Next, they turned their attention to the organizational structure. For decades, Smithson Corporation had been organized along functional lines, with separate departments for manufacturing, marketing, and sales. However, this structure had led to silos and a lack of communication between departments.
One of the first areas they tackled was the product development process. For years, Smithson Corporation had followed a traditional, sequential approach to product development, with separate teams working on design, engineering, and testing. This approach had led to lengthy development cycles, high costs, and a lack of innovation.
The results of the reengineering efforts were nothing short of remarkable. Within a year, Smithson Corporation had reduced its product development cycle by 50%, improved its on-time delivery rate to 95%, and reduced costs by 20%. The company's revenue began to grow, and its profitability soared.
