Our IT Audits are designed to provide you with the insights required to improve your IT Strategy and meet your objectives.
Taking lead from the client, one or more of our Associates will thoroughly and professionally audit your businesses IT Strategy. Focusing on your technology, talent, strategy, and governance, although considering any objectives or criteria the client wishes us to review specifically.
The time required for the audit depends upon the size of business, client requirements and any specific objectives. Upon completing the IT Audit, our Associates will present back their findings and recommendations in full. At this stage, as the client it is then down to you to decide how you wish to take your IT Strategy forward.
An overview of your current IT Estate with recommendations provided.
Our IT audit is a comprehensive and expert overview of your IT and technology's current performance, helping you understand where improvements can be made and opportunities can be taken advantage of.
Our Associates are senior level IT Directors and Chief Technology Officers with experience in various businesses across multiple industries. You can rest assured that with an IT Audit from Bailey & Associates, no stone will be left unturned and you'll be left with full clarity on where your IT currently stands and various ways that you can improve it and ultimately deliver on your IT Strategy.
Our IT Audits are usually conducted on site. One of our Associates will visit your business and essentially hold an IT Audit workshop to gather all the information required and then present it back in the form of an IT Audit that also outlines how your IT Strategy can be taken forward.
It is then up to you whether you seek the help of the Associate either on an IT Consultancy or Fractional IT Director basis, or whether you think you have all the information you need and can proceed with your internal resource.
The ITC Travel Group, formerly known as the ITC Luxury Travel Group are one of the UK’s leading and longest standing luxury tour operators in the UK.
Founded in 1974, the original brand that is now known as the Inspiring Travel Company was the first to charter Concorde and has since sent thousands of clients on luxury holidays across the world.
• Research and propose new CRM system.
• Perform cloud migration
• On boarding of newly acquired businesses
• Upgrade admin software company-wide.
• Structure a new internal IT Team
For this client our Associate had multiple goals to achieve in a relatively short time span. The key goals were to implement a new CRM, perform a cloud migration whilst simultaneously upgrading the PC software used across the business and finally, to have re-structure the IT team so that our Associate could leave the company to tackle their IT internally in the future.
Knowing that a CRM system is arguably the most important piece of software used by a business, our associate did their due diligence and introduced four different CRM providers to the client. This varied from CRMs that are basic as standard but are developed to the clients specifications through to well known off the shelf CRM systems such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.
The client settled on a bespoke CRM and the project was initiated by our Associate.
ITC at this time was still using older versions of windows software as well as hosting this onsite with old fashioned servers.
Our Associate talked the board through the different options for this, including different server providers and also weighing up the options in terms of Word Processing and spreadsheet software, comparing platforms such as Google Docs and Microsoft Office.
Seeing that Microsoft Office 365 was the best option for the client due to team members already being familiar with Microsoft software and an excellent cloud service which made remote working easier, this was taken forward by the Associate.
Our Associates mission was always to take care of the new phone system, CRM system and company software but their final mission was to leave ITC with a resilient and well-structured internal IT team so that they could effectively manage their internal IT Strategy without an Associate in the future.
Various team members were recruited during our Associate’s tenure, including both a new IT Support Technician and an Applications Developer, however they were still lacking a leader with the Associate taking this role on throughout their time at ITC. Therefore, one of our Associates final tasks was to recruit and embed into the team an IT Manager to lead the new team and this was successfully accomplished.
Our Associate was able to make a world of difference to the ITC team, leaving them with significantly more advanced and robust technology and systems in place to make their everyday business more efficient and cost effective. The technology implemented didn’t just benefit the sales and technical teams, as the Microsoft Office 365 installation benefit was felt by the entire company.
Ensuring that ITC were left with an internal IT Manager and therefore in a great position to manage their IT Strategy once our Associate had finished their tenure was also a key success with this client.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
The Forum, Norwich, is a Millennium Building open to the general public that hosts a variety of events and exhibitions.
The building offers a café, restaurant and public library, all open seven days a week. The Forum is a charity, managed by The Forum Trust.
The Forum functions successfully without an internal IT team and, as such occasionally missing some key experience within IT at senior level. The business’s existing IT partner had been working with them for a number of years and there was a need to review the current offering against what else is available, both in terms of IT partner but also in terms of technology solutions. More importantly than looking first at the partner, it was clear that a period of assessment needed to take place which would then lead to some strategic direction setting for IT.
Part of the initial evaluation process involved a clear setting out of short and long-term goals. For this project, we looked at what The Forum’s goals were over the next three to five years, and also investigated the myriad ways in which technology could be put in place to help.
The Forum was seeking clarity on whether or not to purchase a new Data Centre setup with the existing IT partner. With our Associate’s help, The Forum was able to venture out into the market to explore other IT partner options. An objective set of requirements were created that directly linked to the organisations long term plan.
Thanks to the help of our Associate, The Forum was able to move forward with a new IT partner which better suited its needs, and its needs as a charity progressing with technology. A large part of our work on this project involved helping The Forum Trust gain the confidence to go out to explore new IT partner options and understand the market better.
Along with our Associate, The Forum has undergone a process to assess a variety of other IT partners relevant to its needs. Thanks to this process, The Forum has moved from the previous IT partner to a new IT partner that suits the company’s requirements perfectly. Our Associate provided The Forum with significant savings, thanks to avoiding moving to a more costly IT partner that was surplus to the Trust’s requirements. Instead, we moved The Forum to a better suited IT partner that aligns with the company’s goals.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Providing integrated solutions, clinical pharmacological services & commercial and clinical manufacturing to the pharmacology industry.
Quotient Sciences have over 800 employees based in both the UK and the US.
With a rapidly expanding team and a growing global marketplace, before our Associate came aboard Quotient Sciences had several disparate IT teams within its ranks – each with different leaders, inconsistent technology and no clear plan of development. Our Associate’s main goals were to streamline the business structure to create one unified global team with more defined roles and purposes, and to create a more efficient IT functionality that worked across locations.
Our Associate recognised that a truly global business like Quotient Sciences requires worldwide leadership positions to unify workflow and create a more cohesive and efficient mode of communication. The end goal was to ensure ongoing development and strong management for Quotient Sciences even without our Associate, so we identified the necessary leadership roles to put in place across the company’s global workforce.
With the creation of a variety of new positions at Quotient Sciences, our Associate maximised the existing company skillset. New job roles such as Clinical Applications Lead and Security Officer meant a more effective structure without disruption to the workforce. By identifying the skills and strengths of the team members already in place at Quotient Sciences and repositioning where necessary, our Associate was able to redefine roles and set the company up for strong and effective development in the future.
As part of our Associate’s plan to redefine and streamline the infrastructure and roles at Quotient Sciences, we investigated feasibly options for migration of on-premise datacentres and systems from Miami and Philadelphia to a rationalised datacentre model where geographically disparate systems could be located into one harmonised, protected location.
