2. 1
Summary of Quantitative Performance accomplishments
Contents
Operations............................................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Development & Maintenance Team Building............................................................................................ 1
2. Customer facilities information improvement............................................................................................ 2
3. Identified true extent of development team commitment to IT maintenance............................................. 2
Change Management .............................................................................................................................................. 3
4. Implementation of release schedule............................................................................................................ 3
5. Creation of Process and Database............................................................................................................... 3
6. Asset Management, Acquisition & Finance - British Government............................................................ 4
Document Management.......................................................................................................................................... 5
7. Establishment of Software Library............................................................................................................. 5
8. Document Management - New intelligent Library System........................................................................ 5
Finance - Asset Management.................................................................................................................................. 6
9. Audit of software licenses held against contracts Acquisition. .................................................................. 6
10. First IT Asset Inventory and Disposal. ....................................................................................................... 6
11. 1st IT Full Inventory................................................................................................................................... 7
Finance - Acquisition.............................................................................................................................................. 8
12. Established a Single Point of Delivery. ...................................................................................................... 8
13. Centralization of Acquisition & Procurement Teams................................................................................. 8
14. Consolidated of Acquisition process and tool. ........................................................................................... 8
Finance - Contracts ................................................................................................................................................. 9
15. Process team fixed deliverable Statement of Work, (Finance Manager). .................................................. 9
16. Activation of IT Statements of Work for External Resources.................................................................... 9
17. Introduction of new Long Distance Statement of Work........................................................................... 10
18. Interpretation and Cost Management........................................................................................................ 10
19. Engineering Network Element Software Management. ........................................................................... 11
Finance - Analysis ................................................................................................................................................ 12
20. Government Departmental statistical compilation for the UK Treasury.................................................. 12
21. Increased labor cost capitalization............................................................................................................ 12
22. Workforce costing reports ........................................................................................................................ 12
Finance - Adjudication.......................................................................................................................................... 13
23. Process - Pilot Adjudication Scheme for Single Welfare Payments. ....................................................... 13
Appendix - Skills Inventory – Results detail........................................................................................................ 14
3. 1
Operations
1. Development & Maintenance Team Building.
Challenge: Appointed to manage a team of highly qualified operations support system engineers, covering all
network element management aspects of long distance network service deliveries for voice, data and transport.
Team responsible for 20 systems delivered from 12 engineering vendors. Responsible for development,
installation and monitoring of system changes for network surveillance, performance management, and all
network element management systems for the entire (pre-MCI acquisition) Verizon Long Distance network
infrastructure. I was tasked with improving team dynamics, team responsiveness and customer satisfaction with
reduced resources.
Actions: Brought Team together to meet, and studied interpersonal interaction. Analysis of individual skill sets
revealed that an individual’s scope of experience was often out of synch with full job expectations. Re-
documented the common foundation job requirement, and struck up constructive relationships with our
Operations and vendor customers. I ensured a reliable path of escalation and regular team meetings in a semi-
informal environment. Listening carefully, I formally shared my skill set conclusions for discussion. Each team
member identified their own challenges, and encouraged contribution through their specialization for the benefit
of the entire group. Although our team’s engineering expertise was highly diverse, we succeeded in formally
pairing each team member to support each other during their absences and periods of overlapping commitment.
Results: Greater respect by executives and operations. We achieved recognition as a single powerful Team.
Individual needs of customers addressed individually and strategically. Improved relationships with, and output
from, external vendors as a result. Attention given to individual personal development. No further employee loss
and the team actually increased in size. Output rose dramatically across the whole team (e.g. in 2006 14 major
releases plus 21 major deployments). This took burdens from other front line teams as they increasingly trusted
the team to perform above and beyond. Cost avoidance achieved in excess of $3m over the 3 years. No delay to
any deployment. All operational deployments and fixes of many high value services were deemed critical,
including changes impacting FiOS and those deployed by Engineering in the field. There was no delay to any
product line or services deployment from the EMS/NMS Group.
Achievement: The key to this achievement lay in my analysis of why such talented individuals were not
performing so well as a team. Once each individual’s skill set analysis was formerly recognized by the team and
team members were paired up to support each other, the team excelled. Personally top rated as exceptional and
recommended for Director on appraisal as a result of this team's achievements.
