The COO’s Playbook: Cutting Costs Without Cutting Corners

How to reduce spend now, build efficiency across the value chain, and future-proof operations with AI

Inflation. Interest rates. Tariffs. Talent shortages. Every COO is feeling the squeeze. Efficiency has always been on the agenda, but now it’s existential.

In a recent BCG survey, nearly one-third of corporate leaders ranked cost reduction as their top priority. And yet, 48% of COOs admit that savings from past programs didn’t stick. The challenge isn’t just cutting costs - it’s keeping them down.

To do that, COOs need a dual-track approach: quick wins in the next 3–6 months, and structural moves that generate long-term value.