Successful Management Of Change Programmes Solution Alignment (April 2007)

Successful Management of Programmes
Solution Alignment

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Solution alignment
This presentation is designed to provide a set of principles and guidelines for ensuring solutions are aligned to business goals and support the business within large, complex programmes
Topics covered:

Why we need to align solutions
Business led design
Developing a total business solution
Using an iterative and interactive process
Role based work procedures

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Why do we need to align solutions?
Solutions don’t deliver any benefit unless they are aligned to business objectives
Technology in particular has to not only fit business needs but also be usable to deliver benefit
If a system isn’t fit for purpose, it won’t get used
If a system isn’t easy to operate, it won’t get used
If the users don’t know how to do their jobs with a new system, it won’t be used
Don’t assume people can work it out – they just want to get their job done. If it’s not obvious when they first start using the system, they will revert to old systems, spreadsheets or whatever works for them…..
Many systems are either ignored or are used, but not to the full potential
Some systems make things worse rather than better – ineffective operation and workarounds increase workload and decrease productivity
Significant Investment is wasted as benefits aren’t realised and expensive on-going development or improvements are required

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Principles for Solution Alignment
Have clear business objectives and know what benefits you are hoping to achieve. Refer to them constantly throughout the design – use them as a beacon.
Look at the total business context for the system. The system will be operated by people, in roles with targets and measures, within an organisation fulfilling a business process. Know what impact the system will have on all of these areas.
Get target users involved in the design. Empower them to make good choices for the business. Make the process iteractive.
Iterate the design. It’s hard for the business to fully understand the technology and vice versa. Be prepared to iterate through the design 2 or 3 times to remove ambiguity.
Wherever possible show people the system (even if it’s only a few screens) – it helps people to visualise the potential and also how they can work with it. This will work far better than written specifications.
Don’t wait years to deliver a big bang solution. Deliver functionality regularly in drops. This proves and embeds one part of the system before the next piece is delivered.
Avoid bespoking if possible. Try to find technology solutions that work for the business within the scope of the package.
Take the design right down to the role level. Define new procedures at the role level. Know how they will do their work with the new system, what new targets or measures they will have, what new skills are required, what new behaviours are required and how they fit inside the organisation.
Business led design
Total business solution
Iterative & interactive process
Role based work procedures

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Business led design: Guidelines
Ensure you have clear business objectives, business case and scope before you start.
Identify business issues and opportunities during AS-IS analysis
Use Root cause and consequence analysis. Analyse issues and opportunities and to identify the business impact of any solution options.
Ruthlessly eliminate any solution options that do not match business objectives or provide business benefit.
Revisit objectives and benefits throughout every stage of the design.

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Using Six Sigma to align solutions and deliver business benefit

Business led design: key steps
Business Objectives
Context & focus
Context & focus
Context & focus
Identified performance gap
AS IS analysis
Business Case

Required benefits
Performance gap

TO BE development
Solution development
Solution Implementation
Solution items delivering business benefit
Problems
identified
Opportunities
identified
Issues
Opportunities
Solution options based on required benefits & objectives
Root cause & consequence analysis
Six Sigma provides a rigorous approach for all of these steps
Impact Analysis
Compare post implementation performance with baseline – validate business case
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Developing a total business solution: Guidelines
Start by examining the business processes – this helps to keep focus on the business and provides a framework to discuss systems, roles, structure etc.
Find out who does what, why, when and how.
Show what happens with the system and show information flows where possible.
Start high level and build both layers of detail and different views. For each process build a system and information view, a people and structure view as well as process steps.
Review the total picture for each process. Does the solution fulfil the business objectives and meet the business needs? What is the impact of this solution on: culture, work/process, people and structure?
Analyse the solution impacts and develop a plan to mitigate against them.

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Info. & Systems
Strategy

Vision
Guiding concepts
Objectives
Metrics e.g. EV, MBR, Performance baseline

Structure
Culture
Work/
Process
People
Developing a total business solution:
What you need to consider
Organisation of work

How tasks are divided by role
Degree of hierarchy
Interfaces between organisational units

Control systems

Monitoring of work
Delegated authorities
Compliance with GRIP
Audit requirements
Fit to business requirements
Systems architecture
Information architecture
Availability, integrity & confidentiality
Capacity planning

Behaviours

New behaviours required
Leadership behaviours to achieve required goals

Values

What is valued?
What is Rewarded/punished?

Symbols

to highlight what is valued

Power structures

Core beliefs of leaders
Where does the real power lie/how do things really get done?

Capability

Current Skills, Required skills, gap analysis

Resourcing/roles

Numbers req’d & types, recruitment

Development planning

for individuals
For teams

Metrics

objectives, measures & incentives

Business processes

Work done by role
Regulatory requirements

Work instructions

Mandated activities
How to use systems to complete work
Updated Contracting requirements/ T&C’s

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Using an interactive and iterative Process: Guidelines
Bring the process to life. Have a dedicated project room and put working material on the walls for the design team and others to review.
Use Low tech. materials – paper, post-it notes etc. to build pictures of the future that people can understand.
Review processes and technology interactively – capture information as you go.
Encourage constructive review and constantly check for understanding.
Encourage rapid prototyping/demonstrations to explore the possibilities.
Iterate but don’t prevaricate. With each iteration focus and agree key requirements. These can be re-visited, but don’t make the process open-ended – be clear decisions need to be made.
Iteration doesn’t mean slowing down the process. Planned and well managed workshops, prototyping sessions or Conference Room Pilots are highly productive and faster than traditional meetings and paper specifications.

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Interactive and iterative Process: approach
Transition
Planning

Current Process analysis
Improvements and opportunities identified (including existing requirements)
Future principles for the Network Rail project lifecycle process (incorporating G.R.I.P.)
Business representation across the process

Definition of the future that includes:

End-to-end project lifecycle process
Cut of process across function and job role
Inputs, outputs and functions/flow performed by the system
Associated objectives, metrics and benefits

Solution definition
Development
of
detailed working
practices
and
evolution
Requirements, options, costs and benefits
System
Build
Prototype/
Demonstrator
development
Fast Track environment:

Dedicated project room
Visual, low tech pictures of the future developed with the business and solutions specialists
Rapid prototyping/ tailoring to explore possibilities
Works towards common understanding of possibilities & implications
Refined/clearer view of requirements

Gives a detailed business and technology view of the new system and how it will operate and support the business. This will enable clear identification of requirements, options, costs and benefits and therefore value for money. Low tech, visual methods facilitate common understanding and process definition with stakeholders and combined with rapid prototyping/tailoring will enable the solution definition and design process to be ‘fast tracked’.

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Role based work procedures: Guidelines
Drill down into the detail – define processes at a step by step level.
Define who (job role) will do each step.
Define clearly the responsbilities for every job involved in the process.
Understand what will be required to fulfil these responsibilities i.e. What informtion, reports, forms, authorisations are required
Review the new responsibilities against the job description – does this solution change their job? Consider the objectives, measures, deadlines and expectations of that job role – does it match those of the solution.
What are the impacts in terms of new skills, behaviours, competency etc. ?
Convene a forum of representative staff from a function to help develop the new work instructions.

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Contact
TIPS Consulting Ltd
Hamilton House
Mabledon Place
Bloomsbury
London
WC1H 9BB
Tel - +44 (0) 207 554 8637
Fax - +44 (0) 207 554 8501
Web – www.tipsconsulting.co.uk