Search Representative Engagements
This form enables you to search a database containing short summaries of selected projects that we have completed for our clients. Although the descriptions are brief and the database of engagements is not exhaustive, these summaries will give you a general sense of the types of projects we do. New project summaries are added on a regular basis.
Sample Projects
Strategic Solutions Group Design
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Clinical Development
A leading pharmaceutical company decided to centralize shared services, like IT support, among its operating companies. At one of the affected operating companies, the move of IT support to the shared services model caused an increase in the demands being placed on the systems operation group (SOG). To address this spike in IT-related requests to the SOG and increase the value of the SOG to the company, senior leadership wanted to repurpose the group to focus primarily on serving as strategic consultants to the business bridging the gap between IT and business customers. In support of this effort, the client engaged SRCG. First, SRCG conducted fact-finding interviews with representatives of functional areas within the company to identify benefits provided by SOG, mission-essential services, operational challenges, and unmet service needs. SRCG also met with senior leadership to identify resource constraints and the long-term vision for the SOG's organizational structure and services. SRCG leveraged its primary research findings to identify gaps in operational and organizational strategic support and recommend the transition of the SOG to fulfill this role. SRCG also developed a new organizational model to assist with strategic support while maintaining current critical IT liaison services for the company's customers. A transition plan was developed for implementing these new roles while also correcting current inefficiencies and redundant work flows identified during the interviews. As a result of the plan's successful implementation, the company has effectively repositioned the SOG and enhanced its service offerings to better meet the company's needs.
Process Improvement
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Clinical Development
A multinational biopharmaceutical company's development group decided to initiate a quality improvement initiative in response to rapid organizational growth and findings from a recently conducted audit. The client asked SRCG to assist in identifying and prioritizing the key areas for improvement and initiating the development of solutions. SRCG started by surveying all development staff to collect ideas for quality and process improvement, and then worked with senior leadership to evaluate the survey results and categorize the findings into work streams. Next, SRCG worked with the client to scope the solution development and implementation phases for each work stream and prioritized the work streams into three tiers. SRCG then supported the client in initiating the four tier-one work streams, which included kick-off meetings, solutions development workshops, and weekly meetings to review deliverables. The client expressed a high level of satisfaction with SRCG's work and has retained SRCG for several follow -on projects.
Launch
Transition Plan
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Brand Management
An emerging biopharmaceutical company was preparing to launch a product and sought to develop a presentation of the business and brand plans for senior management. The client also sought to gather feedback at the meeting and incorporate changes into the plans. The client asked SRCG to assist with both projects, as well as to compile all relevant brand information into a transition binder to be used in the development and training of the incoming product launch management team. First, SRCG met with core team members to outline key components of the launch transition plan and to address gaps in data. SRCG then drafted a marketing excellence strategic plan, and collected and then incorporated feedback from review sessions into the final plan. Next, SRCG synthesized available information and developed additional content to help produce transition plan binders. The client was pleased with SRCG's work and has retained them to continue work supporting the brand as it approaches launch.
Commercial Planning Phase I
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Brand Management
An emerging specialty pharmaceutical company was starting the commercial planning process for a compound in phase III clinical trials and wanted to better define potential launch strategies and requirements for targeting various healthcare providers in the ambulatory surgical care and emergency department settings.The client asked SRCG to define the market opportunity, prioritize investment scenarios, and then define high-level commercialization costs. This entailed synthesis of prior physician primary market research conducted by the company. SRCG leveraged the research, along with input from client team members, to develop patient flow models for four surgical settings and emergency medicine. In addition, SRCG used the information to develop revenue forecast estimate models, commercialization cost estimates, and an estimate of the net present value. As a result of findings from the project, SRCG was able to make several preliminary commercialization recommendations that were highly regarded by the client, including the need for additional research into several key areas: additional specialties or settings, physician adoption rates, availability at hospitals, and patient adherence rates. The client retained SRCG to assist with additional phases of the commercial planning process.
Market Landscape Assessment
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Brand Management
A leading pharmaceutical company was in the process of establishing early stage development plans for a vaccine with potential applications in multiple surgical settings. Due to the increasing use of less invasive surgical procedures and worldwide changes in infection control practices, the current and future global market for the vaccine in the surgical setting was unclear. Therefore, the client sought assistance with assessing the potential current and future market landscape. SRCG was asked to complete a comprehensive evaluation of major surgery settings from both a commercial and a clinical perspective in order to develop a clear understanding of the potential market for the vaccine. In performing the evaluation, SRCG organized, evaluated, and synthesized the currently available surgical market landscape secondary research, while also conducting interviews with the client's internal experts. SRCG summarized the findings from the primary and secondary research, presenting both commercial and clinical considerations, as well as a combined analysis of the results and recommended next steps for the client's vaccine program. SRCG recommended further primary research to fill known data gaps, as well as completion of a semi-quantitative opportunity prioritization exercise; these steps were being considered by the client in order to better inform their pre-clinical and early clinical development programs.