Quotient Sciences were working to harmonise multi-tenanted 365 and on-premise Exchange post a number of company acquisitions across the UK and USA. Th project had been running for almost a year and had some challenges which were blocking progress. Our Associate worked with the stretched project team, comprising both internal technical and external partner resources to re-ignite and re-agree milestones. Budgets were re-evaluated to enable the correct and appropriate level of resource to function within the project, through to successful completion across both the USA and UK. This was a key element of allowing the company to define itself as one global workforce presenting both internally to each other and externally to the client base.
One of the major and most effective changes our Associate was able to make for this client was a restructuring and repositioning of global management, ensuring stability for this ever-growing company moving forward. In evaluating how best to manage this US and UK-based company, our Associate was able to identify key positions that needed to be created. Clarity on job roles streamlined Quotient Sciences into an interconnected and unified global team with a keen eye for detail and efficiency. Existing skillsets were identified and refocussed where necessary, meaning the team’s knowledge and experience were used to maximum benefit. A focus on communication and implementation of teamwork was also incredibly important for the client, and our Associate was able to leave Quotient Sciences in the perfect position to grow further on the global stage.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Set in a Victorian Grade II listed mansion, historic Torrington Hall is a boutique hotel in the heart of St Albans, just metres from the city’s top attractions. One of the top accommodation options in St Albans, the property combines unique modernised interiors with original features for a unique aesthetic.
• Convert empty property into functioning hotel
• Set up and install full IT systems across the business
• Start from scratch to implement a fully working and up-to-date system
Having recently purchased a historic building, the client – who had never run a hotel before – needed help to transform this blank canvas into a fully functioning and high-quality hotel. Working almost literally from the ground up, everything from cabling, computer machinery and software for business operation was required, at minimal expense.
Our Associate worked with the client to assess the needs of the property and business, taking into consideration the building’s potential and limitations, as well as budget restrictions.
Equipment installation
Our Associate acquired all new equipment for Torrington Hall, across the business from IT to health & safety. Everything from computers and cameras to a high-tech key fob system was implemented, along with a modern reservations system.
After considering the needs of the business, our Associate identified the ‘Little Hotelier’ programme as the best fit for the client, both in terms of function and cost. The system fulfilled several criteria identified as important, including being integrated with websites like Booking.com, Hotels.com and Trivago for immediate bookings. A home broadband-style system was also replaced with a more functional site VPN called Daisy.
Training for a new workforce
Each and every member of staff hired at Torrington Hall was brand new with no previous experience in the hotel industry. Our Associate taught the team how to use all of the systems in place, including taking bookings on Little Hotelier.
With our Associate’s help, Torrington Hall was transformed from an empty shell into a fully-equipped and functioning hotel, complete with modern systems suitable for purpose and a full selection of technology in place across the business. A full team was trained to use a brand-new system, and the business was left in a fantastic place to start trading in St Albans. All of this was completed by our Associate with minimal cost for the client.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
One of the world’s largest independent airport ground handling companies, dnata operates in 35 countries and over 120 airports with over 45,000 employees around the world. In the UK, dnata looks after over 5 million passengers each year at London Gatwick, Manchester and London Heathrow Airports.
• Create an entire IT department from scratch
• Equip existing and new systems for significant company growth
• Incorporate changing rules and regulations into company processes
• Create a full IT department virtually from the ground up
• Modernise dnata’s technology and introduce a range of new systems
• Work with the company to ease new company acquisitions through
• Arm the company with the necessary tools for dealing with an ever-changing environment - I.e. ‘act of god’ style distasters etc.
Our Associate led the company’s IT team from the beginning, starting with just three team members. Over the course of a long tenure, our Associate had to equip the team to be able to handle the businesses growth, hiring a number of new Network and Support Analysts.
During the course of our Associate’s work with them, dnata was growing significantly through a number of company acquisitions. Each company that was acquired had to be initially assessed, managed and then consolidated onto the same IT systems as existing departments.
To accommodate the growth of the business, the IT systems put in place had to be exceptional. The Associate introduced the latest cargo system (ABS) and ensured all systems could support the intensive workload of the business. Our Associate also implemented up-to-date wireless technology to optimise warehouse operations and make communication more efficient.
Over the course of a long tenure, our Associate nurtured dnata through a number of expansions and acquisitions, resulting in the company increasing in size approximately five-fold versus when it began. Today, dnata is a world leader in its field. The company’s IT department is now significantly larger – increased from 3 team members to 24 – and better-equipped to adapt to the ever-changing world of airline travel. The introduction of wireless technology, the latest cargo systems and modernised technology has hugely improved dnata’s efficiency in warehouses and across the business. Our work with the business helped it become the world leader in its field.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Armed with a budget of £300k, our Associate was tasked with stabilising an inconsistent system and shoring up the IT system after the team unexpectedly left. Forshaws relied on one system that was severely out of date, with any support and upgrade contracts running out. The exchange limit was constantly being exceeded, and our Associate needed to bring the entire Forshaws system up to date and optimise it for a business of this size. The company, with around 160 users, hadn’t had any regeneration or significant improvements for around 10 years, so was severely in need of an update.
Our Associate analysed all the software and applications in use in the business, and consolidated the whole system to maximise efficiency – consolidating 32 separate applications down to a core 16 programmes. The company was also upgraded to the latest SQL programming system, and our Associate ensured each system was fully optimised and up to date.
Our Associate identified a reliance on a single system and a physical server system as an area for improvement in the existing work model. By virtualising the entire environment, moving to 12 virtual servers and cutting down to just two physical in-house servers, our Associate simplified the costs for Forshaws, who saw a significant saving.
Before our Associate worked with the team, Forshaws found that everyday systems and applications were consistently crashing, massively impacting efficiency and workflow. Part of the project involved upgrading the company to the latest SQL programming system and making sure everything from software to exchange system was fully optimised and up to date.
Our Associate achieved the entire project for just £65k, almost £250k under Forshaws’ budget. By the end of our Associate’s tenure, the company had a full, wide-ranging and all-encompassing set of systems that were completely up to date, upgradeable and fit for purpose. One of the major wins for the whole project was a hugely significant reduction in running costs for the business, in conjunction with saving so much of the budget for this project. Demonstrating the efficiency and impact of this project, it won the award for Best Internally Managed Project of the Year from the BT Group.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
• Work through a big merger with another firm to complete within six months
• Revamp and revitalise the internal IT department
• Convert systems from one OS to another
Cobbetts LLP was a corporate law firm, working mainly in corporate, employment, dispute and real estate law. At the time of the project, Cobbetts was the top law firm in Manchester. The firm was originally founded in Manchester, and expanded to have offices there and in London, Leeds and Birmingham.