4. 2
2. Customer facilities information improvement.
Challenge: Many of the large scale network facilities are in use by very large and very high profile customers.
When a problem was encountered, the customer could not be readily identified by the surveillance systems. The
first the Operations Center would know of the impact on a high profile customer was often when the customer
phoned in direct. The majority of IT investment had been in support of highly effective automatic flow through of
orders provisioned through the inventory. Nevertheless there remained a need for a business case for more
investment in operational customer support requirements.
Actions: Created business justification for the purchase of $1.2m new features for the Network Management and
Traffic systems. A team specialist was assigned to work with operations to improve the network management and
visibility of soft switch functionality. Worked with vendor to re-develop the surveillance system with enhanced
service, facility and customer lookup features.
Results: Soft switch characteristics fully visible by operations. Large scale customer’s facilities were now
identifiable while the opportunity was also taken to identify specific Verizon Wireless and FiOS facilities too.
We also partnered with our vendor to take their outage alarm product to unprecedented functionality.
Achievement: This enabled informed knowledge of the impact of any large scale outage on high capacity priority
paying customers within the Network Operations Center prior to direct contact from the customer. Corrective
action and rerouting was far more efficiently done by the network operations center.
3. Identified true extent of development team commitment to IT maintenance.
Challenge: Each IT System Owner Group engineer was expected to lead maintenance of the operational network
(7x24), as well as all SDLC development stages of testing and implementation of all new engineering, operations
and support systems changes and developments. The extent of the maintenance level of effort had to be
quantified. This Expense time was reported as miscellaneous overhead, rather than as a production critical
requirement.
Actions: Validated the method of reporting activity, defining how the time activities were recorded and which
project data repositories should be used. Identified and reported all the data points to conclude the actual number
of hours used in maintenance, rather than new development, support of Network Operations Center.
Results: Consolidated three project sources of work reporting into one, defined as Production support time.
Having verified that the Group was committing 20% of its time to critical operational support, I concluded that
this effort should have been externally funded by an Operations budget.
Achievement: Identified for the first time that 20% of the Group’s work effort was in support of Network
Operations Center and submitted the proof to executive level.
5. 3
Change Management
4. Implementation of release schedule.
Challenge: Team responsible for all aspects (Voice, Data, & Transport) of a brand new entire long distance
network. Each of the 1000 network elements was being rapidly developed, often by competing vendors. An
extraordinarily high rate of change was necessary to ensure we kept the leading engineering edge, making best use
of the $2 billion corporate investment at stake.
Actions: Successfully brought together all interested and impacting parties. We obtained a full understanding of
the IT, operational and engineering configuration item, project and release relationships and dependencies within
the networks in order to perform 21 critical system upgrades plus 14 major corporate wide integrated releases.
Results: The operational support systems supported over 75% automatic flow through of orders, together with
several new cost saving features within the network elements. In addition various different engineering vendors
were supplying equipment for many new high revenue earning product lines and services, including the high
bandwidth FiOS internet and video product flagship.
Achievement: Exemplary output achieved 7 days x 24 hours from a small, close knit, fully integrated, committed
and high performing organization. Virtually all were unique first time deployments from both internal and the
external vendor’s viewpoint. Any implementation failures would have had a very significant and very public
corporate impact.
5. Creation of Process and Database.
Challenge: Unusually, much of this Long Distance Telecommunications initiative was based on IT development
as the lead, rather than following on engineering development. This resulted in a high emphasis on development
of highly complex IT flow through system solutions ahead of, and yet potentially impacted by, an equally fast rate
of development of engineering equipment advances in the field.
Actions: We recorded all versions, releases and revisions everywhere, to as much detail as may be impacting. All
changes were submitted in advance for formal approval by all impacted parties and external vendors. This was
done through a fast and thorough change management workflow system for change approval.
Results: Full awareness and approval of all IT, Engineering, operations and external vendor changes to the
network infrastructure and all its supporting systems down to UNIX patch levels and engineering hardware
revisions. Recorded configuration item relationships, highlighting potential impacts to product line, services and
of course end customers. We rigidly enforced unit, capacity and flow through testing in a lab environment.