Life Cycle Management Strategy
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Brand Management
A leading pharmaceutical company had recently obtained the rights to a product through an acquisition and sought to develop a comprehensive life cycle management (LCM) strategy, given that the product was approved for multiple indications and had approximately seven years of exclusivity remaining. The client asked SRCG to implement a data-generation plan, and employ a five-step process to develop the strategy. First, SRCG ensured that the team had a clear understanding of the brand's current situation and strategic objectives. Next, the team identified a "laundry list" of potential life cycle management strategies. This list was then vetted by internal stakeholders and external key opinion leaders (KOLs). Once the targeted opportunities were identified, SRCG developed the key criteria to evaluate each opportunity and obtained the necessary data to develop appropriate ranges and weights for the criteria. After customizing and populating SRCG's proprietary LCM model, SRCG conducted an LCM summit meeting with the company's key stakeholders to evaluate the potential LCM opportunities. As a final measure, SRCG conducted deep dives in two of the client- specified LCM opportunities of interest. The client expressed a high level of satisfaction with SRCG's work, particularly with the information they received regarding opportunities for the brand in two new disease states.
Canadian Deep Dive for Launch Readiness
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Brand Management
A global biopharmaceutical company had recently launched a product for an autoimmune disease in the US, and was preparing to launch the product into the complex regulatory and payer landscape in Canada. As a result, they sought to assess the readiness of their Canadian launch teams with the same strategic partner that helped them launch the product in the US-SRCG. Specifically, the client asked SRCG to conduct a launch readiness "deep dive" with the company's Canadian launch teams and global senior leadership. First, SRCG met with each launch team leader to collect launch plans, define strengths, and identify weaknesses. Results of these meetings were organized into presentation templates for the launch teams in preparation for the deep dive event. SRCG then coached the launch teams on the best way to utilize access to senior leadership and provided tips on conveying their detailed launch plans. During deep dive presentations, SRCG captured feedback and met with senior leadership to compile and organize the information for the company's Canadian launch teams. Next, SRCG presented faculty with organized feedback on the second day of the deep dive meeting, and summarized the key takeaways into a final deliverable. As a result of SRCG's work, the client had more clarity around how to best work within the global organization for resource requests. They also implemented the deep dive process as a standard part of future product launches.
Pricing Strategy
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Managed Markets
A leading pharmaceutical company was facing significant price pressures from both customers and competitors for their specialty injectable product. In addition, a new competitor was preparing to launch in the market. SRCG was asked to help the client better understand the pricing dynamics in the marketplace and identify strategic implications for the brand. The SRCG team began by conducting a large scale quantitative online survey of physicians with multiple pricing tradeoff scenarios presented to each. The survey results were then analyzed using discrete choice analysis to estimate the absolute pricing sensitivity of each product in this category, as well as the cross-brand sensitivity among key competitors. Using this information, the team developed a pricing decision-support model to enable the client to extrapolate findings from the primary research and model multiple competitive and pricing scenarios. As a result of the project, the client better understood the pricing sensitivity of physician customers and was better prepared for the threats of current competition and new market entrants. Overall, the client was very pleased with the level of detail and the insights that SRCG provided and has retained the SRCG team for future work in this area.
Business Model Development
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Business Development
Executive management at a global contract manufacturing organization needed assistance in developing a broad and comprehensive strategic plan to shape the company's goals and direction for the next five years. Because there was limited market knowledge on the industry and its current players, SRCG was asked to develop a five -year plan that could be presented to the Board of Directors. The SRCG team began by conducting interviews with internal executives and external thought leaders. Additionally, the primary research was supplemented with comprehensive secondary research on all major competitors within the industry, as well as an assessment of the market, major players, overall market size, and client market share. Next, the SRCG team conducted interviews with the executives responsible for purchasing within this market, allowing the team to develop a hypothesis on the projected market growth and trends. The team then worked closely with the client to define several customer segments with different needs. Next, the SRCG team worked with the client to refine its approach to better address the unique needs of each customer segment. Overall, the client was very pleased with the structure and insight that the SRCG team provided during the engagement. As a result, the meeting with the Board of Directors went very well, and the client is now implementing our suggestions. The client has also retained the SRCG team for future work.