Our Associate was tasked with helping Cobbetts complete a large-scale merger with Leeds-based law firm Reed Hyde Stewart. The merger had to be completed within six months. Cobbetts also used a different operating system to the other firm, so the project involved completing an overhaul and conversion of the firm’s entire operating system. There was also discontent and a poor staff satisfaction rate with regards to IT that needed to be addressed and resolved within the time limit.
Our Associate conducted an internal staff survey to fully understand the issues and perceived issues with the current IT setup. Building on the results, our Associate then built up a new IT team, with a combination of temporary appointments and fast recruitments. Appointments included two trainers, two Case Management Developers, a Software Developer and a range of other IT support staff.
Part of the merger involved the Cobbetts team learning to operate on a Microsoft-based system, as opposed to the Novel system in place before. Providing training across the team was quite challenging, with myriad new roles; furthermore, Microsoft was brand-new to lots of the team members.
Around 300 of the firm’s computers were outfitted with a different type of motherboard than was required for the new, upgraded operating system. This meant that 300 motherboards needed replacing! Our Associate managed to arrange for DELL to upgrade every single motherboard for absolutely no cost. It was then a challenge to install all these motherboards in time for the merger to take place – which was achieved!
Under the guidance of our Associate, Cobbetts successful completed a merger with Reed Hyde Stewart. The team and all workload were migrated over to a completely new operating system, with successful and comprehensive training provided to streamline productivity. When our Associate arrived the IT team and companywide perception of IT wasn’t in a good place; in just six months, by the time the project was completed, our Associate had built a comprehensive and fully-staffed team well-equipped to move the company forwards. Communication across the company improved, and all the systems were fully implemented within the time objective.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
This client required a move to an ERP software solution that initially integrated with key business applications within Finance, once proven Finance would transition in to the same system. The aim being to see improvement in processing through intregity and performance and modernisation of systems allowing improved reporting on business KPIs. As well as improving the technology platform to bring scaling and efficiency gains into the IT department.
A specialist in food delivery, B2B distribution and bulk shipping, providing general supplies for coffee shops, pubs and restaurants on a large scale.
The company had previously been unsuccessful in bringing in an ERP system. After working with the business to understand the current business processes and workflows, the Associate guided them through reviews to streamline and use technology where possible to remove manual interventions. The Associated then worked with vendors to create a short-list of suitable partners and systems that the business could meet, review and make a selection from. Appointing the successful vendor he then mediated between them to ensure a smooth and progressive development and transition of system was undertaken. The completed development brought additional automation to the business and allowed for internet and email of orders to be processed without user intervention for the first time.
Whilst keeping the existing IT team intact, our Associate improved the management structure and helped improve the department’s efficiency, which immediately benefited the business.
There were significant, noticeable increases in efficiency across the business following our Associate’s work. Increases in revenue were also recorded, and there were savings made on staff costs, in part thanks to internet orders being possible for the first time.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
The Derby Rolls-Royce branch deals with large volumes of information being sent around the world, much of which is confidential. As such, security is a major priority, as is keeping systems up to date. Developing new software and ensuring top-level security and efficiency is a priority, particularly for the branch’s museum functions.
Rolls-Royce is one of the best-known and most revered names in the world of luxury car manufacturing and aero-engineering. The company’s Derby branch is home to one of world’s largest displays of historic engines.
The business type demanded a whole new software system, which our Associate built from scratch. After assessing the needs of the company at large, this SaaS system was purpose-built for Rolls-Royce, so perfectly suited the needs of the company. It has been through several iterations and is seen as key part of the business’ marketing and servicing department needs.
A full audit was carried out across the whole company, assessing and analysing the effectiveness of all the software and IT systems in use. As such, recommendations for everything from video editing suites to security systems were reviewed and improved. The Audits and reviews are repeated on a yearly basis and reports are used in the key IT strategy of the business.
Much of Rolls-Royce’s output involved confidential and secure information, so our Associate worked with teams across the business to rollout strengthened security systems and prevention programmes for malware to shore up all business operations.
The software built and implemented by our Associate is still used internally today within Rolls-Royce (version five) to share product images and media – particularly for new prototypes and historical engines (if an RR engine plane is flight worthy the engine service data has to be retained) – and is incredibly important. After the project, the global transfer of files and photos was made much more efficient and secure, which was particularly important for confidential information and test results etc. The continued IT audits prove to lead improved internal tech security overall.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Arts Alliance Media is the world’s leading provider of cinema software and digital services, working with business across the globe. The business started with just three employees, and has since grown exponentially; the management saw big opportunities to grow, and brought in our Associate to help; the investor was initially experimenting with this business, and owned another cinema chain. Arts Alliance Media won a tender for a Lottery-funded initiative to grow digital cinema in the UK.
Our Associate was challenged to help grow Arts Alliance Media into the world-leading company it is today. Managing multiple cinemas and offices across multiple global locations was a huge task, and required an overhaul of existing systems and updates to team structures. Our Associate needed to put a helpdesk in place to manage queries, implement new software and help recruit a team across multiple locations to help business growth.
Arts Alliance Media worked with a selection of top studios and manage contracts across Europe, South Africa and Latin America. Our Associate recognised a need for software to manage the scale and volume of deployments across the globe, and developed a specialised theatre management system. After hiring a VP of Development as the business grew, software was developed directly with one client, meaning all specific requirements were met. The company ended up selling that software all around the world.
Before Our Associate came aboard, the cloud strategy at the company was outdated and causing challenges for growth – in short, it needed modernising and making fit for purpose. Our Associate came up with a new native cloud approach to build a platform for Arts Alliance Media to offer worldwide products and services. The new cloud product is truly multi-tenanted, scalable and completely adaptable, while also being versatile and secure; it also increased the value of the business (which was later acquired).
The IT team began with just our Associate, and by the end of his term consisted of:
Our Associate’s work with Arts Alliance Media led to a huge upturn in functionality, efficiency and productivity across the business. As well as improving structures and developing teams, under our Associate’s tenure Arts Alliance Media became the biggest provider of that particular Theatre Management software in the world.
Returning to the business later on a consultancy basis, Our Associate was able to reduce the cost of the cloud software by £200k per year. Other responsibilities included liaising closely with the CEO and Senior Management teams, working on several mini-projects to improve process on the ground, supporting to transition development from the UK to China. Our Associate was involved in the sales process and worked on an outward-facing basis as a member of the Senior Management team; being commercially-minded and not obsessing over the technology was crucial for this project’s success.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
This client specialises in creating industry-leading film distribution software for the motion picture industry. They have over 50 employees working from four office locations and works with clients around the world – their software is currently deployed in more than 50 territories, by almost 100 distributors.
Our Associate was tasked with completing a thorough technology audit across the clients outfit. After a period of relative instability, the company required a review and restructure. Management processes, customer interfaces, new software and new personnel were all issues that required attention in order for the client to progress in the marketplace.
Our Associate spent time with various departments and teams within the clients business – including management, product teams and developers – to get a true understanding of the business and how it worked. After interviewing the team, our Associate was able to highlight potential opportunities and suggest new and improved strategies across the business.