Achievement: We managed to minimize any adverse impact of a very high and innovative rate of change on the
production environment and customers. This tool actually encouraged a high rate of trust in change and was
expanded to cover multiple change management processes and environments such as release management, testing,
disaster recovery center, operations patches and engineering product change notices too.
6. 4
6. Asset Management, Acquisition & Finance - British Government.
Challenge: Sole responsibility for specifying, acquiring, receiving, distributing, pre-configuring and PC
implementations for a government department for 1,000 users across 13 centers in England, Scotland and Wales.
Actions: Acquired sufficient knowledge to stay abreast of rapidly changing PC specifications in the market place.
I accurately specified the Departments first large scale of PCs in place of typing pools and to prescribed
executives and administrative staff of limited PC experience. Defined configuration of each PC type for the
purpose intended. I created a basic menu system, in my own time, and pre-loaded a tape for each PC type for
distribution. Acquired software licenses, correctly attributed to users and recorded an inventory of hardware and
software licenses at Head Office. Acting as sole Level 2, 3 and 4 help desk support for PC issues for my
government department for over 1,000 users UK nationwide. I trained and enabled in-house local level 1 support,
and was the level 4 gateway for vendor maintenance on all PC systems. I personally checked, pre-loaded and
packed all new PCs with their prescribed office type software loads and appointments databases using
configuration tapes, acting as Level 1 help desk support and initial recipient for the equipment. I wrote all user
and administrator guides, packed, dispatched and progress checked each consignment to its final destination,
while acting as second and third level support for troubleshooting, rebuilding and repairing PCs on site following
incidents etc.
Results: Near seamless implementation of widespread PC deliveries. New processes made very efficient use of
part time administrators on site and a single point of contact at head office. I achieved minimal involvement of
equipment manufacturers, their warranty provisions and maintenance contracts. Typists all moved from
typewriters to PCs. Managers and Executives had their first PCs. Financial, activity and staffing levels
management moved from dated concurrent DOS systems to new PCs. Desk top publishing enabled in the regional
centers for the first time. Multi-media training system PCs permitted combined use of training databases, desk top
publishing and application based interpersonal and process training for the first time. New ability to import
statistical data and letter content direct into word processor from the UNIX based tribunal management systems.
The last delivery of 500 Windows systems were locally configured by tape and able to both perform basic PC
office functions and act as terminal emulators for the UNIX tribunal system on the same desktop. This
deployment enabled the removal of all the DEC UNIX terminals in favor of faster more effective PCs. The use of
configuration tapes was also very effective in system restoration recovery following large scale criminal theft and
damage at several regional centers.
Achievement: Modernization of the tribunal administration. We achieved much more efficient use of technology,
giving rise to much wider use of technology capabilities in the workplace. Better, more flexible resource
management and presentation of written material, improved service to the public, more accurate statistics and far
greater capabilities in the areas of financial projections.
7. 5
Document Management
7. Establishment of Software Library.
Challenge: A very high frequency of changes occurring in three separate data center environments. This often
required immediate availability of a large full set of both old and new Release application, middleware and
operating system software media and documentation. New software was not addressed to a single point of contact
and progress chasing of the new media delivery varied as a result. System Administrators, Engineers and even
external vendors would hold their own copies individually and they could be anywhere. In an outage crisis
operations often required media which could not immediately be found and the owner and/or system administrator
may not have been available etc. No copies at all were held at Disaster Recovery Center.
Actions: Established a single point of contact for software media deliveries. Software received was then registered
into a new catalogued software library and closely associated with server profile records and release software
licensing master records. The new library stored all operating system media, including latest OS patches;
middleware hard media, utility/backup/communications install media and all versions of the operational support
system application media itself. This was all in turn secured and supported by new access processes, enabling
emergency out of normal hour’s crisis immediate access to essential media. A similar library was set up and
maintained in the disaster recovery center.
Results: Vastly increased availability of software media, and much greater reliance on the new, secure and
controlled, software library by Release managers, System and Database Administrators. This enabled each of
these groups to devote their attention on other operational aspects of each release or crisis issue. Accurate Master
records of IT operational support system server software profiles set up and maintained for the first time.
Achievement: Team made a single point of contact for receipt and distribution of all software media as needed.
Team became a key contributor to all minor, large and complex release software media requirements, so reducing
risk of interruption of service outside of the project plan due in unavailability of software media.
