Introduction: Urban Alliance is a non-profit organization that provides professional development and employment opportunities for under-resourced youth in urban areas. Their year-long employment program partners with businesses and organizations to offer internships and job training to students while teaching them valuable soft skills to help them thrive in their professional and personal lives. The program empowers high school students with the skills, experience, and support they need to achieve economic self-sufficiency and become active participants in their communities. At Deloitte, I was asked to lead an effort to assess their various programs, revamp how the business and operating model is articulated, identify process and operation improvement areas, and assist in creating a storyboard and collateral for fundraising and grant applications.
Scope and Role: I was the project manager on the effort and worked with three junior personnel. I owned the client relationship with the COO and Outcomes manager. The effort was completed in three months.
Challenges: One of the difficulties we faced was working with Urban Alliance to prioritize the highest value work and make recommendations on sacrificing growth or even ceasing operations on some programs.
Approach and Methodology: We used logic models to identify gaps in the process and to establish process boundaries. The logic models were similar to the SIPOC methodology used in Lean Six Sigma. We also used the Business Model Canvas to evaluate and optimize their current business model. We employed the Strategic Choices Cascade, which is a strategy framework used in Playing to Win and Deloitte Monitor to help Urban Alliance make strategic choices. Additionally, we used infographics and graphic facilitation for workshops.
Results and Outcomes: The effort provided Urban Alliance with a clearer view of their operations and programs. They had better collateral and articulation of their value proposition. Shortly after completing the project, they used promising RCT results and our work to win their largest grant up to that point in the organization's history.
Communications and Collaboration: I worked directly with senior personnel and gave fortnightly updates to senior leadership.
Lessons Learned: The project improved my skills in program assessment, process design, frameworks like the Business Model Canvas and Strategic Choices Cascade, people management, and fundraising. These skills have been invaluable in other projects and contexts.
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