The client were testing an agile methodology process, which our Associate recommended for wider adoption across all teams, with advice about how to manage the transition. Our Associate also analysed the suitability of existing PowerBuilder product frameworks for future growth, and recommended a transition to modern web technologies. Other recommendations included integration with a cloud-based finance system to integrate all systems and provide better customer service.
As well as looking into the ways teams and departments were structured and managed, our Associate looked into the ways client accounts were engaged and suggested ways to revolutionise efficiency and manage product. An analysis of the Product Management structure led to the recruitment of a Product Director, who our associate was able to introduce from his network of contacts,
An extremely thorough IT audit of the clients account outlined all the potential opportunities for improvement and growth across the business. Our Associate was able to outline recommended actions and work with the management to see these through to fruition. As a result, the business was able to progress to the next phase of its IT and business strategy.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Established for over 300 years, SPCK Publishing is a market-leading publishing company specialising in Christian and Theology titles. SPCK is the largest Christian publishing company in the UK, and is also a mission and registered charity.
The company wasn’t using the most efficient IT services for their business, and was hosting multiple websites with multiple different providers and as a result had high outgoing costs and overheads. Current systems weren’t efficient for the business’s size and output, and required an overhaul.
The whole process was started with a full IT audit so our Associate could gain a full understanding of how the business was currently run and get to grips with all the requirements. Going forward, our Associate and the SPCK teams worked with a “plan twice, execute once” mentality to minimise any oversights. Several roadmaps – for short, medium and long-term – were created to help this project, and also ended up helping the company’s digital and general business strategies too.
Our Associate identified a number of providers and software programmes that the client was using that could be improved on, replaced or made more efficient. Lots of the same products and programmes were retained for streamlining, but were moved to the cloud or SaaS platforms to make the whole business much more efficient and cohesive.
One of the key moves was transitioning the company to the SaaS platform Biblio Graphics, which is tailor-made for the publishing industry.; identifying the perfect software for a specific business need is key. A new SharePoint system was put in place for internal communication. Implementing Microsoft Azure Portal, our Associate migrated four of the company’s eight websites so SPCK can self-host – this significantly reduced costs and complications. A brand-new CRM system was also set up with enterprise architecture to establish and expand a sales-to-distribution process moving forwards.
The project led by our Associate resulted in significant and measurable savings for SPCK, of around £60k. The Azure Portal project resulted in savings of around 80% (£12k), and the new SharePoint system was free for this not-for-profit charity. In addition, the general accessibility and efficiency of the business was much improved, as was data protection and IT security. By moving multiple apps and programmes to a cloud-based system, our Associate future-proofed the business from expensive future investment in devices. The IT service was vastly improved, and is now able to focus on business development rather than firefighting multiple smaller requests, thanks to a hugely developed interface.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
This business is the oldest and largest youth-based charity in the world; providing services for youth across a range of sectors, including training, education, health and accommodation. Headquartered in London, the company works across more than 100 independent centres.
The company's small IT department required a director and a general overhaul – paying for multiple third party providers and expensive external contracts was a huge drain on resources. Outdated and overworked systems required an extensive review.
IT team restructure and recruitment
Our Associate began by reviewing and overseeing the IT Support/Infrastructure and Development Team, recruiting a team of 15 Microsoft specialists for the nationwide organisation of 1,500 people, Then transitioned into building an infrastructure team looking after the Microsoft Azure Portal. Among the appointments our Associate made were a small team of developers specialising in Microsoft dynamics, a Reporting & Business intelligence team, a Compliance team to handle data protection, a Project & Portfolio Management team and two contract-led Business Analysts.
As well as onboarding the entire company to new enterprise architecture, our Associate created the business’s own API library for B2B customers to integrate with. This was then streamlined with business services and all B2B clients for ease of use. Our Associate headed up a complex Business Process Management project, connecting and working with all the many different strands of this huge organisation.
Our Associate pioneered a learning resource project using a patent-pending Droplet Computing system that allowed organisation students to access the in-house training academy on any device, without having to rely on internet connectivity. Our Associate sourced devices for a per head cost of around £50, and used this cloud-based approach to make systems accessible across the company's service area. This is just one of the examples of how this project worked to improve efficiency while cutting costs.
After completion of this project, the organisation saw significant savings across a number of areas, including an annual saving of over £50k from removing the use of legacy third party providers and a 25% saving (£25k) by renegotiating fixed line connectivity contracts. Our Associate also tailored contracts for mobile phones across the business, generating a saving of 75% of the previous cost. In total, the business saw incredible savings of around £230k. By the end of our Associate’s work, the team had grown in size and was more experienced, equipped and efficient across the board. The newly built IT department brought services in-house, which provided excellent value for money and meant the company had more control over every aspect of the business.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Experian is the world leader in consumer credit reporting and global information services. The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and serves more than a billion customers across the globe, offering credit evaluation services to both individual consumers and businesses.
On this project, our Associate’s role was to be responsible for the successful delivery and ongoing performance of a new service model, from initial review and redesign right through implementation and launch.
Beginning by reviewing and understanding Experian’s existing service model, our Associate then set out to understand what the goals and desired outcomes of the project should be. He then moved on to identify how the structure would work within the business and assessed which relevant stakeholders would be consulted to ensure understanding, agreement and collaboration across the business.
One of Experian’s goal was to drive colleague engagement forward. So, our Associate ensured that all relevant and applicable colleagues responsible for delivering the service were involved in the process, planning and execution of the project, partly through the inclusion of a bespoke communication and engagement plan which incorporated those roles and areas not historically deemed ‘client facing’. A clear set of objectives was subsequently established for all areas of the business.
As communication was such a top priority for this project, our Associate worked hard to ensure regular communications were delivered both internally and externally. The creation of a single ecosystem where everyone had the same objectives ensured everyone across the business was working together and pulling in the same direction.
After reviewing the number of areas, processes and capabilities and assessing which system upgrades were required, our Associate designed a business model that would suit the unique needs of the organisation, based on a Service Integration and Management (SIAM) model. To implement this, the way teams and staff hierarchies were structured was adapted to better suit Experian’s needs. A new governance model was created, which our Associate designed to ensure accountability was clear and consciously provided at the appropriate points right across the organisation.
One of the major results of the project was a positive change to the company culture across the board with regards to service. Huge reduction in downtime and problem investigations were noted, as was a massive and notable increase in colleague engagement scores and people surveys, which in turn led to an increase in NPS.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Experian is the world leader in consumer credit reporting and global information services. The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and serves more than a billion customers across the globe, offering credit evaluation services to both individual consumers and businesses.
Objectives
Experian is the world leader in consumer credit reporting and global information services. The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and serves more than a billion customers across the globe, offering credit evaluation services to both individual consumers and businesses.
