The new process should produce shorter cycle times, and a stronger link between business drivers and forecasts, according to John Livers, Sprint's process director of business planning and performance reporting at the company headquarters in Kansas. The process is also expected to increase flexibility, a feature Gustin says is essential for any company operating in a fast-changing sector like telecommunications. A key challenge is flexibility. Markets are getting very volatile. Organisations need to change, they need to adapt.
Sprint has good reason for wanting to stay ahead of the game.
Through its growing businesses, both domestic and local, Sprint intends to provide a seamless array of local, long-distance, and wireless services. But the difficulty of achieving such an ambitious goal is beginning to show. Among the reasons that Global One officials cited for the disappointing performance was the complexity of knitting the three companies' networks into a global system. In the first step of the new budget process, Sprint will set business targets. Once a year, in the autumn, a team of corporate and division presidents, strategic planning representatives, and key business unit and finance management personnel will meet to set high-level performance targets for the next six quarters.