June 15, 2018
Major technology deployments are complex, especially when leadership changes and focus can be lost. In these circumstances, we understand the people first and the technology second.
The challenge
When any large bank embarks upon a 10-year, multi-billion-pound IT transformation programme, the intentions are positive and the momentum is strong. But as time passes and challenges are confronted, and personnel and priorities change, the original objectives can easily be forgotten. Often conflict and disillusion are created rather than the hoped-for efficiencies and cost reductions.
This was our client’s story.
And when they first contacted our learning and organisation development team, it was evident they needed to write a new chapter, with a compelling narrative that refocused the leadership team and realigned organisational expectations with the objectives of the original IT programme.
Our approach
When people are perceived as the problem, we work with sensitivity to ascertain a comprehensive understanding of the opinions at play. To do this, we used our proprietary research-based CMP90 toolset, which is unique in the financial services sector.
By cross-referencing our findings with data from historical programmes with similar attributes, we predicted the likelihood of the programme achieving its objectives. Specifically, we calculated the likelihood that it would it be delivered on time as 59% and that it would create value as 39%.
Vital to our approach was the ability to avoid inherent cognitive biases and to identify the actual areas of greatest sensitivity. We then designed and facilitated a two-day workshop for 18 leaders to deliver a remediation and change plan, which we repeated six months later to monitor progress.
Our remediation and change plan resonated with the present leadership and realigned their efforts behind the current state of the IT transformation programme. We achieved this by addressing four key issues:
- Greater collaboration – both internally between programme silos and externally with the CIO community
- New capabilities – around the management of complex interdependencies and technology security
- Simpler infrastructure – focusing on outcome and risk-based metrics and common operating and reporting standards
- Stronger governance – specifically decision making using the outcome and risk metrics
The bank continued to make incremental improvements over the next six months, increasing the likelihood of delivering on time from the original 59% to 72% and of creating value from the original 39% to 58%. An even greater gain was a sustainable legacy the evidence of the power of collaboration.
Note: This case study was first published by Catalyst prior to the Davies merger
