1. SERVICES | SOLUTIONS | SUPPORT
call: 01675 469020 | e-mail: marketing@acutec.co.uk
“We have a great system
that is scalable and has
outstanding functionality
which benefits both our
customers and staff.”
Jackie Rawling
Self Awareness LLP
What They Do
Self Awareness LLP offers businesses and educational
establishments a psychometric testing system that is validated
by the University of Cambridge.
The online system works by asking 29 questions, answers are
recorded and processed to form a report on how people work
best and respond to new challenges or learning.
Wide-ranging in its applications, Self Awareness LLP’s system
is most widely and successfully used for career planning and
employability.
For those entering the world of work for the first time, seeking
new employment or contemplating business start-up, the output
represent both a powerful development tool and a source of
invaluable pointers for preparation, applications and interview.
Employers use the system for recruitment and succession
planning to determine the soft skills that are required for the
role. Uniquely, the system then allows automated, small- and
large-scale matching of applicants to jobs - to make successful
and sustainable appointments.
The Brief
Born out of and drawing from the expertise of two long-
established companies with a wealth of experience in
psychometrics, staff development, employability and education,
Self Awareness LLP (www.selfawareness.org.uk) was
established early in 2012.
That meant that there were two separate online systems - both
of which worked and were recognised as being sound
instruments to carry out the psychometric tests.
The company wanted to consolidate those into one scalable
system with better functionality that could serve schools, further
education establishments, companies or those organisations
trying to place people back into work.
The new system also needed to be able to support other
languages - it would be translated for use by Self Awareness
LLP’s DAISS project partners in Italy, Greece, Portugal,
Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania.
On top of that, the new system needed to be built and ready for
launch by August 2012 for the UK schools market and by
September 2012 for the Employability, Further and Higher
Education and European markets.
In short, it was a complex job to build a new system which had
a very strict and fast-approaching deadline.
Self Awareness LLP
Meet tight IT deadlines with ACUTEC
your trusted IT experts
Services & Developement | Case Study

2. ACUTEC Limited
St Peters House, Church Hill
Coleshill, Birmingham B46 3AL
Email: marketing@acutec.co.uk
Telephone: 01675 469020 www.acutec.co.uk
Services & Developement | Case Study
your trusted IT experts
And while psychometrics are Self Awareness LLP’s tool for
helping others to find out what is right for them, it was an old-
fashioned face-to-face meeting that led them to choose
ACUTEC for the job.
Jackie Rawling, a Self Awareness director, said: “We met three
companies to discuss the challenge we had. Two of the firms
didn’t feel they could carry out such a complex development in
the timeframe.
“But when we met Colin Gillies and Steve Best from ACUTEC,
it was clear they wanted the project and were excited by its
complexity and the fact that it was something different.”
What We Did
Within days of being selected for the project, ACUTEC, set
about building the new integrated system and, with a series of
improvements, made it work on the full-range of Self
Awareness’s client-base and potential clients.
Colin also decided to replicate one of the existing systems so
that it could continue to service those who were using it - to
minimise any risk or disruption and phase client transfers to the
new system.
It would add two weeks to the development but those costs
were absorbed by ACUTEC.
Colin made sure he understood the system from the user’s
perspective and quickly set about learning how it could and
should work.
Then he methodically developed the new system but, like all
programmes of this nature, there were tweaks along with way.
And, because of the fast-approaching deadline, those changes
were often discussed at anti-social hours.
“It was a huge endeavour,” said Jackie, “but Colin’s interest and
determination to see it through made it happen. “He was flexible
and always available to talk or to answer emails.
“I even dropped him a line during the opening ceremony of the
Olympic Games not expecting an immediate answer, but he got
back to me straight away and we managed to resolve an issue.
“There were quite a lot of late night conversations to work
through to iron out small issues.
“We knew we wouldn’t get to launch without a single issue
because even when Apple launches a new iPhone, it ends up
having to release patches and updates afterwards.
“But we got there in the end and I have absolutely no doubt that
without that relationship with Colin and ACUTEC, we wouldn’t
have done so.”
Summary
Bang on deadline, the new system was ready for launch of Self-
Awareness UK schools customers in August 2012 so that
Jackie could undertake their training in time for the new
academic year.
The deadline for Europe - which meant the upload of system
translations in six additional languages - was also met in
September. The languages were uploaded in time for Jackie to
fly to Bucharest on September 24, for a DAISS project
partnership meeting, to begin training the partners from the six
countries there!
“We are still working together with ACUTEC,” said Jackie, “but
it’s been an exciting few months to get to the point where we
can say we have a great system that is scalable and has
outstanding functionality which benefits both our customers
and staff.
“We were not sure we would get here back in March 2012, but
thanks to such a great working relationship with ACUTEC, we
did it.”
Jackie Rawling
Self Awareness LLP
Next Steps...
CALL US NOW ON:
01675 469020
Email us: marketing@acutec.co.uk
call: 01675 469020 | e-mail: marketing@acutec.co.uk
SERVICES | SOLUTIONS | SUPPORT