DC Thomson Media: Transforming Strategy Management with ClearPoint

Executive Summary

DC Thomson Media, one of the UK's leading content creators, revolutionized their strategy management process by implementing ClearPoint in March 2017. The transformation reduced their board meeting preparation time by 75% and created a unified system for tracking objectives, KPIs, and projects across their diverse business portfolio.

About DC Thomson Media

DC Thomson Media stands as one of the UK's premier content creators, with brands that have been at the heart of everyday life for generations. The company publishes newspapers, magazines, and comics, continuously evolving and expanding into new areas. DC Thomson Media is passionate about creating, delivering, and fulfilling content that enhances consumer experiences while meeting strategic goals across their diverse business portfolio.

The Challenge: Manual Strategy Management

Before ClearPoint, DC Thomson Media's strategy management process was labor-intensive and fragmented. Amanda Sangster, Head of Strategy (formerly Head of Business Programme), and Jacqui Gray, Project Manager, manually managed Excel spreadsheets containing up to 200 rows of data that served as roadmaps for various business projects.

Their monthly process involved:

• Individual 30-minute meetings with approximately 20 senior team members
• Manual updates to multiple Excel spreadsheets
• 4 days per month spent by two team members on preparation
• PowerPoint presentations created separately for board meetings
• Action items tracked in disconnected Excel documents
• Limited visibility between monthly meetings
• Version control issues and formula errors in spreadsheets

This system, while functional, lacked automation and real-time visibility. Leaders could only see progress once a month and lacked an easily digestible view to understand project impact on strategic objectives.

The Solution: ClearPoint Implementation

In March 2017, DC Thomson Media partnered with ClearPoint to automate and centralize their strategy management process. The implementation evolved through several phases:

Initial Implementation: Project Management Focus

DC Thomson initially used ClearPoint primarily for project and milestone tracking, establishing a foundation for more comprehensive strategy management.

Expansion Following ClearPoint Summit

After attending the ClearPoint Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Amanda Sangster recognized the platform's broader potential, particularly for KPI tracking. This insight led to an expanded implementation encompassing:

• Strategic objectives tracking
• Project alignment with objectives
• KPI dashboards
• Milestone monitoring
• Action reports
• Meeting management

Advanced Automation Features

Working with the ClearPoint team, DC Thomson implemented:

• Data Loader: Automated scheduled data transfers from Excel to ClearPoint
• Advanced Calculations: Automatic computation of KPIs and metrics
• Custom Dashboards: Department-specific views for targeted insights
• Red-Alert Summary Reports: Quick identification and explanation of underperforming measures

Transformational Results

Time Savings

• 75% reduction in board meeting preparation time
• From 4 days to just 8 hours per month for report preparation
• Only 10-15 minutes per business to export and distribute pre-reads

Operational Improvements

• Unified Platform: All strategy information now lives in one centralized location
• Real-Time Visibility: Leaders can access performance data anytime, not just monthly
• Direct Meeting Management: Both departmental and Senior Operating Board meetings run directly from ClearPoint
• Automated Reporting: Elimination of manual data entry and formula errors
• Enhanced Accountability: Clear tracking of action items and project ownership

Strategic Benefits

• Alignment: Projects directly linked to business objectives, showing clear impact
• Transparency: All leaders have access to the same up-to-date information
• Scalability: Easy addition of new scorecards for acquired businesses
• Focus Shift: Strategy team now concentrates on helping businesses meet goals rather than administrative tasks

Meeting Management Excellence

DC Thomson Media now runs meetings directly from ClearPoint, utilizing:

• Interactive agendas with document links
• Live KPI dashboards providing pre-meeting insights
• Real-time activity and project updates
• Integrated action item tracking
• Supplemental presentations uploaded for context

This integrated approach eliminates the need to jump between applications during meetings, creating more efficient and productive sessions.

Looking Forward: Continuous Growth

As DC Thomson Media continues to grow and acquire businesses, ClearPoint remains central to their strategy management approach. Each new business integration involves:

• Creation of a new scorecard in ClearPoint
• Development of specific KPI dashboards
• Project tracking aligned with business objectives
• Integration into the overall strategic reporting framework

The company continues to discover new ways to optimize their process annually, with ClearPoint becoming an essential part of their day-to-day strategy operations.

Key Takeaways

DC Thomson Media's partnership with ClearPoint demonstrates the transformative power of automated strategy management. By moving from manual spreadsheets to an integrated platform, they achieved:

• Dramatic time savings allowing focus on strategic initiatives
• Enhanced visibility and accountability across the organization
• Improved decision-making through real-time data access
• Scalable processes supporting business growth
• A unified source of truth for strategic information

The success story of DC Thomson Media illustrates how the right strategy management tool can fundamentally change how organizations track, manage, and achieve their strategic objectives while freeing valuable time for strategic thinking and execution.