The client required a new service operating model including a Service Desk offering to be created utilising global teams, in order to enhance the breadth of the company’s offering for clients around the world. The focus was to ensure the service was ‘rightshored’ in terms of skills and capabilities regardless of location. To complete this, multiple departments and teams required transitioning and adapting, with a high number of projects needing to be carried out simultaneously.
Our Associate began the project by reviewing Experian’s existing service model and associated cost base, analysing all the potential requirements and assessing deliverables. This process was overseen by our Associate for the live operations service function, working closely with the relevant teams throughout. The market was assessed for options and narrowed down to appropriate choices for the client.
After reviewing the existing model and devising a plan for global expansion, our Associate worked collaboratively with the business to take the work out to tender, beginning the process of selection with an initial nine vendors, which was then whittled down to five and then to two, all according to the needs, preferences and requirements of the team at Experian. These vendors were based all over the world, and our Associate visited key locations to carry out the necessary due diligence to make the right choice for the client.
A statement of works was designed and actioned, to give clarity on who was responsible for each area of the project and subsequent service. Our Associate worked to roll this out across the company to ensure it was agreed before leading the transition to the new vendor over a three-month period. During this time there was a significant amount of engagement, Organisational Change Management and international communication that needed to take place, all of which was overseen by our Associate on behalf of the client.
One of the key aspects of the transition was making sure that all existing internal teams were managed and communicated with throughout the process. Our Associate worked to gain a full understanding of the current and potential workload, managing it throughout. The goal was to implement a seamless transition to a new service model blended across multiple organisations, including a new Service Desk, with a ‘one organisation’ ethos across teams. Following the completion of the the transition and initial set-up, our Associate took the responsibility for continuing to deliver the strategic direction and and operational services, leading enhanced organisational works to make the development as seamless as possible for Experian.
By the end of the project, our Associate had overseen the founding and set-up of a new global service model, including a new Service Desk for Experian based in Cape Town, South Africa. This service desk went on to not only achieve, but exceed their service level agreement after the transition was completed. Colleague engagement was noticeably improved following the project, and Experian had a broader service capability coupled with significant cost savings as a result of our Associate’s work.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Bath Spa University is a public university in England with a student body of over 7,000. The University features some of the best digital media facilities in the UK, and offers courses across the academic spectrum. The IT department looks after the university as a whole, from providing services to students and teaching staff to maintaining networks and multiple online sites.
The University IT department contained two disparate teams and two separate reporting lines, causing inefficiency and confusion. A lack of clear direction was compounded by the lack of a senior specialist. A total overhaul and restructure on a large scale was required.
After engaging with the senior management team, our Associate was able to fully understand the current organisational strategy and devise a methodology for improvement. A full IT strategy was formulated based on the current structure, ideal structure and department objectives.
A comprehensive review was carried out across multiple sectors within the IT department: from Planning, IT Governance and Service Delivery to all reporting and the Service Life Cycle. Following this, our Associate designed a new organisational structure for the IT department and close departments outside it, maximising the workforce and cutting out inefficiencies.
Our Associate identified a need for key personnel to be added to the existing team and worked with the University’s Senior Management to find the perfect candidates. As well as recruitment, the Senior Team was redesigned with a new hierarchy and adapted roles; two departments were also consolidated. A new Service Manager/Portfolio Manager was recruited, working to implement a newly laid out software and infrastructure plan. Hiring an Information Security Manager was key for the University moving forward.
Before our Associate arrived, there was virtually no information security strategy in place, beyond basic technology security and specialised expertise in certain areas. Our Associate identified this as a key area for improvement, and through streamlined recruitment was able to appoint the ideal personnel to move the department forward. Other key developments included introducing Agile Kanban methodology to the department and migrating key applications to a cloud-based system.
Our Associate reviewed and assessed every vendor and third party partner working with the University from a security perspective, analysing and highlighting any areas that needed a closer look. Then, our Associate worked on a GDPR project to get the business fully compliant and up-to-date with the necessary guidelines.
Our Associate led a review of the University's approach to managing technology-related risks which articulated risks in terms of business impact. With Our Associate’s help, the business is now able to identify which team members own risks, help manage risks and assess everything across the business efficiently.
After our Associate’s project with the business, the team was able to measure new metrics to measure the success of the department – previously there had been no measurement or way to control and analyse growth and risks. A huge improvement was felt in Information Security, and the business was moved to modern, compliant and up-to-date processes with ease. Recruitment of experienced personnel with a track record of success in their fields meant the business was much better equipped and the new HR system alongside rejuvenated team structure meant more efficiency going forward, that was felt across the whole business.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
The BBC is a public service broadcast company, and one of the world’s leading providers of media content. The largest broadcaster in the world, the BBC provides multi-lingual and multi-platform content across a range of media, including television, radio and online.
2012 was the early days of cloud computing, and our Associate was tasked by the BBC to assess and report back on the viability of such a large media company moving over to a cloud-based system. As the technology wasn’t widely known at the time, our Associate had to undergo extensive research and reporting projects and relate them back to the team at the BBC.
Our Associate produced an in-depth report covering everything from the basics of cloud computing to a review of its viability for the BBC and recommendations. A supplier review was also completed, to thoroughly understand which suppliers were available and working in relevant areas.
To thoroughly underline and explain the benefits and potential uses of cloud technology for the BBC, our Associate put together a project of five potential use cases across the BBC’s media output, demonstrating the ways in which a cloud-based system would positively impact the company’s work.
Our Associate identified and profiled three potential cloud technology partners for the BBC, each offering a different service and list of benefits. As each of the suppliers was providing a different and equally beneficial service, all three were utilised.
After working with the team and gaining an understanding of the BBC’s output and requirements over the course of two months, our Associate was able to provide a thorough, personalised and expert report detailing the ways in which cloud technology could benefit the business. The report included recommendations and a series of case studies and partner profiles. Our Associate provided all the information and expertise required for the team at the BBC to make an informed decision.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
A leading not-for-profit education company providing specialised Education to disadvantaged young people.
This client required a spending review and wished to reduce capital expenditure in order to justify spending to their board alongside making spending more predictable and operations related. The company didn’t wish to employ a full-time CTO, so our Associate was required to implement a new spending programme and evaluate the company’s growth.
Our Associate sat down with the team to understand and validate the initial goals set for this project. One of the goals was to identify opportunities to consolidate databases and shore up efficiency in order to cut down on costs. Our Associate reviewed tactics and goals with stakeholders at every step of the project, ensuring the company’s core values were being maintained and to ensure that the original goals of the project were going to be met, or to consider alternative tactics throughout. A custom ‘scorecard’ was created so the company could keep track of goals and included industry Benchmarking for the products and services chosen for implementation.
By looking at all systems across HR, employee engagement and billing, our Associate was able to create a full dependency map to evaluate the company’s outgoings and output. A hands-on approach meant our Associate could fully understand the way each team worked and create a thorough presentation for stakeholders which included achievable goals, manageable timescales and a full project plan.
