Introduction
In the first half of 2023, Capco extended our partnership with Room to Read (RtR), a global non-profit organization focused on education, as part of our Impact Consulting Initiative. The project was designed to enhance the organization’s operational excellence and digital transformation.
RtR improves literacy and gender equality by helping children in historically low-income communities to develop literacy skills and reading habits, and also supports young women as they build the skills they need to succeed in school and evaluate key life decisions. RtR has a vision to benefit 40 million children by 2025.
Capco teams in APAC and North America – led by Denise Benjamin, Bill Tong, Paul Oh and Zane Sindhu –covered three workstreams in the wider project: IT Portfolio Management/Governance, Unsticking Decision Making and Technology Operating Models. The Capco APAC team focused on delivering a technology operating model in line with RtR’s ambitious goals.
Our APAC regional specialists analyzed RtR’s vision against its key requirements and worked closely with the RtR team to craft the right solution.
What we did
The Capco APAC team delivered a technology operating model that will guide RtR across the following dimensions:
How we did it
Capco worked with RtR stakeholders in a close-knit team to co-create a model that was fit for purpose. Our global team leveraged specialist skills from different Capco geographies, including members from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. We also leveraged input from two other workstreams in Capco North America, who focused on IT program management and IT decision making for RtR.
The teamwork was based on open communication, including bi-weekly meetings with RtR to present deliverables, receive feedback and align on objectives and timelines. We also set up a regular weekly internal team meeting to track progress and identify any roadblocks. Our proposals were carefully tailored for RtR, based on our analysis of RtR’s vision against its technology requirements, while also bringing industry best practice to the table.
Results
The Capco APAC team delivered an operating model that was practical with clear direction and purpose, and which enabled RtR to clearly articulate technology’s role in achieving its vision. We also outlined some alternative paths to consider as RtR proceeds with its implementation.
Our Capco APAC team consisted of Paul Oh, Varun Jethi, Bill Tong, Yonghan Ng, Jeffrey Pang, Kriti Gupta, Charlotte Ng, Harnnarong Watsawan and Jessie Chu.
Capco’s work across the project was praised by Cynthia Orme, Chief People and Technology Officer at RtR:
“We can't thank you and the teams enough for your help in the first half of 2023. The outcome is that we have a compendium of source material to use within Room to Read for operational planning and as fodder for strategic planning. In addition, for me personally, it was a wonderful learning experience around various aspects of technology foundations. My work with the Capco teams played a big role in bridging the technology Director gap we had in Room to Read as we were hiring our new head of technology.
We appreciated the patience that the teams displayed in working with us. I know some of my requests and questions were a bit ‘pie in the sky’ but the teams always tried to bring things forward into clear deliverables. I also appreciate that the teams worked with others in Room to Read as needed to gather information or to understand more about us before making recommendations.
….I should acknowledge that I was flexible as well on my end in terms of accepting various versions of the team's outputs knowing that it would be useful to us because it was comprehensive and with many practical tools and frameworks included.”
Capco’s Impact Consulting Initiative
At Capco, we are passionate about educational and financial inclusion for all, particularly for those in disadvantaged or vulnerable communities. Our dedication to equal opportunity drives us to promote literacy and gender equality across the globe. Capco’s Impact Consulting Initiative gives development sector organizations access to our people and expertise on a pro-bono basis, and fosters collaboration and partnerships between public, private, and non-profit sectors.
Impact Consulting partners with non-profit organizations and provides skills-based assistance. By identifying and recruiting Capco employees from across the globe, Impact Consulting helps organizations overcome challenges and achieve desired outcomes in IT, marketing, legal, finance, and other business operations. It enables our people to add direct value to non-profit organizations and gives them exposure to how businesses outside traditional financial services operate.
About Room to Read (RtR)
RtR is on a mission to transform the lives of millions of children through education, creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read is creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality through education. We are achieving this goal by helping children in historically low-income communities develop literacy skills and a habit of reading, and by supporting girls as they build life skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions. We collaborate with governments and other partner organizations to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. Room to Read has benefited more than 39 million children and has worked in 23 countries and in more than 182,000 communities, providing additional support through remote solutions that facilitate learning beyond the classroom. Room to Read aims to benefit 40 million children by 2025. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.