End-to-End Process Architecture for a Global Industrial Leader

Our client's product development process is one of the company's core processes, touching over 1,300 people daily and connecting directly to sales, marketing, delivery, manufacturing, service and finance functions.

The problem wasn't that no process existed. It was that 20 years of internal development had made it too large, too complex and too difficult to learn. What had once served the organisation well had become an obstacle to clarity, speed and cross-functional alignment. Leadership recognised that bringing in external expertise was the only way to achieve the step change they needed.

Strategic process architecture

Working directly with Vaisala's R&D leadership team through facilitated workshops, Flovio developed a new top-level strategic model that clarified how the product process connects to adjacent processes across sales, marketing, delivery, manufacturing, service and finance.

The result was what Vaisala describes as a "metro map" for process navigation, giving the entire organisation a clear, intuitive way to understand how work flows and how processes connect.

Hierarchical process redesign

Below the strategic architecture, Flovio redesigned the full hierarchical structure of the product process (Levels 1, 3) and modelled over 40 individual processes in detail (Levels 4, 5). This work identified what was still valuable in the legacy process and what needed fundamental rethinking, preserving institutional knowledge while eliminating unnecessary complexity.

Driver's License training programme

As a cornerstone of the collaboration, Flovio developed a "Driver's License" training programme for the product process. To date, 600 people have completed the certification, including members of Vaisala's executive leadership team. The programme ensures that everyone operating within the process understands how to navigate it and work according to shared standards.

The transformation has delivered organisation-wide impact, with visible support from Vaisala's CEO who has publicly acknowledged the significant leap forward in the product process.

Key outcomes:

• A clear, navigable process architecture that replaces 20 years of accumulated complexity with an intuitive "metro map" serving 1,300 daily users.
• Over 40 detailed process models (Levels 4, 5) providing operational clarity for teams across R&D, manufacturing, marketing, sales, service and finance.
• 600 employees certified through the Driver's License programme, including executive leadership team members.
• Cross-functional alignment between the product process and adjacent functions, making explicit how new products build capabilities across manufacturing, marketing, sales and service.
• Active executive sponsorship with R&D leadership and the broader executive team engaged throughout.

Three things made this transformation land.

First, executive commitment at the highest level. With over €60M in annual R&D spend tied to this process, Vaisala's leadership didn't just sponsor the work. They participated in workshops, completed the Driver's License themselves and championed the results across the organisation.

Second, respect for what already worked. Flovio didn't discard 20 years of institutional knowledge. The team identified what was valuable in the legacy process and what needed fundamental change, ensuring continuity while delivering clarity.

Third, embedding over handover. The Driver's License programme transformed the new process from documentation into lived practice. With 600 people certified and counting, the process is no longer something that exists in a tool. It is how Vaisala operates.

⚠ TODO: Add "Looking forward" content for this case what's the ongoing collaboration, the next phase, or the longer-term direction? Remove this section if not applicable.