8. Document Management - New intelligent Library System.
Challenge: Identified a corporate need for Engineering, Operations, IT & Executives to access, have version
control, and be able to move easily between related internal documentation in a single library. Three separate
repositories were under development.
Actions: Considered which of the three systems could take all the document types. I ensured that the Document
Management subject matter expertise was free to configure the new solution without hindrance. Ensured
maximum buy in from customers by displaying the new tool for their point of view. We successfully lobbied for
sufficient investment in the final solution.
We also installed a state-of-the-art space-efficient hardcopy library solution.
Results: A single document repository was established for all three internal categories of document, (one of which
included highly graphical and relational flow diagrams), plus external vendor documentation, where copyright
allowed. Documents were also hyperlinked.
Achievement: Team made single point of contact for storage of all types of corporate documentation and for
corporate standards of those produced internally. A state of the art online document database was introduced and
a secure high quality hard copy storage area was also established.
8. 6
Finance - Asset Management
9. Audit of software licenses held against contracts Acquisition.
Challenge: Originally Global Networks Inc. was required to have all its own software and hardware contracts
independent from the core parent corporation. Although they had limited IT operational knowledge, the contract
writers and negotiators were held responsible for overseeing that operational software use was correctly licensed.
There was no point of expertise available to fully interpret operational licensing requirements, in the context of
the contractually negotiated contract provisions.
Actions: Checked all licenses against contracts held. I ascertained licensing criteria and audited software in use.
Determined the impact of each new change on licensing, ensuring the inclusion of all data center environments.
Results: Verified all licenses properly in use. Necessary additional procurements and annual maintenance costs
corrected. In one case identified an apparent $7m shortfall due to questionable license-type interpretation.
Achievement: Ensured that all licenses were properly and legally purchased and activated. In particular sought
correct legal re-interpretation so as to take leverage of wider corporate contracts and avoid unnecessary cost.
10. First IT Asset Inventory and Disposal.
Challenge: Seven rooms, (subsequently found to be needed for Network Operations center expansion), full from
floor to ceiling with surplus IT equipment. Surplus cannibalized and hazardous PCs lying all over help desk area.
Actions: By formally identifying criteria for surplus equipment, we created a new process to circulate a list of
potentially surplus items for re-use. We disposed of over 1600 cubic feet of surplus equipment, including the first
ever sale of surplus PC equipment to staff.
Results: By coincidence 7 Rooms were cleared just in time for rebuilding and expansion of Operations center.
Required reusable equipment was reissued back into service, avoiding unnecessary procurements. All surplus
equipment was written off properly within the Property Asset Account variation to the values of $5m.
Morale of staff improved by successful sale of 80 PCs to staff under properly controlled conditions.
Achievement: Inheriting an extraordinary mess accumulated over 5 years, we were also able to; prevent any
impact on the operations center expansion project, find proper destinations for equipment, bring some money
back into the company and even improve staff morale slightly by selling off some equipment to staff.
9. 7
11. 1st IT Full Inventory.
Challenge: Inherited records of five years of high value purchases, with poor asset accounts management. This led
to significant inventory losses and seven rooms of surplus equipment. No reliable source existed for software
license usage beyond the contract. Much equipment had moved to, and from, revenue earning roles and the
resultant license impacts on the corporate accounts had been missed. Many decommissioned systems were still
active on the accounts.
Actions: Performed the first full IT Inventory of both software and hardware, covering all client, router and server
equipment in all data center environments.
Results: A very successful team building exercise. Financial accounts reconciliation with contracts, further license
purchases made as necessary and a full updating of the corporate Statement of account.
Achievement: Identified and brought IT assets under better formal property control with new processes and
understanding. We brought the corporate statement of account up to date with a legitimate net effect of a further
$5 million write off.
10. 8
Finance - Acquisition
12. Established a Single Point of Delivery.
Challenge: Loading Dock access times severely restricted by the City of London. Poor communication with
vendors, and lack of delivery note information, resulted in important deliveries being turned away.
Actions: Gradually persuaded critical customers that asset team and purchase order delivery information was best
handled and monitored consistently by the procurement team in the same way for each vendor.
