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We have broad and deep experience with all sizes of commercial and not-for-profit clients

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Our clients usually have one or more of these characteristics - before the assignment.

  • The management team is concerned their technology will soon be eclipsed by obsolescence, business growth or acquisition. Or by changes in the environment, such as continuing repercussions from Brexit. While aware of the need for change, they feel changes may not be implemented safely, cost-effectively or with the right management of change.
  • They understand that processes are too labour-intensive and costly. The organisation (and themselves personally) may be exposed to unacceptable risk, because the lack of joined-up processes can result in slow response or potential non-compliance. However, they don't really know what the opportunities of 'digital' mean to their organisation.
  • They face a shortage of people to execute special projects - yet need to run them.
  • Growth or consolidation means projects have become larger and more complex - decision-making bodies are ever larger and more diverse, making it harder to reach agreement.
  • Managers face tightening accountability - project teams are increasingly expected to justify decisions rather than rely on instinct, previous experience or informal recommendations. This can make decision-makers anxious and hesitant, since the wrong decision would be damaging.
  • Their project boards want a truly independent decision-making referee on a critical project.
  • Their project managers need help to maintain momentum and manage disparate stakeholders during their projects. A project to replace critical technology, such as enterprise software, may have become bogged down or deadlocked.
  • They may feel external suppliers and advisors have under-delivered in the past - they don't want a 'canned' recommendation, but an efficient process that engages their own knowledge to deliver a decision they can implement.

If you are making a technology decision and believe the looming project may be too large, complex, risky or technical to handle entirely in-house, please contact us.

 

Example clients and projects

Aaron & Partners - rapid, wide review of technology estate, skills and governance. 

Adtranz - later DaimlerChrysler Rail division - 27 assignments including reviews, gap analysis, national/global requirements and vendor selections for ID card, time & attendance, access control, CAD and HR. 

Amelans Solicitors - management review to better exploit existing infrastructure.

B-Loony - feasibility study, scoping, verification of usability, requirements definition, evaluation & negotiation for Project ERP (P-ERP).  

Bacup Shoe - re-invented manufacturer and winner of a multitude of fashion, design and service awards - off-the-shelf selection to integrate shoe design, manufacturing, import, distribution and finance - ground-breaking adoption of generic ERP in UK footwear. 

Barkland - feasibility, business justification and requirements definition across 700 sites. 

Biwater - project re-scoping, requirements capture and selection for complex multi-national consultancy - selection of replacement global ERP/PSA solution - specialist water, civil engineering and construction requirements, clear choice and huge negotiated discount.

Bombardier - evaluation of global resource management for skills, allocation and costs (6,000 engineers in 24 countries).

Broadways Stampings - technology planning, requirements and specification for major extension to incumbent solution. 

Business Link - requirements and selection of off-the-shelf CRM to comply with regulations and meet tight deadline - created service level agreement (SLA) - conducted review 12 months after implementation.

Castrol - selection of new UK-wide MRP, then engaged later to implement planning module. 

CME Medical (now BD) - internal capability review before installing ERP, leading to management support for the project board and then data migration models during implementation.

Crichton Carbon Centre - consultancy, workshops and development of real-time matchmaking model, so businesses could pick best carbon options.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - life-cycle in largest UK Government Department - extension of in-house change method for COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) software evaluation and procurement - one of 8 authors and principal liaison with External Supply Group to ensure EU regulatory compliance of method.

Devil's Guide - rail engineering best practise - rapid project scoping, requirements-by-provocation, selection and negotiation with overseas cloud provider - winner proved a better fit and 90% cheaper than runner-up.

Homestead CSL - award-winning property managers - multiple back-to-back selections of hardware, software and support for complete replacement of infrastructure with low disruption.

Infor POS (formerly Halo Retail) - new shrink-wrapped CRM supported doubled turnover with the same sales staff - yet was 90% cheaper per seat than runner-up.

Intelligent Energy - project definition and selection of integrated solution for ERP, PLM, CRM and SCM - later rapid evaluation of service management solution - then requirements and fast-track selection of new off-the-shelf solution for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM).

L&Q Group - London & Quadrant Housing Trust - in-house tailored training workshops to large team including business analysts and IT managers.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service - formal scoping, requirements and selection of learning management system (LMS) at Washington Hall International Training Centre - simultaneous improvement of IT service management capability, including selecting best-practice method (ITIL) for SHQ - later selection of software for HR and Rota, including multi-dimensional feasibility study to merge two projects and solutions.

Lancaster University - top-10 ranking UK university and management school - requirements, decision-making workshops and models to create transparent, audited approach to assess and approve capital projects.

Learning and Skills Council (LSC) - definition of business processes and requirements for Youth Credits solution to monitor training. 

LEGO - management processes, including project approval mechanism. 

M6 Papers - accounts, MRP and supply chain - successful selection off-the-shelf despite business logic that was highly specific to the industry.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service - HR requirements to feed into COTS selection under EU regulations to integrate HR, Payroll and Finance - later requirements definition for Community Fire Protection, introducing Scenarios to drive selection.

Pearson - change dimensions of revitalised IT service management. 

RIBA - in-house workshop for selection method, with content tailored to live projects.

RNIB / Galloway's Society For The Blind - replaced proprietary charity system with cost-effective commercial package - managed Millennium replacement programme with less than two hours' downtime.

Royal & SunAlliance - design and delivery contributions to e-management programme at Lancaster University Management School.

Small World Consulting - method and technical support during carbon footprinting study for one of the largest software producers in the US.

Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA Packaging) - method, modelling and decision-making workshops to evaluate strategic options after merger - later workshops for industrial location of greenfield 33,000 sq m factory.

Travelodge - advice and training on shrink-wrapped software and process content to open new hotels.

Turtle Wax - 19 assignments including enterprise architecture for expansion into direct distribution, with ERP, telephony and WAN selections to aggressive timescales - subsequent evaluation of incumbent solution for newly-acquired subsidiaries in Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

UK Careers Service - requirements definition for IT-enabled action planning. 

West Midlands Police - Property Services Department - workshops and models to create transparent, audited approach to approving property proposals.

Note there are more detailed project profiles on our Case Studies page.

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