The onset of the virus caught most napping. Some organisations sprang into action and responded effectively. Others are still searching government web-pages in the hope they will tell them what to do. Many will go out of business. How can you use this crisis to best improve your own corporate resilience? In 2016, Tesco managers…
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…
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. Personal agendas and relationships shape their functions. Project managers can engage to advantage, or ignore social influence at their peril. A new…
The quality of the approach taken has a strong influence on the success of any endeavour. 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…
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 you use them effectively to use support plans for business transformation or outsourcing? What is a Business Model? A Business model brings together a high-level view of the whole business that addresses: Why Construct a Business Model? The nature of business…
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? Why is Reporting Such a Problem? I have seen, and indeed found myself in the middle of,…
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. How can a business case be supported by the reliable management of benefits to capture more of the expected return? Art enlivens the soul.…
Ways to make decisions well. Guarding against bias. Governance. Major incident response and making decisions under pressure.