Results: Operations and Data center staffs were able to devote more time to their other top priorities. Higher
proportion of first time deliveries ensured on time. Avoidance of deliveries clashing at the same loading dock and
quicker follow ups to, rearrange those few deliveries that did fail.
Achievement: Operations and Data center staff were persuaded to trust the Procurement Team to manage the
deliveries for them. They were able to devote more time to their other front line immediate operational priorities.
13. Centralization of Acquisition & Procurement Teams.
Challenge: Four talented leaders were overlapping and clashing with their scope of responsibilities. Our
achievements in centralizing Acquisition, Asset Management, Configuration Management, Accounts and IT
Inventory were being impaired by personality traits.
Actions: Everyone went on an American Management Association Leadership Course together.
Results: Introduction of leadership training reduced the potential for conflicting personality traits. This resulted in
a totally different, more mutually respectful and incredibly more productive working environment. Immediately
they finished the course beyond 5 pm they went into a room together and redistributed their responsibilities,
working in parallel from that day onwards.
Achievement: Significant increase in respect from their own team members and our customers. I nicknamed them
the “A team” for their capability of troubleshooting, working together effectively to solve problems.
14. Consolidated of Acquisition process and tool.
Challenge: Early startup pressure from corporate objectives resulted in disparate and duplicate procurement
channels without stock control. More than 30 people independently able to purchase similar items. Several
approval routes for similar procurements too. Inadequate procedures and documentation of goods and services
received.
Actions: Obtained Executive buy-in to centralize purchasing and prescribed consumables storage. Identified and
published IT platform system middleware configurations and published contractual terms and conditions for
awareness. Established team as a single point of contract for licensing expertise
Results: Better stock control of IT consumables, improved control of IT licensing. Multiple/excess purchases of
the same products prevented. Consistency of contractual terms and conditions improved with purchases made
more accurately within pre-existing negotiated contracts. Much improved progress in license status monitoring.
Achievement: Established a first class reputation for getting what was needed when it was needed and at the
correct cost.
11. 9
Finance - Contracts
15. Process team fixed deliverable Statement of Work, (Finance Manager).
Challenge: A new type of Statement of Work, and Purchase Order, for external resources was required.
Actions: Based on thorough internal knowledge of our organization and using considerable research into new
process requirements, I compiled a change order strategy that would take into account a large number of projects
in a single Statement of Work, as well as the constant changes in project requirements and status.
Results: Enhanced understanding of the role of capitalized external labor effort in funding our Group. Program
Management introduced on a financial basis. Release management introduced in the form of packaging project
requirements into collective procurement phases for ease of purchase order processing. New group specific
Statement of Work template drafted. Statement of Work and three Change Requests successfully implemented.
Required process documented, presented to group and full training sessions carried out on the legal, financial and
process requirements.
Achievement: Transition achieved from simple pre-merger time and materials labor resource management, to new
more complex deliverable based requirements. The impact on the planned work program and external vendor
relations was minimized, while fulfilling post-merger process requirements.
16. Activation of IT Statements of Work for External Resources.
Challenge: To consolidate multiple Statements of Work derived from two separate corporations, needing
immediate attention, into one, to be implemented by a strict deadline.
Actions: Acquired detailed knowledge of the content of each project’s labor resources requirement. Updated the
requirements and Statements of Work and researched all the key subject matter experts in both corporate
processes.
Results: All six Statements of Work and their Purchase Orders were implemented within two months, and by the
finance deadline. Both required processes documented for the first time and presented to directors.
Achievement: Quickly took over in mid-preparation, and at short notice. I consolidated eight purchase orders,
within two distinctly different processes, in order to deliver to internal customers and vendor at very short notice.
12. 10
17. Introduction of new Long Distance Statement of Work.
Challenge: Merger of two corporations required a new consolidated post-merger procurement statement of work
process.
Actions: Based on thorough internal knowledge of our organization, and considerable research into new process
requirements, a strategy was enabled to satisfactorily continue all critical purchases while fulfilling external
vendor's expectations and all new post-merger process requirements.
Results: Successfully completed critical purchases during process transition. A new process and Statement of
Work template was introduced. This was necessary to fulfill both the post-merger requirement and to satisfy
external vendor's contracts. The new process was presented to procurement group.
