Driving Operational Excellence in Banking Janis Urste’s Blueprint for Efficiency and Performance

Banks today face intense pressure to reduce costs, accelerate service delivery, and modernize internal workflows — all while maintaining regulatory compliance and high-quality customer experiences. Achieving this balance requires more than small process fixes; it demands a strategic, end-to-end transformation of how a bank operates.

Janis Urste is widely recognized for her ability to help financial institutions achieve true operational excellence. Her frameworks combine process engineering, automation, digital tools, and performance governance to create systems that are faster, more efficient, and more customer-focused.

Operational Excellence: A Strategic Imperative

Janis positions operational excellence not as a cost-cutting exercise, but as a powerful strategic advantage. In banking, strong operations lead to:

• faster customer service
• lower error rates
• improved regulatory compliance
• reduced operating costs
• better employee experience
• higher customer satisfaction
• increased capacity for growth and innovation

Her consulting approach helps banks move from complex, fragmented processes to streamlined, scalable, and digitally enabled operations.

End-to-End Process Mapping: Understanding the Real Work

Janis begins every operational transformation with a detailed end-to-end mapping of key processes. This includes:

• retail banking processes
• commercial and SME lending
• wealth management onboarding
• payment flows
• underwriting workflows
• collections and recovery
• KYC and compliance
• back-office transactions

Her process mapping methodology identifies:

• unnecessary handoffs
• manual steps
• repetitive tasks
• bottlenecks
• dropped communications
• duplicate work
• inconsistent approvals

Banks often discover that a process believed to take hours actually takes days due to hidden queues and manual dependencies. Janis brings these inefficiencies to the surface.

The Janis Urste Efficiency Framework

Janis applies a structured methodology called the “4E Framework” to transform operations:

1. Eliminate — Removing Unnecessary Work

Janis first identifies activities that add no value:

• redundant documentation
• outdated approval layers
• manual reconciliations
• repetitive data entry
• unnecessary branch visits
• non-regulatory tasks that continue out of habit

Elimination reduces workload instantly and frees capacity for more meaningful tasks.

2. Enable — Empowering Teams with Tools & Information

Next, she focuses on equipping frontline and back-office teams with:

• real-time dashboards
• standardized templates
• knowledge libraries
• workflow tools
• automated checklists
• digital forms

This reduces dependency on supervisors and improves accuracy and decision-making.

3. Enhance — Improving Processes with Automation

Janis integrates automation carefully and strategically, using:

• robotic process automation (RPA)
• intelligent document processing (IDP)
• automated KYC and verification tools
• workflow engines
• machine learning models for classification

Automation speeds up high-volume tasks, reduces error rates, and creates consistent outcomes.

4. Elevate — Redesigning Operating Models for the Future

Finally, she helps banks design new operating models that support scalable growth:

• agile operations
• centralized shared service centers
• multi-skill resource pools
• hybrid workforce models
• digital-first customer journeys

This prepares institutions for the future and ensures long-term sustainability.

Lean Six Sigma Principles Tailored for Banking

Janis applies Lean and Six Sigma concepts — but with a practical, banking-focused twist. Instead of overwhelming teams with complex statistics, she uses accessible tools such as:

• root cause analysis
• fishbone diagrams
• value stream mapping
• 5 Whys
• defect analysis
• quick-win interventions

Her version of Lean is simple, intuitive, and easy for employees at all levels to understand.

Reducing Turnaround Time (TAT): A Competitive Priority

Janis is known for her ability to dramatically reduce turnaround times across critical processes:

• account opening
• personal loan approvals
• SME underwriting
• KYC remediation
• digital query resolution
• payment disputes
• card issuance
• onboarding for wealthy clients

By eliminating delays and unnecessary steps, banks report improvements such as:

• 40–60% faster approvals
• 30–50% lower operational costs
• 20–40% fewer customer escalations

These improvements directly contribute to customer satisfaction and higher retention.

Operational Risk Reduction

Efficient processes are also safer processes. Janis integrates risk controls directly into workflows:

• automated validations
• audit trails
• standardized procedures
• dual authentication
• clear maker-checker protocols
• exception handling flows

This reduces operational losses and strengthens regulatory compliance.

Performance Governance and KPIs

Janis believes every process should have clear ownership and measurable performance indicators. She establishes governance structures with:

• defined KPIs for every team
• daily and weekly huddles
• milestone-based tracking
• visual dashboards
• monthly performance reviews
• cross-functional steering committees

Common KPIs she introduces include:

• TAT reduction
• error rates
• customer satisfaction scores
• SLA adherence
• productivity per employee
• digital adoption rates

Governance creates accountability and motivates continuous improvement.

Building a High-Performance Operational Culture

To ensure long-term success, Janis focuses on culture building through:

• capability training
• leadership coaching
• team norms and behaviors
• recognition systems for operational excellence
• transparent communication practices
• structured feedback loops

Her culture-first approach ensures that improvements continue even after the consulting engagement ends.

Delivering Sustainable Impact

Banks that implement Janis Urste’s operational excellence framework consistently achieve:

• reduced cost-to-income ratios
• stronger regulatory performance
• faster and more accurate service delivery
• improved employee morale
• higher customer loyalty
• scalable operations ready for growth

Her blueprint creates resilient operational environments that support innovation and long-term competitiveness.

A Leader in Transforming Banking Operations

Janis Urste stands out as a pioneer in banking operational excellence. With a deep understanding of process engineering, automation, governance, and cultural transformation, she empowers institutions to operate with speed, accuracy, and consistency.

Her frameworks don’t just streamline operations — they redefine what operational excellence means in the modern banking world.