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70 into 1

What had to be done?  

IT was needed for a new 5,000-strong organisation – the Learning and Skills Council - created from joining together 70 local Training and Enterprise Councils and the Further Education Funding Council. These were all mature organisations – each with their own IT infrastructure and applications, supply chain, and management arrangements. However, very little of these could continue to be used in the new organisation. The LSC was scheduled to open for business nine months from the time we became involved.
   

What our consultants did...  

We managed a programme of work that:                     

  • started with the development of new business model and associated processes for single organisation;   

  • took the model and processes and developed the information and technology strategies to deliver them and the business applications to support them, including where needed integrating them with legacy applications;  

  • set the strategy for and delivered the systems integration in a multi-vendor environment;

  • established  a service support team to manage the new and legacy applications;

  • provided supplier relationship and contract management.

We procured an entire IT supply chain for the new organisation. Initially a ‘partner’ organisation responsible for the overall service delivery was selected, and then, with them, further suppliers were chosen to provide the infrastructure.

A Project Support Office was established by us which provided a single set of project management arrangements for use in the new organisation – including a Project Management Handbook (based on PRINCE2) and the mentoring of former TEC and FEFC staff into their new project roles.  

At the former local TEC level around the country, we provided project management support to help these organisations plan for and transition into the new organisation.

   

How this helped...  

This enabled the new organisation to:

  • quickly establish its business model and processes allowing the LSC to consider all the other business implications flowing from them as well as the IT – e.g. staffing, delegated authorities – at an early stage in its development;  

  • manage change in the future and control costs because it began operation with a clear set of information strategies and IT architecture which could be exploited;

  • focus on the business of providing a national strategy and local provision of post-16 education and training using the IT, leaving delivery of the IT to its suppliers;  

  • coalesce during the transition from its former structure because the project support at the local level, together with the PSO provided it with a strong, coherent approach to managing change, which built upon recognised standards;

  • pass the risk for the provision of the new IT to the supply chain through flexible contracts  – allowing for both extended period beyond the initial time and additional services on pre-agreed pricing and timescales;

  • reduce the cost of the procurement of the supply chain by about a third and ensured that the given timescale was achieved.  

 

              70 into 1   ■  Digital Divide  ■  Safety First  ■   More, More, More  ■  Always There  ■ Pulling Together  ■  New World  ■  Pilot of the Airwaves  ■   No Cost   ■  Check it Out  ■  Follow Through