Achievement: Transition achieved from complex multiple pre-merger procurement processes, to a single simpler
post-merger process, while minimizing the impact on the planned work program and external vendor relations.
18. Interpretation and Cost Management.
Challenge: Vendor submitted invoices paid without close scrutiny, due to intense operational pressure.
Actions: Identified operational contract scope, terms and conditions together with vendor's pricelist options. We
promoted a reasonable, fair and cost effective business specific approach with each vendor.
Results: Declined to pay $1.5m for three years for “out of warranty” 7 days x24 hours for purely telephone
“advisory without fix” support. There was already an overlapping warranty “fix” provision, rather than simply
“advisory” in place for these systems. Only “out of warranty” scope fixes were chargeable in any case. We had
about 4 per year, outside of system changes which were already paid by with Work Orders.
Reduced first year’s outlay for surveillance system right to use licenses which were engineering deployment
based. The local pilot implementation cost avoidance of $250,000 set a far lower and ongoing precedent for cost
as the network expanded across the U.S.A.
Achievement: While mindful of significant project and vendor pressure for Purchase Orders, successfully re-
negotiated several invoices, resulting in a combined total of $1.65m immediate cost avoidance. This in turn set a
precedent for even more significant ongoing cost reductions over several years.
13. 11
19. Engineering Network Element Software Management.
Challenge: The rapid deployment of leading edge network element engineering equipment required close detailed
management of the software loads on the equipment. Software was often upgraded by the vendor within weeks of
delivery or even midway through deliveries. Sometimes new software unexpectedly arrived pre-installed for
deployment, potentially mixing with older software versions without notice. Care also had to be taken to ensure
that the correct software features were purchased on new deliveries and coordinated with any necessary upgrades
carried out to the previously deployed equipment in the field. We had to ensure that compatible equipment was
tested and exposed to the operational network at the right time and to engineering and operations expectations.
Actions: Constant liaison with the engineering manufacturers was necessary to ensure that the correct software
service packs were delivered at the right time. This was to ensure full network, hardware and service
compatibility. Knowledge of each vendor’s contract and their commitment to project feature delivery was also
essential in order to closely monitor any additional costs outside of purchase scope and contract commitment.
Results: Enabled efficient, near explosive, expansion of a new telecommunications network across the U.S.A,
deploying the latest, most efficient and cost saving engineering features so as to maximize profit from services
and product lines. In one case close monitoring of voice switch contracts avoided the payment of $1.8m for
necessary software features that were in fact already covered by contract.
This set a precedent for similar cost avoidance for a further three voice switches from that manufacturer.
Achievement: Increased deployment efficiency and effectiveness of technology and significant cost avoidance.
14. 12
Finance - Analysis
20. Government Departmental statistical compilation for the UK Treasury
Challenge: To produce reports our UK government department's (agency's) statistics for activity
workload, finance and staffing management calculations as required by H.M. Treasury.
Actions: Streamlined regional statistical returns through the use of menu led spreadsheet macros. I
applied Treasury formula to correctly determine the correct staffing levels.
Results: More accurate and efficient submission of statistics.
Achievement: More consistent and timely reporting with a minimum of user knowledge required.
21. Increased labor cost capitalization.
Challenge: Capitalization of Labor expected to be a minimum of 65%. It was 1% resulting in undesirable expense
cost reported to shareholders.
Actions: Defined, presented and applied definition of labor effort so that it could be correctly capitalized.
Researched and contacted subject Matter experts to ensure correct capitalization rules applied. Carefully
monitored to ensure we applied capital labor activities correctly in every aspect of the group's work, including the
IT software development life cycle.
Results: Increased capitalized labor from 1% to 65%.
Achievement: Increased labor capitalization from 1% to 65% by correctly applying capitalization rules to the
group's effort thereby reducing the expense component of the corporate statement of accounts.
22. Workforce costing reports
Challenge: Urgent need for more accurate workforce costing reports and activity analysis.
Action: Redefined projects, activities and categorized the workforce costs. Weekly reports were
produced, with more comprehensive monthly analyses and future projections. Presentations made to
staff to ensure correct activity entries in the timesheet system.
Results: Complete picture of how workforce costs were being spent. Impacts of staff natural wastage
determined. Most importantly the degree of commitment from the annual budgets both determined and
projected.
