Transformation outcomes

Russel: There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the right delivery approach. It involves striking a balance in a number of critical areas whilst taking into account your organisation's needs and constraints. Consider which methodology aligns best with your business and the nature of the change. Sometimes agile is more suited over waterfall when you are less certain of the full extent of the change. Be thoughtful about team structures and where best to augment internal capabilities with supply capabilities. Effective teams should have a balance of both business and transformation knowledge, and whilst it might seem an overhead at first, robust governance is key to maintaining control and ensuring the approach remains fit for purpose.

Byron: The delivery of any kind of transformation, whether technology, organisation, or service-focused needs to be carefully structured to be successful. This should be done as early in the mobilisation phase of the work as possible. That way all subsequent actions of the team from that point forward will be pulling in the same direction. How the delivery is scoped and structured should always be aimed at managing the balance between risk, the release of business benefits, and any commercial arrangements with third parties. You should seek to minimise the risk of work by considering key factors, including the organisation's capability and capacity, suitability of different delivery methodologies, and any technical requirements that may be a driving factor. Each of these will lend itself to an optimal delivery structure and scope. Then by defining the benefits being to targeted and the timing of the release, those benefits, you can focus on the high priority aspects of the work first. This will give you the correct sequencing of activities. Finally, you can then build strong commercial agreements by logically chunking up delivery, being really clear on outcomes and incentivising third parties based on those. Ultimately to be successful, this approach needs tailoring carefully based on the individual needs and priorities of the organisation and transformation.

Martin: Ensure accountability stays with you, the client. Suppliers bring expertise and resources, your people need to bring your specific context and keep knowledge once suppliers move on. Balance pros and cons of one supplier versus many, but think about how you'll manage and integrate their work. Agree deliverables that all are really clear on and strike the right balance of reporting without straying into micromanagement. Finally, agree commercial arrangements which create a partnership so that in delivering your business outcomes, there aren't losers, just winners.

Craig: It starts with having that clear case for change, vision and scope. From this, you can then start to fully understand the nature and scale of it. Be that from a people, process or technology perspective. It's essential that the business is front and centre in owning the change and assessing those impacts. Creating that sense of ownership allows you to really get under the skin and understand what it means for the business. The reality is, however, there will always be expected impacts of any change. Therefore, there needs to be sensible contingency and a clear way to manage that change when it arises.