“The IT ought to support the business processes!”
How to realise within a large scale Pan European IT- Project

„GLOBE will enable us to develop from a statically shaped business model of the past to a real time business model of the future.”
Ralf Teckentrup, member of the executive board of the Thomas Cook AG

The assignment	The Thomas Cook Group plc with its round about 22 Million customers and 310000 employees belongs to the biggest travel organizations worldwide. The company and its different brands, thereunder Neckermann Reisen, Thomas Cook Reisen as well as the airline Condor have representations in 21 countries. With the objective of developing a new trendsetting/forward looking booking entry system the project Globe was started with 200 employees, six service providers and four release cycles. The implementation of an innovative IT-System is one thing – the simultaneously and cost saving design of the underlying business processes is another thing. Both targets ought to be realized within this project, transnational wide and with a high degree of automation. The area of responsibility for the O'Donovan team was the answering and operational implementation of process related questions like: How do we reduce the time to market period? How will the work flows be improved by the new booking entry system? How do we develop process handbooks so that they can be used by user as well as the management?

The components	Process analysis and design at the same time as the development of IT concept – in five European Thomas Cook subsidiaries with fourteen project teams in total. Continuous and consistent process methodology based on a four level model – from the value chain to detailed work flows, e.g. the booking of an extra for cars. Internal benchmarking: Sighting, validation and selection of best practice processes of the European Thomas Cook subsidiaries. Preference of standardised processes in order to avoid expensive individual adjustments of IT Systems and interfaces. Consequent integration of senior management and travel experts, e.g. flight steering, product management and fulfilment.

The result	Company's core processes for component based bookings were harmonised international wide. The consolidated centralised process handbook was highly appreciated within the company. Especially the departments Training and Change Management intensively used the results. The business processes are optimal supported by the new booking system. The workflows are efficient and aligned to the necessity of the customers. For Thomas Cook this means less complexity on international level – with remarkable reduced costs. In a lot of areas there was one general process designed out of five different country specific processes.