Do-it-yourself or bring in the experts?
KPI input from the terminal operators is vital "because they know their business inside out". Credit: William Cho
The industry is divided over the merits of using consultants versus ports setting up their own systems. Accenture says (perhaps surprisingly) both have their uses.
"Consultants can bring an outside perspective, an analytical view and can help pull the disparate systems together. For this to work, it helps if they can define the value creation roadmap. This is where elements such as a ports-specific value tree, business algorithms and data models can help transform the company.
"The terminal operators are vital," says the company's Mark McCalla, "because they know their business inside out and usually have a clear strategy. External expertise can help them make those decisions, by putting the framework and processes in place for the operator."
But the system can run into trouble if KPIs are confused with analytics. "It is important for a port to have capabilities for multiple dimensional analyses, and then they can decide what KPIs are, what metrics are, and what ad hoc reports are. Each terminal operator then can view the realities of its own business and set KPIs based on shareholder value tree inputs that can then be cascaded through the organisation."
As for the danger of terminal operators becoming bogged down in too many details, "this isn’t the case because terminal operators are pragmatic business people and if they don't find something is of value they will quickly discontinue an obsolete or problematic process".
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