Evaluation of a Potential Partner
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Business Development
A leading Japanese pharmaceutical company was preparing for the launch of its antipsychotic drug in the US. SRCG was asked to assist the client in meeting several objectives for the product, including achieving a successful product launch, increasing their knowledge and understanding of the US pharmaceutical market and the product's fit within it, and assessing the various options for out-licensing, co-promotion, or commercializing the asset. The SRCG team began with an assessment of the market landscape for the treatment of schizophrenia in the US. Next, the team performed a strategic review of the partnership models available for commercializing the product in the US. Working closely with the client, the SRCG team then developed profiles for the types of companies that could be potential partners and identified companies with characteristics consistent with these profiles. The SRCG team then presented their findings to both the US and Japanese management teams responsible for the launch of the product. Overall, the client was very pleased with our work and has retained our team to collaborate in the development of partner materials and assist with partner discussions.
Deal Review
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Business Development
Senior leadership at a global law firm was interested in evaluating the various co-promotion deals that have taken place recently within the pharmaceutical industry. SRCG was asked to serve as a strategic advisor to assist in identifying comparable deal structures and terms that may be in-line with a current co-promotion agreement of the firm's client. The SRCG team began by reviewing the co-promotion contract between the law firm's client and its co- promotion partner to evaluate the financial terms and roles and responsibilities of the arrangement. Next, the SRCG team identified completed co-promotion and licensing arrangements for products in similar or analogous markets that are either marketed or in late-stage development. The team then collected information on the public disclosures related to the relevant co- promotion and licensing arrangements and compared the financial terms of the transactions and the differences in roles and responsibilities of the co-promotions deals, licensing deals, and contract sales organization agreements. Using this information, the SRCG team was able to segment benchmarked deals into traditional co -promotion deals and deals that resembled a licensing structure. By identifying the different deal structures, the law firm was able to compare the current co-promotion deal of their client with a range of relevant deal transactions.
Business Overview and Opportunity Presentation
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Business Development
Leaders at an emerging biopharmaceutical company recognized that they needed to in-license or acquire products to further develop their pipeline. SRCG was asked to help the client identify and prioritize potential licensing and acquisition opportunities that closely align with their organization's current strategies. The SRCG team began with secondary research to identify targeted therapies or products in the early stages of clinical development in select therapeutic areas that are currently available for licensing or could become available in the near future. Next, the team prioritized these opportunities based on the criteria developed with the input of the client's project team. Using this information, the SRCG team was able to determine the highest-priority compounds. The team then presented their findings to senior management. Overall, the client was very pleased with our work and is currently pursuing several opportunities that the SRCG team identified.
Launch Playbook and Scenario Planning
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Brand Management
A leading pharmaceutical company is the sole marketer of a COPD product for which it has entered into a non- promotion agreement. The product uses CFCs to propel its metered dose inhaler (MDI) and therefore must be removed from the market by the end of 2009. As a result, the company must transition the COPD product from a CFC-propelled MDI to a new device without violating the co-promotion marketing agreement. The client asked SRCG to define the critical success factors for launch, including market awareness for the new device, access status, and the impact on the co-marketed product's business. Additionally, SRCG was asked to prepare different scenarios and potential timelines. SRCG defined key strategies and created tactical plans supporting the execution of those strategies. SRCG also created sub-teams, identified required members to effectively launch the new device, and met with those teams to detail their work plans to accomplish the goals for a successful launch. Next, SRCG created contingency plans to prepare for several potential regulatory outcomes, including non-approval and delayed approval. SRCG then collected suggestions and concerns for various sub-teams and leveraged those findings, as well as project work, to create summary decks for senior management to outline the status of launch planning. Finally, SRCG developed an online launch playbook tool to manage the launch going forward.
Acquisition Opportunity Review
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Business Development
A mid-size European pharmaceutical company was conducting due diligence on the potential acquisition of a US- based biopharmaceutical company. The client asked SRCG to serve as a strategic advisor in its accelerated due diligence of the acquisition target. The SRCG team began by examining the relevant therapeutic areas for the acquisition target's four current in-market products through secondary research and searching proprietary third party databases. In addition to the secondary research analyses, the SRCG team conducted small-scale primary US and EU physician research for the relevant in-market products as well as small-scale primary US payer research. Based on their findings, SRCG identified potential events that could positively or negatively affect future revenues of the four in-market products. Using their proprietary model, the SRCG team built a detailed forecast estimate for each product. To evaluate the sensitivity of key market assumptions, SRCG also performed scenario analysis for each of the in- market products. Next, SRCG assessed the current and future potential for the capacity of the acquisition target's manufacturing facility. SRCG surveyed the late-stage development pipeline across the industry in an effort to identify a list of potential products that may be appropriate for the client's contract manufacturing business. Using this information, the SRCG team estimated the future revenues of the acquisition target's in-market products as well as the likely future revenues associated with its manufacturing business. As a result of the project, the client was able to provide an independent analysis of the value of the acquisition target, as well as present a binding bid.
