Case Study
Medical affairs business process harmonization drives global operational efficiency and new IT system development
CLIENT
Our client is a global leader in the healthcare industry and offers a range of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and consumer health goods. Operating in over 60 countries and serving millions of customers worldwide, the organization is dedicated to improving health and well-being at every stage of life. Known for its innovation and ethical business practices, the company consistently invests in research and development to bring cutting-edge solutions to the global market.
CHALLENGE
A unified IT solution to streamline global operations, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency for medical affairs
Our client, a major pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer, embarked on a global initiative to streamline the methodologies and IT systems used by the medical affairs teams. With inconsistent IT systems and methodologies across regions and functional groups, the company struggled with operational inefficiencies. Recognizing the need for a unified global IT system, the organization turned to UST to facilitate a transformation by analyzing and standardizing processes and defining capabilities for a new IT system.
TRANSFORMATION
Global alignment of business processes facilitates IT system design
UST facilitated the successful design and implementation of a new IT system by harmonizing global processes and clearly defining system requirements. UST’s business process management consulting initiative began with discovery workshops, where we engaged closely with the client’s eight regional and functional medical affairs teams to deeply understand existing workflows, and identify bottlenecks to reconcile discrepancies across regions. Using these insights, UST proposed critical process changes to streamline operations and boost efficiencies. A phased capabilities requirements roadmap was developed to guide the implementation of the new global IT system, ensuring that the transition was aligned with the client’s strategic goals. System capability requirements were established for data management, workflow automations, and compliance tracking, laying the foundation for global IT system development.
UST brokered compromises and encouraged alignment between the regional teams to build consensus, overcome resistance, and secure agreement on the new standardized processes. UST then lead the development of the request for proposal, ensuring that the system requirements were clearly defined to support the new harmonized processes.
IMPACT
Unified and streamlined global medical affairs processes
One of the key outcomes of the project was the detailed mapping of 15 end-to-end business processes, which provided a clear and comprehensive understanding of how each aspect of medical affairs should function within the global framework. These mapped processes served as a foundation for further improvements and optimizations, enabling the client to identify areas where efficiency could be enhanced and where redundant or conflicting practices could be eliminated. Key outcomes included:
- Proactive risk management—The client now has a unified set of processes and real-time visibility into its medical affairs operations, enabling company leaders to manage risks more effectively.
- Continuous process improvements—Harmonized processes across regions ensured consistent operations, improved efficiencies, and reduced redundancies.
- Global IT systems capabilities—With clearly defined capability requirements, the new IT system blueprint will support key medical affairs functions and enhance overall productivity.
- Increased collaboration—Regional teams are now aligned with global practices, boosting internal communications and collaboration.
- Cost savings—The streamlined processes and unified IT system roadmap will drive substantial cost reductions and increase productivity across the medical affairs teams.
RESOURCES
https://www.ust.com/en/industries/life-sciences
https://www.ust.com/en/what-we-do/strategy-implementation-operations/scaled-operations