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…
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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…
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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.…
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The best customer service is distinguished by the passion and energy of the staff delivering it. Whilst all know good service when it is seen, measuring it can be a challenge and managing it well can be harder. What can and should be done to sustain outcomes and optimise value? Building and Buying Well An…
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Standardising is so inherently appealing that most people happily accept it as a good thing, until the time comes to make it work. Are you to be like the company with 800 desktop builds for each 1000 staff? What are the costs, benefits, limits and practicalities of standardising service practice? Standardisation can apply to many things:…
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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…
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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,…
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The choice of partner can have profound effects, in love and in commerce. Few get married with the intent of immediate divorce. What considerations should sway your selection of IT managed service partner? A good selection results in your finding the party that delivers you the best value solution to your need. The Office of…
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Juliet’s farewell to Romeo was full of remorseful kisses. For some approaching the end of a sourcing agreement, the move cannot come too soon. How can you minimise the pain of partition? Most attention is paid to transition in. Here we look from the perspective of the terminating operation. Why Exit? Most agreements run their…
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The contract has been signed. Champagne has been consumed. The hangover is over – or is it just beginning? It takes many organisations two years or more to get a new service up and running effectively. In these times of short contract duration, expectations of flick-a-switch cloud services and agile delivery, what can you do…
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