Achievement: Full workforce costing management, by team, group and per project introduced for the
first time. Accurate projection of budgetary expectations was achieved for both capital and expense
possible for the first time.
15. 13
Finance - Adjudication
23. Process - Pilot Adjudication Scheme for Single Welfare Payments.
Challenge: Vast quantity of time, and money, spent on visiting people’s homes to verify, largely unavoidable,
statutory entitlements to one-off welfare payments.
Actions: Introduced a process, and forms, to enable consistent accurate decision making on the majority of
statutory entitlements without leaving the office.
Results: An almost identical scheme was derived and subsequently adopted for England, Scotland and Wales.
Achievement: Using a combination of working and legislative knowledge, I determined that there was no real
need to carry out home visits on the vast majority of bona-fide claims received. I created new criteria for the need
for a home visit, and was encouraged to devise and implement a pilot process and forms for greater adjudication
efficiency. The pilot project was successfully audited by the UK Chief Adjudication Officer, and a near identical
scheme was adopted nationally. I was invited as a result of my efforts to the Departmental Summer School at
King's College Cambridge where I was able to share my extensive welfare experience, write a submission on
single welfare grants for the University of York Social Policy studies group, and interact with the Secretary of
State and the Cabinet Office’s Social Security Advisory Committee.
16. 14
Appendix - Skills Inventory – Results detail
Leadership 573 Self-Starter 85
Organizational 585 Self-Starter 85
Problem-Solving 696 Judgment and Decision Making 85
Artistic/Creative 577 Idealistic 83
Leadership 573 Leadership (motivating/directing others) 81
Leadership 573 Persuading others to a different course 81
Problem-Solving 696 Problem Identification 81
Problem-Solving 696 Idea or Problem Evaluation/Critical Thinking 81
Social 598 Working with others - to accomplish the goal 81
Social 598 Helping others 80
Problem-Solving 696 Implementation Planning 79
Social 598 Counseling 79
Social 598 Understanding others & their reactions 79
Leadership 573 Negotiating/Reconciling Differences 78
Organizational 585 Follow-through 77
Organizational 585 Coordinating 77
Artistic/Creative 577 Creative 76
Problem-Solving 696 Analyzing Data or Information 75
Problem-Solving 696 Synthesis/Reorganization 75
Leadership 573 Coordinating 74
Organizational 585 Precise/Attention to details 74
Artistic/Creative 577 Imaginative 74
Artistic/Creative 577 Artistic/creative 74
Problem-Solving 696 Idea Generation 74
Social 598 Coaching 74
Organizational 585 Planning 73
Organizational 585 Organizing 73
Problem-Solving 696 Information Gathering/Investigation 73
Problem-Solving 696 Solution Appraisal/Monitoring 73
Social 598 Persuading 73
Artistic/Creative 577 Inventive 71
Artistic/Creative 577 Designing 71
Communication 398 Public Speaking - presenting information and ideas to a group 71
Communication 398 Effective writing in relation to the needs of the audience 69
Communication 398 Speaking - talking to others to effectively convey information 69
Communication 398 Oral Comprehension - understanding spoken information and ideas 69
Technical 230 Knowledge of subject; subject matter expertise 67
17. 15
Social 598 Training /Instructing 66
Social 598 Facilitating discussions 66
Organizational 585 Scheduling Work (own) 65
Artistic/Creative 577 Composing 65
Technical 230 Application of technical training 65
Artistic/Creative 577 Drawing 63
Communication 398 Listening 63
Leadership 573 Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others 61
Organizational 585 Time Management 61
Leadership 573 Supervising People 60
Technical 230 Using mathematics (including statistics) to solve problems 58
Communication 398 Reading Comprehension - understanding technical subject matter. 57
Leadership 573 Scheduling Work (of others) 53
Technical 230 Using engineering or scientific methods to solve problems 40
Mechanical 219 Troubleshooting 38
Mechanical 219 Crafting/Building 34
Mechanical 219 Installing 27
Mechanical 219 Testing 27
Mechanical 219 Assembling or constructing 25
Mechanical 219 Working with tools 23
Mechanical 219 Inspection 20
Mechanical 219 Maintaining or repairing 18
Mechanical 219 Operating Machines 7
Mechanical 219 Driving 0
