Performance improvement at a major UK housebuilder

The issue

A major UK housebuilder had ambitious plans to grow the company within a short space of time. Acquisition activity by competitors meant this could only be achieved inorganically. At the same time, multiple, well-intentioned, improvement initiatives were underway within the separate divisions of the organisation. The organisation’s CFO met with PwC to discuss the development of a plan to achieve their growth ambitions and to apply a structure to their transition plans.

Our approach

PwC immediately established a programme team at the company’s headquarters under the sponsorship of the CFO and CEO. The team’s initial activity was to communicate its objectives and intentions to key stakeholders in the organisation. It then undertook a series of interviews with those responsible for delivering 27 improvement initiatives. The interviews provided PwC with an understanding of the purpose, maturity, strategic alignment and risks of each initiative. PwC also introduced teams to address shortfalls in delivery on a range of initiatives.

Over the subsequent six months, the PwC programme team worked with the housebuilder to drive each of the improvement initiatives towards closure. This meant the Board were in a position to launch their acquisition programme.

The outcome

Working closely with colleagues from Transaction Services, the Performance Improvement Consulting team supported the acquisition process and were subsequently retained to advise the Integration Director. Just over a year after the project started the company achieved its growth ambitions. A key factor in this success was the effective partnering between the housebuilder and PwC

The lead PwC director on this project was Alistair Kett. Contact him on +44 (0) 20 7213 3526 to find out what PwC can do for your company.