“There are many ways I help my consulting and interim clients to improve their operations, from strategy through design to delivery of change”
Improve Efficiency
Critically important in times of recession, “More for Less” is one of my mantras, so I help clients get more out of their systems, contracts, processes and teams.
Reduce Costs
I often help organisations to identify, measure and remove costs that do not deliver sufficient bottom-line profitability.
Integrate Businesses
Following mergers and acquisitions I help businesses achieve operational benefits and cost synergies by designing & managing business integration programmes.
Launch Propositions
Developing proposition strategies, business cases, the specification and customer journeys, and driving the formation of a delivery plan to turn aspiration into reality. I have many examples of this.
Implement Systems
I’m not an IT developer or technician but I do provide the programme direction and leadership to bridge the gap between business strategy and IT delivery.
Improve Processes
I help clients improve their processes and controls. Our business architecture services ensure that our client operations are properly thought out from end to end to optimise their effectiveness and efficiency.
Reorganise & Restructure
I help businesses remove organisational complexity that may have been built up over a number of years, reinstalling clear accountabilities and responsibilities and removing bureaucracy.
Transform Culture
I help businesses plan and execute “culture” change initiatives and strategies, addressing the ingrained ways of working that may be preventing the organisational from transforming its performance.
Outsource & Insource
I help businesses develop & implement the right sourcing strategy for their support operations (IT, Finance, HR, Warehousing, Contact Centre etc) in order to get the appropriate balance of service levels and cost.
Business Reviews
I will review and advise on your business plans, vision, strategy and processes for delivery of these. I often combine review with shaping in order to get in position quickly to start planning & delivery.
Operational Reviews
An independent review of a process, function or a specific business issue affecting your business will often highlight opportunities for improvement, both quick wins and transformational.
Programme Reviews
Whether a programme of activity is failing, struggling to get off the ground, or you just have an instinct that all may not be well, a review can often help the programme team focus on doing the important things for success.
Capability Assessments
I can review a client’s ability to deliver their current and future operational activities effectively, identifying capability gaps in process, people and systems and assets. This allows us to plan capability-building.
Due Diligence
I can get involved right at the start of an acquisition or merger and provide you with an independent assessment of the target’s change plans, capabilities and opportunities for business improvement.
Strategy Development
I often help clients to develop and shape their strategies, whether for their overall business, a function, a process, an outsourcing opportunity, a new business venture – wherever clarity of direction is required.
Operating Model Design
Design of processes, organisation structures, system or other capabilities – to support a new venture or strategy, improvement, integration, or an outsource operation. This drives clarity on how the business will operate.
Programme Scoping
Having gained clarity on a strategy and on what the operation needs to look like, I can develop the scope of changes needed to deliver this new vision.
Proposal Development
Whether its a proposal to make change, to win new business, to launch a new venture, sell your business – I have vast experience of developing clear and persuasive proposals.
Business Cases
Almost all change carries a cost and results in a financial impact. I can hep you build business cases right upfront and evolve them as our definitions of change become ever more granular.
Performance Frameworks
I design strategic and balanced scorecards, business and team performance packs, SLA frameworks, and design governance processes that use metrics to improve performance.
Strategic Change Planning
I can help you take a high-level business strategy and construct a high-level activity change plan comprising the major programmes and initiatives required to deliver the strategy.
Programme Planning
I also carry out detailed programme and project planning, leaving no room to hide! I may not know all timing and resources at this stage, but if I know what needs to be done, I can get a programme under control.
Establish Controls
The basics of all methodologies are a plan, issue/risk/action management and status communication. I have excellent tools for all of this, but more import is my approach to managing them.
Build The Team
I can help you to build a team to deliver an initiative, blending your own resources with external hires to get the right people in the right roles. The critical factor is clarity of responsibility and clear leadership.
Engage Stakeholders
Stakeholders of my programmes and projects always feel involved and engaged. I have a proven approach for formalising informal engagement as well as routine feedback.
Set Up Governance
Simple but clear decision making is essential for rapid delivery. I’ve good experience of setting up governance frameworks at all levels, and of operating them.
Programme Management
I have significant programme and project experience, together with robust methods and tools to allow us to drive large-scale change programmes with maximum impact and minimum risk.
Portfolio Management
Whether a group of initiatives is a portfolio or programme is a common debate in organisations, but frankly the disciplines to shape and deliver them are largely the same, and I have a lot of experience in both.
Change Management
I have a lot of experience of developing and managing all aspects of business change from process & organisational design, through engagement, communication & training, corporate culture, values & behaviours, and the planning and execution of activity that underpins these aspects.
Interim Management
Joining your team on an interim basis with responsibility for your team members and accountability for delivery allows us to drive change from within, usually a more rapid approach to delivery. I have completed a number of successful interim assignments – roles including Managing Director, Change Director, Head of Business Change, IT Director, Programme Director, Programme Manager and Transformation Director.
Facilitation
I often support businesses in developing their own strategies, plans and initiatives, through facilitation of workshops, review meetings and other group sessions.
Coaching & Mentoring
On-the-job performance enhancement by discussion of issues faced by managers, goals required, possible courses of action and aiding the decision making process in a supportive way.
Subject Matter Expertise
Having worked with many businesses in numerous situations, I can provide enormous insight and knowledge in the development of solutions to my client’s issues.
Methods & Toolsets
I have a rich set of tools and methods which I use on my assignments. I ensure that these are retained by my clients in order that they continue to deliver improvements to their businesses.
Performance Feedback
I provide direct yet constructive feedback to my clients and their teams during and after assignments. People I work with often find it refreshing to hear independent and honest feedback.