Outsourcing agreements come to an end, just as do some political treaties. What can those steering the perils of partition learn from each other? There are few experiences as visceral as the turmoil of politics. As a British citizen, I have taken my part and cast my vote on 23rd June, 2016. The comparison of…
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…
Just when multi-supplier (also known as SIAM) contracting is starting to get under control, DevOps emerges. This article looks at the interaction of the two for the design of retained and sourced IT operations. The implications for service contracts are profound and largely un-tested. The pages of management journals have been liberally sprinkled with fads…
The concept of “capability” has long been used in strategic analysis to establish defensible leadership. What are the capabilities that leading service providers and customers are establishing? How do you assess the difference between hype and substance? The bar of acceptable performance has always risen over time. Right now, the rate of change seems to…
Service Integration and Management (SIAM), and the closely-related multi-sourcing, are all the rage. What is the essence of integration, what do you get from it and how do you make it work? I am suspicious of fashion, as anyone who has seen my wardrobe will attest. That there is a new management fad promotes interest…
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…
Weaknesses revealed by incidents of contract management of G4S and Serco have shocked the UK government. At a time that both public and private sectors depend ever more heavily on their service suppliers, what are the lessons to be drawn? In July 2013 serious malpractice was exposed in contracts for the electronic tagging of prisoners…
Access to essential information and the ability to apply it with full knowledge of its implications are essential to all services. IT Services have long depended on knowledge management. What does one have to do to keep the information flowing? The European Committee for Standardization suggests the definition: “Knowledge is the combination of data and information,…
There are few matters raising as much heat and as little light in service provision as innovation. Customers are often aggrieved that they do not gain the competitive advantage they think they have paid for. How can you gain competitive advantage from innovation by sourcing services effectively? At the start of an assignment some time…
The degree of change required to transform service provision from a prime model to one that engages multiple suppliers is significant. The many strands involved mean that it is not a simple issue that can be bought-in and forgotten. In this article, I concentrate on the job of implementation rather than sourcing and seek to point to some…