A number of new systems were identified by our Associate as logical and beneficial next steps for the company. As a result, communication frameworks were moved onto Slack and Trello to help create a more cohesive and effective way for the business to communicate. The CRM system in place was moved over to Hubspot, which was assessed to be the most efficient option for this business.
Our Associate’s project created more visibility across the business, enabling the management team to be able to illustrate spending and operating costs more clearly to the board and investors. By the end of the spending review and with the ‘scorecard’ in place, all costs were known and forecasted in real-time, which was not only beneficial from a monetary point of view, but prevented software compliance issues such as data sovereignty, privacy and security requirements in the future. Improvements were also made across the board on security standards, and as a result of this project the company was able to meet certifications and standards that they weren’t able to reach previously. Increased employee and volunteer engagement and much improved communication were just some of the other positive outcomes of our Associate’s hands-on and proactive approach to this project.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
This project required a specialist level of expertise, which our Associate was able to provide, with a background in relevant tech and a solid understanding of this kind of business. The project is based on getting the company up and running with Oracle, expanding the SaaS product and creating a strategy to get the product into the marketplace.
Our Associate sat down with the developer team at the company and reviewed all the code. This led to the creation of working solutions using Microsoft and Azure products as well as JavaScript. After this stage, our Associate was able to build a sturdy proof of concept to show the team, Oracle and ISV stakeholders – there was now a valid product that could go live, which was a huge step forward for the company.
As with any product development, there were various elements that needed to be streamlined and ironed out before the product could proceed to launch. Our Associate worked closely with the product and development teams at the company to ensure the product was up to standard. Taking the role as architect of the project and overseeing code and database integrations, our Associate took on responsibility for the product’s development.
Our Associate worked alongside the business development teams at the company to ensure that the product’s technical implementation was conducive to meeting business goals, and during the incredibly busy period prior to the launch date in order to meet the target. Following the launch, our Associate worked with the company on governance and managing the project for the future, setting out plans for future versions and upgrades.
As well as advising and strategisng on various elements of business and technology strategy at the business, our Associate has been able to help the company think more about what its partner model should look like moving forward; one sub-project has been assessing whether investing in partner account and technical account managers is a worthwhile investment for a start-up at this stage. Our Associate has also worked in an advisory role with the founder and CTO of the start-up throughout this project.
Our Associate played a huge role in helping this start-up achieve its potential and get its product off the ground and into the market place. At the beginning of the project, the business didn’t have a product offering, but does now! As a result of this hard work, the business went from zero to six-figure monthly billings within its first quarter.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
This initiative was delivered for a major global insurer operating in multiple countries each with their own set of IT applications. The objective was to optimise and simplify the global landscape, identifying priorities for decommissioning, rationalisation and investment and thereby future proof the business by enabling the organisation to achieve its Business goals and strategy.
Our Associate was tasked with leading the Application Rationalisation Project; the company had a costly and extremely complex applications landscape, as a result of a series of acquisitions, accumulating multiple different applications. Duplication of functionality led to business-related risks, an overly complex system landscape and lack of efficiency.
Our Associate undertook a full review of all the systems and applications, and in doing so discovered ageing, disparate and duplicated applications between, and within business units which were driving costs and complexity as well as hindering the delivery of the business strategy and plans.
After establishing the initial issues and opportunities (ageing and inefficient applications, too much complexity, high working and integration costs), our Associate worked with the business and senior management to align and prioritise the application rationalisation opportunities with their business strategy and risk management. Following these discussions, our Associate developed a strategy and roadmap for rationalisation which would support the delivery of the overall business strategy and priorities.
A review of the business strategy showed which applications were necessary and which could be consolidated or decommissioned. Our Associate worked closely with the board, stakeholders and people across the business to ensure pain points were being addressed in the project and that the status quo was being challenged in order to get the desired results. Our Associate then created a transformation roadmap to set out the timing and priorities for delivery of an optimised application landscape.
After understanding the way the business worked and the leadership team’s desired results, our Associate created a proposal and plan to de-risk and consolidate the systems; opportunities were identified to integrate functionality into single applications and for use of enterprise systems in order to manage the operating costs, leverage the application functionality and also to enable the sharing of data across teams and business functions.
Over the course of this project, our Associate was able to identify opportunities to reduce the number of the company’s in-use applications by 25% through a number of de-commissioning initiatives. This identified real cost savings of over 15% of the application operational costs in the first year, as well as an improved ability to achieve required regulatory compliance thanks to simplifying the application platform. The main objective of reducing financial and operational risks across the organisation was achieved thanks to the new-look application environment.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
A leading global specialist in Insurance Run-off and Claims Management.
The client was undertaking a business and data acquisition with no previous experience of a project on this scale nor the internal personnel to manage it. An IT director was required to manage the acquisition and integration of the new data with the existing business processes and to identify a solution for new functionality required to support the incoming book of business
In order to design the programme of work to deliver the business goals, our Associate developed close working relationships with the business leaders and the acquisition board to understand their existing objectives and the potential impact of the acquisition on the business and IT teams.
Our Associate was initially engaged to to identify the shape of the programme, which involved eight different IT work streams across architecture, analysis, testing, integration, business engagement & training, operational support, infrastructure and supplier management. Following approval of the Project charter and budget by the Board, our Associate was engaged for the longer term to develop the team and execute on the agreed approach and plan.
After being brought aboard to manage the IT side of the acquisition as IT Programme Director, our Associate moved to strengthen the organisation in key areas. She recruited Business Analysts, key Project Management personnel, Testers, Data Architects and Trainers for the new project. This was essentially a new IT department of around 15 people, made up of a mixture of internal and external recruits.
The acquisition would yield a large volume of data in a variety of formats that needed to be swiftly and seamlessly integrated with the existing system. The project also involved a type of insurance new to the business and requiring new functionality to support it. Our Associate led the project from start to finish, including the sourcing and negotiations for the new IT solution. Working closely with the business colleagues, the supplier and the target acquisition’s teams were a key part of the process.
The IT and data elements of this acquisition were the largest the company had ever undertaken, and were successfully overseen and integrated by our Associate. The successful project meant the company were then able to work on a scale they hadn’t been able to reach before, with something to build on for the future. Our Associate worked hard to ingrain new skills and important processes into the organisation to pave the way for any future data acquisitions.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
This initiative was delivered within the Annuities Division of a major global insurer. Although the overall company operated internationally, this project was mainly concentrated in one business area but had links to a number of IT systems throughout the organisation.
The aim of the initiative was to implement a new integrated system to provide a “one-and-done” service for clients and back-office processing. In addition, there was significant change required to streamline business processes and personnel to improve efficiency and throughput.
