Multi-supplier service is all the rage, together with its linking agent Service Integration and Management (SIAM). Wonderful in theory… How does one practically get multiple parties to collaborate towards a common end? It was recognised early in the development of multi-supplier models that there needed to be a unifying agent. A great deal of time…
The formation of a good sourcing agreement relies on clear thinking and agreement between the parties on what is to be done, why and how. The market and technology are changing so rapidly that the next agreement is likely to bear little resemblance to the last. How to make sure we ask the right questions…
There is a fiction that suggests that business decisions are made on purely utilitarian grounds. Psychologists have shown convincingly that people value the avoidance of loss far more highly than capturing gains. There are many and significant implications for those seeking to implement change, particularly in an agile environment. The Agile Manifesto The Agile Manifesto and associated…
Success in delivering change is dependent upon the ability of project managers and others to wield influence, build support and overcome resistance. Services, projects and companies are social entities supported by human endeavour. Their functions are shaped by personal agendas and relationships which can be engaged to advantage, or ignored at peril. A new book…
The success of any endeavour is hugely influenced by the quality of the approach taken. Whilst some deliver with élan, others fail pitifully. The injection of constructive competition can stimulate energy and challenge participants to raise their game. The approach to a project or service captures the essence of the way in which the objectives…
Summer 2014 has seen the spectacular failure of a number of services. Some important lessons have been drawn from these. What are they and how should they affect services and the way they are run? We all make mistakes. One of the key differentiators for service suppliers is the way that they recover from them.…
Business models have been around for years in one form or another. How can their use support those considering business transformation or outsourcing? What is a Business Model? A Business model brings together a high-level view of the whole business that addresses: The proposition to its customers The revenue and charging approach, what it charges…
Now that the economic climate is getting milder, many finance leaders are moving away from bolting down expenditure and are instead seeking investments to support growth or finally releasing funds for deferred projects. But the market is still fragile and it is unclear as to whether trading volumes and margins will return to the levels…
Many a governance body and service manager sees themselves as drowning in report data, but intelligence to inform decision-making and drive the business forward is elusive. How to get to brief, succinct relevance that informs and drives performance? Samuel Taylor Coleridge related his Rime of the Ancient Mariner in which the grey-beard loon narrates his…
The reason for making any change is that there is an expectation that the new state will be sufficiently better than the current to justify the effort of undergoing the change. In business as usual, the customer needs to be sure that the service performs. Why do expected benefits so often not arise, and what…
