Designing Operating Models — POV by Dr. Dodi Mossafer

Summary

A well-designed operating model is more than structure; it is the connective tissue between vision and execution. It clarifies decision rights, embeds accountability, and creates signal loops that keep strategy live and adaptive.

1) The Framework

Decision Rights

Map who decides, who executes, who escalates.
Clarify tiering: enterprise vs. business-unit rights.
Guard against shadow vetoes and diffusion.

Cadence & Governance

Align meeting rhythms with decision cycles.
Embed quarterly portfolio reviews, monthly steering, daily standups.
Use stage gates to trigger reallocation and pivots.

Controls & Signal Loops

ERP/EPM as the data and control spine.
Variance discipline linked to accountability.
Feedback loops tied to benefits register and KPIs.

2) Working Principles

Clarity over complexity: simple rules survive stress.
Cadence beats intensity: predictable rhythms outperform ad-hoc heroics.
Accountability with data: metrics must tie back to owners and baselines.
Design for adoption: embed in roles and systems, not side processes.

3) Use Cases & Applications

Banking & Financial Services

Operating models that enforce discipline across forecasting and capital planning.

Rolling forecasts tied to credit risk and liquidity cycles.
Close acceleration linked to regulatory reporting timelines.
Integrated OpEx, CapEx, and risk-weighted assets planning.

Manufacturing & Supply Chain

ERP and EPM programs as the backbone for production and inventory decisions.

Bill of materials and chart of accounts aligned with governance.
Staged deployment checkpoints tied to plant stabilization.
Benefits tracked through throughput, yield, and cost-per-unit.

Healthcare & Life Sciences

AI copilots embedded into care and claims workflows with strict governance.

Guardrails for clinical explainability and human-in-the-loop validation.
Adoption measured by provider usage and claim approval cycle times.
Signal loops tracking productivity, patient outcomes, and cost of care.

4) Project Snapshots (what we can do, anonymized)

Global Technology Company

30–60–90 Operating Rhythm Reset tied to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) controls.

Design and stand-up of decision forums with charters and entry/exit criteria.
Quarterly portfolio gates wired to evidence packs and funding releases.
Observed results: decision cycle time reduced by ~25 percent; variance owners assigned and accountable.

National Integrated Health System

Integrated planning operating model with governed artificial intelligence checkpoints in care delivery and claims.

Unified cadence across payer and provider operations with defined hand-offs.
Claims review assistant with human approval steps and full audit trails.
Observed results: forecast bias reduced by ~12 percent year over year; faster exception resolution.

Asset Management Firm

Investment and product portfolio governance linked to finance and operations.

Quarterly reallocation ritual with value, confidence, and time scoring.
Research synthesis assistant embedded in investment reviews under documented controls.
Observed results: time to insight reduced by ~30 percent; spend reallocated by 10 percent each quarter to higher-confidence initiatives.

Metrics are directional and anonymized for confidentiality.

5) Metrics & Signal Loops

Lead Indicators

Decision cycle time by forum tier.
Adherence to cadence (percentage of forums held on schedule with quorum).
Share of investment shifted within the quarter toward higher-confidence initiatives.

Lag Indicators

Financial close time and controllable variance trend.
Benefits realized versus plan in profit and loss and cash flow.
Unit economics by target segment (for example, cost per unit, margin per customer, or throughput).

6) Common Failure Modes

Decision fog: unclear rights, vetoes, and overlaps.
Cadence theater: meetings without decisions.
Weak controls: ERP/EPM bypassed; no lineage.
Benefits drift: targets without ownership or tracking.

7) Practical Artifacts

Operating model map (decision rights, cadences, owners).
Governance calendar (quarterly, monthly, daily layers).
Stage gate template with kill/continue rules.
Benefits register with variance traceability.
AI safeguard checklist embedded in governance.

8) About the Author

Dr. Dodi Mossafer is a corporate strategy and transformation advisor. Experience spans global enterprises, national health systems, financial services, mid-market transformations, and public organizations. Academic work covers decision sciences, finance digitalization, and AI readiness.

9) Use & Citation

Cite as: “Dr. Dodi Mossafer, DBA — Designing Operating Models (Advisory POV), 2022.” Independent perspective; suitable for academic and industry reference with attribution.