The programme in question had been running for nearly a year and was falling behind in delivery before our Associate took ownership, with costs increasing as a result. Delays were due partly to software development issues (e.g. clarification of requirements) and limited knowledge of existing systems which had been running for over 30 years and were no longer fully understood. The programme Board decided that a review of the programme was required to determine feasibility of continuing.
Our Associate was asked to do a review of the programme from a “best practice” governance perspective. This was done with input from the Project Support staff and through interviews with Business Managers, third-party developers and other relevant stakeholders.
Our Associate produced a Review Report which he presented to the Board. The report contained key risks and issues as well as immediate solutions and possible areas for improvement. It was accepted in full by the Programme Board and our Associate was asked to take over the Programme Management with immediate effect.
After establishing the initial issues and identifying potential opportunities, our Associate worked with the business and senior management to align and prioritise the activities of the programme appropriate to “best practice”. This approach included a complete re-plan of all tasks along with a team restructure and assignment of new resources. The governance structure was strengthened; for example, the Programme Board was revitalised with new representatives in line with PRINCE2.
A new budget was put forward to the Programme Board, backed up by the new plan and agreed third-party costs (including penalties) as well as a Change Budget to be used as a “draw down” in the event that necessary changes were identified. The Board approved the new budget and timeline.
A dedicated Programme Room was set up to hold all meetings, reviews and presentations etc., making the project work more efficient and accountable. Chart, mission statements, planning milestones and delivery progress materials were dotted around the room, providing Management Information to stakeholders and the team. This strategy ensured a cost and time-effective way of working.
A key element to this project involved changing business processes in order to provide more efficiency and economies of scale. There was an inevitability that roles would disappear or morph into new roles requiring new training, and prior to our Associate’s involvement members of the business were naturally worried about their job security.
Our Associate worked with the Business Heads to reduce this concern. Where appropriate, colleagues were assigned to the programme to assist in the understanding of the existing systems and to help ensure the new system achieved its objectives. Our Associate eased any concerns in terms of moving out of “comfort zones”, which led to colleagues gradually embracing the new world and adding enormous value; this transitional period was crucial to the project’s success and the business’ future development.
Development was undertaken by a third-party external consultancy, who held an initial agreement with the business to be paid on delivery of releases. This meant that the consultancy tried to deliver as quickly as possible, which gave rise to issues including errors and bugs which failed testing and would then often need to be re-tested weeks after the previous release. Clearly, this issue impacted efficiency and overwhelmed the Testing Team prior to our Associate’s involvement.
Our Associate initially put a hold on development (and payments) until these problems were resolved. The outcome was a reduced delivery cycle (monthly rather than weekly) and a change to the testing to satisfy both parties. This involved:
Implementing the RAT and SAT protocols dramatically improved the cycle of testing and acceptance, while still allowing payment of invoices on a regular basis to keep the project running smoothly.
After this, our Associate identified a further volume issue; external consultants were able to “throw bodies” at the development, resulting in releases that had more functionality delivered each time than the business’ finite Test Team could handle. Our Associate resolved this issue by requesting investment in a suite of automated testing tools. This was approved and the tools were installed in the Model Office where they remained post-delivery, greatly improving efficiency at testing level.
One of the key aspects of the implementation ensuring that the business’ existing data (over 200 million items) was accurately migrated to the new system. This was complicated by the fact that the data structures were formatted differently, and the rules used on the old systems were obscure or not well understood by the current team.
The initial findings of our Associate’s review identified that the programme was using internal staff (available from the bench) for determining a migration strategy. Our Associate removed these resources and obtained the services of an external consultancy who specialised in data migration. The external team brought a wealth of knowledge and a specific set of tools that allowed the programme to successfully migrate all relevant data with 100% accuracy.
Data clean-up was also a big factor; a lot of the existing data had errors or missing information (due to lack of integrity checking in the old systems). The tools provided by the external migration specialists assisted with this and made transfer much more complete. Clean-up was done within the business environment and temporary procedures were written to ensure the same errors did not creep in again, before each new data extract was performed.
Due to the considerable change to the business processes, our Associate helped create a Model Office to provide a forum for the new software to be implemented alongside the new business structures. Initially this multi-purpose space was used as part of User Acceptance Testing, but later became the default training environment prior to go-live, and then subsequently a pre-production environment for future releases.
A key part of the User Acceptance Testing was the use of Dress Rehearsals. Our Associate requested at least two to be undertaken over long weekends with upwards of 100 business resources involved. There rehearsals were in fact a “go-live with a backout” procedure, thereby testing both the go-live and a reversal to ensure all processes and systems were up-and-running or returned to the original state without error.
Under our Associate, every possible outcome and potential pitfall was fully investigated ahead of time. Two rehearsals were undertaken prior to the go-live; the second rehearsal was so successful that the business wanted to stay live already! At the proper time, the final go-live went ahead as planned with no mishaps.
The programme led by our Associate was successfully implemented and the final system is still running at the business to this day. A number of satellite systems were subsequently developed that linked to the improved, normalised databases – as set up by our Associate – to cover other functions such as Workflow, Image Capturing and New Policy Capture.
The achievement of a “one-and-done” approach increased productivity greatly and the programme became a model for good programme governance across the business and beyond.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Working with a major investment bank operating in multiple countries – each with its own set of regulatory requirements – this project involved implementing a package solution to handle the custody business functions. The package was provided by a third-party vendor who performed the customisation and implementation. User Testing and management of the programme was conducted by the bank with the assistance of one of the Big 4. The overall Programme Director role was filled by a permanent bank resource – Head of Custody.
Before our Associate joined this project, the control of governance, reporting, costs and delivery were not properly joined up across the business’ various locations. In addition, resources in the Programme Management Office (PMO) were, in most cases, very junior and had little experience in controlling information for a programme this size (over 100 people).
In addition, the monthly reports had a wide, high-level audience – including treasury officials from two countries – and the quality of these reports was often poor, mainly due to the fact that they were collated from all over the world and created using different systems, fonts, colours etc. Different time zones meant receipt time in the UK varied, and sometimes certain areas did not provide data in time for publication, which was typically on a tight deadline. This meant that meeting time was often taken up with criticising the actual delivery of the reports, rather than the information contained within.
Our Associate took over the running of the Programme Office at the bank. The first task he undertook personally was to sort out the important and highly visible Monthly Report. This report took inputs from 15 different sources which included two vendors, three business areas and three continents.
Most of the work involved creating a formal Delivery Diary that was published to each area, as well as producing a template for completing the information. Our Associate also worked to make the presentation of the report more uniform and inline with the business’ house style; cosmetic changes involved making sure all the fonts and colours used were the same, and checking details such as page numbering were correct. This seemingly simple task could only be done as a last review after all the constituent parts of the report had been collated – normally around 10pm on a Thursday night!
The revamped report was extremely well received across the business, with the Programme Office team and our Associate receiving glowing reviews for their attention to detail in improving this important report.
