706 03 09 info@keyrus.be

www.keyrus.be

For historical reasons, USG was facing, like many organizations, several challenges in information management. the diversity of the systems and the variable quality of data did not allow acquiring the right data when needed. Moreover, the process to measure and report was done the hard way; data processing was labour intensive, with little means to predict future developments. Besides this, the KPIs in use were not assessed in the same way throughout the company. In short: there was a clear lack of uniformity, so for its operations in belgium USG People decided to implement a data warehouse – based on IbM cognos and Informatica technologies - and to set up a Performance Management competence centre to efficiently assess the progress made in data management across all USG People brands.

movinG from a “Push” model to a “Pull” system

this decision was taken at a particular time: in the middle of the financial crisis, which severely affected the sector of temporary labour. “Our management, however, was convinced of the need to invest in such a system, which would help to make USG People a stronger company,” explains nathalie calle, VP Finance Professional & Specialist Staffing of USG People, who carried the project. “We had a very clear vision of what we wanted to achieve. Firstly, we had to move from a “push” model, where you could ask any type of report, to a “pull” system of self-service where every user has access to a limited number of reports. Secondly, the total number of reports available should be sharply reduced (from 200 to 20). And finally, by

implementing a Performance Management Competence Centre, we also wanted to professionalize the work of our teams, so they can make the right analyses, based on which our management will take the best decisions for USG People.”

this performance management solution, combining a powerful data warehouse with a strategic Performance Management competence centre, is used not only by the financial teams and controllers but also by the commercial teams of USG, both management in headquarters and in the agencies of all USG trademarks.

“In the past, we tried to develop different versions of such a centre of expertise, but every time we found ourselves getting stuck. Thanks to their external view and expertise in this area, Keyrus consultants helped us to understand what went wrong.”

nathalie calle, VP Finance Professional & Specialist Staffing of USG People

objectives� ensure consistent information management across all brands of USG People in belgium� Move from a “push” model to a “pull” self-service system giving access to a limited number of reports� Allow management to quickly assess the performance of all offices and respond appropriately and accurately

solution� A clear and iterative implementation methodology � A performance management solution combining a powerful data warehouse with a strategic Performance Management competence centre� continuous communication ensuring important cultural changes and the involvement of all USG employees

Keyrus – performance management revisitedKeyrus enables companies to transform the wealth of data at their disposal into market and client understanding, proactive tactics, operational agility and, more generally, to make relevant decisions at all levels of the organization. With over 16 years of experience, we help companies to turn their ambitions into reality.Keyrus in belgium employs 200 highly skilled consultants and is part of the international Keyrus Group, a global leader in consulting and solutions integration for business intelligence and performance management. created in 1996, listed on euronext’s eurolist, with consolidated revenues of €138m in 2011 and 1,600 employees on 4 continents, the Keyrus Group offers the performance, solidity and know-how of a large professional services organization, while preserving the agility of a young company.

Performance Management | consulting | technologyKeyrus nv nijverheidslaan 3/2 b-1853 Strombeek-bever, belgium t +32 2 706 03 00 F +32 2 706 03 09 info@keyrus.be

www.keyrus.be

a methodoloGy fittinG in usG’s corPorate culture

to assist in this journey, USG People selected Keyrus, independent specialist in Performance Management. “We had worked with Keyrus in the past, and we were very pleased with this collaboration”, explains nathalie calle. “Keyrus is very familiar with our company, has the necessary experience and is able to offer us high-level consultants, both in the technical field and the management. In a project like this, the methodology is important. Keyrus’ methodology, based on successive iterations, fits in our corporate culture. The fact that the work was made gradually - no big bang - and that the communication happened continuously helped us to implement significant changes while convincing all branches and all departments of the need and added value of the project. And everyone’s involvement was absolutely essential to the success of such a project.”

Ingrid nijs, business Process Manager at Unique, responsible for the commercial part of the project implementation at Unique, explains: “Today we have a pool of twenty reports: about ten for customers and another ten for internal use. The new reporting system allows our colleagues to create a report for customers in minutes, while ensuring

consistency in the presentation of data within the entire company. We also need less time to analyse the figures. Our dashboards have been revised with the help of Keyrus: they are now the same for 90 percent of users. The remaining 10 percent can add different KPIs, based on their own objectives. Highly visual, these dashboards are refreshed every day and give a full view on the performance by brand, region or office. This way, management can quickly identify the less performing offices and respond appropriately and accurately.”

the Performance manaGement comPetence centre

In addition to implementing the data warehouse, Keyrus has helped USG People Belgium establishing a Performance Management competence centre. this is a virtual unit that guides and evaluates the processes involved in performance management and data processing within USG People belgium. the centre functions on several layers. A team of business process managers and controllers of the different divisions meets up biweekly with the BI manager to evaluate and define priorities for data quality issues, data warehouse changes and requests for reports. A steering committee, composed of the parties responsible for finance and It of the USG divisions, meets once a month to evaluate the KPIs and the bI project status and to ensure that all important needs are taken into account.

“I’ve participated in many development projects, and I must say I was impressed by the ability with which Keyrus understood our needs, despite the specifics of each of our brands,” says Ingrid nijs. “In the past, we tried to develop different versions of such a centre of expertise, but every time we found ourselves getting stuck,” adds nathalie calle. “Thanks to their external view and expertise in this area, Keyrus consultants helped us to understand what went wrong. They also advised on the profiles that should be part of these meetings and the matters that had to be treated. The ultimate goal is that these committees alone regulate the Performance Management activities of USG.”

“I’ve participated in many development projects, and I must say I was impressed by the ability with which Keyrus understood our needs, despite the specifics of each of our brands.”

Ingrid nijs, business Process Manager at Unique.