Product Opportunity Review
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Business Development
The diagnostics division of a leading pharmaceutical company was preparing for the launch and commercialization of a renal diagnostic product that was far superior to the current standard of care. SRCG was asked to help the client better understand the potential market opportunity for the product and the strategic options for commercialization and partnering. The SRCG team began by leveraging their proprietary forecast estimate model to assess the product's market potential. Next, the team conducted primary research with a number of different specialized physicians and reimbursement decision-makers across the US and EU to understand how and for whom this product might be used. Results of the primary research were combined with extensive secondary research to generate a forecast estimate for the diagnostic test. The team also helped the client identify the sequencing of its indications that would provide the most value. Using this information, the SRCG team facilitated two "go-to-market strategy" workshops to help the client assess their strategic options and develop a framework for moving forward. The client was very pleased with our analysis and is currently exploring the different strategic options for the product, including the chance to partner the product.
Customer Satisfaction Program
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Brand Management
A leading biotech company sought to identify additional service offerings and products to improve its reimbursement support and patient assistance service program and asked SRCG to develop a three-year brand plan for the program. First, SRCG gathered and analyzed existing information relevant to the reimbursement support and patient assistance service program's existing brand plan. SRCG then identified gaps, defined unmet needs, and addressed questions through primary research with internal stakeholders. Next, SRCG leveraged the findings to create a brand plan consisting of the company's vision, goals, and objectives. The plan also contained a situation analysis, SWOT analysis, strategic objectives, and tactical priorities supporting each objective. The client was pleased with SRCG's work and subsequently retained the company for tactic implementation and project management support.
Follow-Up Interactive Selling and Coaching Assessment
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Sales
A midsize biotechnology company was interested in following up on an initial assessment to determine the progress of its sales force in terms of clinical knowledge and use of the company's selling model. The client also wanted to assess regional managers on their coaching and evaluation skills. The company sought to leverage these results to guide the training strategy for the upcoming year. SRCG was asked to design a selling skills diagnostic process, including role-play scenarios; scoring criteria; a database and report templates; and the process flow for participating assessors, sales representatives, executive coaches, and regional managers. SRCG then trained the assessors on the disease state, product attributes, competing products, core marketing messages, objections and responses, and selling and objection handling methodology. Executive coaches, who would evaluate regional manager coaching skills, were trained on the same topics, as well as on the company's coaching methodology. During the assessment, SRCG collected both quantitative and qualitative data for each participant and summarized the results at the individual, regional, and national levels. Following the assessment, the client had a better understanding of the selling- and coaching -related strengths and weaknesses of the sales force, as well as their ability to articulate the clinical data. This allowed the company to better focus training on the areas where representatives or sales managers would find the greatest value.
Selling Skills Certification for New Indication
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Sales
An emerging biotechnology company was interested in conducting a telephone-based assessment to determine the ability of its sales force to communicate to customers a new indication for one of its products. This assessment also served as an opportunity to follow up on earlier assessments to determine the progress of the sales force in terms of clinical knowledge and use of the company's selling model. The client asked SRCG Alliance to design a selling skills diagnostic process. Our team outlined role-play scenarios; defined scoring criteria; developed a database and report templates; and defined the schedule for participating assessors, sales representatives, and district managers. SRCG then trained the assessors on the disease state, product attributes, competing products, core marketing messages, objections and responses, and selling and objection handling methodology. Finally, SRCG managed the certification and collected both quantitative and qualitative results for each participant and summarized the results at the individual, regional, and national levels. Following the assessment, the client had a better understanding of the selling-skills- related strengths and weaknesses of the sales force, as well as their ability to articulate the clinical data. This assessment allowed the company to better identify the focus of future training programs to best meet the needs of representatives and sales managers.
Leadership Summit and Difficult Conversations Workshop
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Sales
Senior leadership at a global pharmaceutical company identified a need to improve the leadership skills of district managers (DMs), especially the ability to address poor performers more promptly, effectively, and consistently. DMs were generally reluctant to hold sales representatives accountable when they fell short of expectations and, specifically, avoided having constructive conversations with team members when needed. The company asked SRCG to help address these issues. Our team started by developing an e-survey that asked DMs multiple questions about their comfort and the perceived comfort of their peers in having constructive conversations with team members. SRCG then developed pre-work assignments, revolving around a case study of a year in the life of a fictional DM managing a six-person district, to show the DMs the consequences of continually avoiding situations within their district. SRCG then developed an interactive workshop consisting of a "decision making impact" session that built on the themes and characters introduced in the pre-work. The participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the workshop and were able to use the framework they learned to address issues moving forward. Additionally, the client is implementing the model into the company's DM training continuum so that all future DMs have the opportunity to participate.