After sorting out the key documents, our Associate concentrated on the aspects of governance that should be in place on any programme. These included:
Resources were allocated or procured to cover each of these activities in all locations, with our Associate leading the project and taking ownership of organisation.
Prior to our Associate’s arrival, communication across the bank’s various teams (development and business) was lacking. Announcements would be made when key items were to be shared, but these were quite often only company-related and not programme-related, which led to crucial information being missed by certain teams.
Our Associate instituted a process whereby the overall Programme Director spoke to the assembled programme staff on a regular basis. Our Associate explained and demonstrated the importance of regular communication, even if there was little new information to be shared. This stopped team members feeling they were being left out of the loop, and greatly boosted team and company morale. As well as diffusing important work information, it became a space for singling out achievers, and announcing events like birthdays, new births and personal news – this made the workplace a more cohesive and productive environment.
Even the seemingly simple steps of making the Monthly Report’s style uniform and increasing cross-company communication saw a huge improvement to the bank’s efficiency, and made it much easier for our Associate to ensure successful delivery of the custody system. More visible and actional governance plus a greater understanding of the lines of communication and stakeholder responsibility greatly improved the bank’s way of working and streamlined efficiency.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
The Global Service Logistics (GSL) organisation was and remains a substantial business unit of DHL Supply Chain - the world's leading contract logistics provider and part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group. GSL provides time-critical replacement part logistics services to major organisations in various sectors, serviced from a network of over 1,000 stocking locations.
Create a multi-year global transformation programme to design and implement a new operating model for the organisation, together with a revised IT solution architecture
Our associate was asked by the then global CIO to take over the IT leadership of the struggling transformation programme, review the existing plans and establish a viable way forward.
Designed and implemented a new global IT organisation
After reviewing the IT organisation, our associate developed and implemented a new IT operating model which blended global, regional and partner IT teams across three continents to streamline the business output.
Reviewed, refined, and adjusted internal IT systems and solutions to ensure a stronger focus on standardisation, digitalisation and mobility. Our associate also implemented a reduced time-to-market, and blended best-of-breed vendor solutions with niche vendor edge solutions and in-house development to create a more cohesive model.
Our associate led the team implementing the revised IT solution architecture. Starting with a pilot phase involving three global blue-chip customers, the team successfully rolled out the architecture globally to all customers, all the while maintaining 24-hour service support.
Our associate led the team that designed and implemented a new partner service management model with a Tier One supplier in India. This support model drove increased customer satisfaction, lowered support costs and saw fewer incidents per 1,000 order lines - greatly improving productivity.
On completion of the transformation project, the business unit exceeded its double-digit CAGR objectives, improved its customer retention, reduced cost to serve, and met its customer satisfaction targets. The transformation programme was subsequently awarded a CEO Supply Chain Excellence Award, and our associate was personally recognised by the global CIO.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Asmodee UK is the UK's largest supplier of tabletop games, board games, card games and collectables. The company is part of the Asmodee Group, which is headquartered in France.
The client required an improvement in overall IT performance, and a reduction in excessive downtime across the IT department. Warehouse operations needed streamlining and improving. A gap in the team for Head of IT and Change Management was filled by our Associate initially on a part-time basis to take on the challenge.
Beginning with an initial IT review, our Associate then set out to understand the company’s business strategy and short to medium term goals, as well as desired IT outcomes. Next, our Associate put a new IT strategy in place alongside a more formal IT budget and redefined goals.
To ensure all key business sponsors were on board with the proposed IT changes, our Associate designed a thorough communication plan for across the company and set up steering committees. These committees were designed for each of the key systems and focused on team inclusion and workshops for requirement gathering and supplier and system selection.
As our Associate progressed within her role, it quickly became apparent that there were several risks within the business, owing to separate company locations and a reliance on hardware on the premises. The initial key projects therefore revolved around ensuring the right system foundations were put in place, including infrastructure improvements and a move towards a cloud-based environment. This included a migration to Office 365, the use of cloud-based servers, an ERP upgrade, a new document management system and the implementation of a digital Warehouse Management System to move away from an unreliable paper system.
Our Associate’s initial engagement of two days per week in the Head of IT role was so successful that she was offered a full-time position at the company, staying for two further years. During this time she headed up a Group global project for Master Data Management, worked alongside the Group PMO on TOM/internal process improvements and acted as Head of Logistics while a new team member was recruited. Other IT projects included GDPR compliance, the implementation of BI and reviewing a large-scale ERP and e-commerce system.
Throughout our Associate’s time with the client, stable processes were built to ensure work efficiency and performance gains for the long-term. IT improvements supporting company growth were also put in place, and included several acquisitions during the time our Associate was involved. The cloud-based platform, which was driven by our Associate, ensured that during Covid-19 lockdowns, the business could immediately continue to operate with people working from home with access to everything they required.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
Lydian Asset Management was formed in 2001, when former Bankers Trust Fixed Income portfolio managers raised $300M to form this new Convertible Arbitrage hedge fund.
With one office in Westport, Connecticut USA and the other in London, data between the offices was shared via email, and the company was managing its portfolios across shared spreadsheets. The current system processes were not suited to expansion or security and needed modernising.
Starting with an overview of what the company wanted to achieve, an IT Roadmap was drawn up. This included a re-design of the portfolio and risk management systems, back office automation systems, a security review, disaster recovery planning and business continuity tools.
One of the key achievements of the project was the bespoke software that was designed and built from scratch with our Associate. Off-the-shelf packages were available, but none of them provided the functionality the company required. By building bespoke portfolio and risk management systems, the company had full control over the features and functionality the wanted to use.
With custom-developed back office software, much of the back office transaction processing was now automated. Our Associate built systems that managed trade reconciliation, funding payments, forex balancing and trade hedging, which helped keep staffing head counts low for the business, and therefore increased efficiencies of the current staff.
Having four offices (in London, New York, Westport and Redbank, New Jersey) meant keeping data in sync across all sites was an important and complex task. At the time of the project, the concept of data centres was new and a dedicated fibre line was grossly expensive and outside the client’s budget. Our Associate conducted research to scope out the fastest internet connections for each office, and subsequently connected them all over VPN appliances.
The new systems that were designed and built by our Associate helped the company grow from $300m under management at the outset to over $3bn at its peak.
Efficiency wise, the company’s total head count never exceeded 24 members of staff across four offices. The ease of use of all new systems also meant that staff were able to jump across roles to help fill in when colleagues were on holiday or off work; it wasn’t uncommon to see back office staff managing the portfolios and the IT staff performing back office tasks after the systems were implemented.
The office connectivity gave the company business continuity, with every office backed up and synchronised across the network continuously.
In order to deliver a comprehensive overview of our Associates experience and to detail the service that they can deliver, some of our case studies will contain work carried out by our Associates prior to joining Bailey & Associates. Please note that we are not able to publish every case study, so if you would like to ask about our experience in a specific sector or industry, please contact us directly.
