Redesigning Farm Credit Illinois’ roles to boost efficiency

We began by examining every step of the lending process and identifying 15 key areas for improvement. Our analysis found overlapping roles and responsibilities that were slowing operations down. Using our industry expertise and organizational design experience, we created a clear plan to streamline everything. By clarifying roles, reassigning more than 250 tasks, and forming a centralized loan operations team, we built a stronger, more efficient system—ready for future technology upgrades.

Using our deep expertise in both agricultural lending and human capital transformation, we worked with Farm Credit Illinois to rethink team structure. We spent the first week mapping all roles and tasks across the loan lifecycle. We then compared employee assessments to a newly developed RACI matrix—identifying redundancies and realigning work. By the sixth week, we had reassigned 252 tasks and created three new job descriptions. By the project’s end, we had designed a more efficient organization—one that empowers employees and accelerates loan processing.

Our work had an immediate impact by simplifying operations and clarifying roles. The new centralized loan operations team allowed business development staff to focus on building relationships. Employees now work more efficiently, improving both member and employee satisfaction. Farm Credit Illinois also gained practical tools—including an RACI matrix—to improve workflows across the organization. Our collaboration set them up to get the most value from their upcoming tech investment.