• Appointed to perform a chief of staff role for the CTO who needed to spend time with the Board and LT, focussing on how best to transition the organisation from a Publishing company to a Data company.
• The CTO was new in post and had inherited an IT function with a poor track record of delivery and inadequate controls and governance for operations.
• To complicate matters further, the carve-out from the previous owners was running into difficulties and forecast to be circa 6-months late.
• Additionally, Service operations had been outsourced to a 3rd party and the level of service received was significantly below expectations.

Oversee all aspects of a 70-person IT team, spread across UK, India and the US.

Specific emphasis on:

1. Controlling the remaining carve-out activities and ensuring it does not slip any further,
2. Effectiveness of the PMO function and make appropriate adjustments to improve.
3. Stabilisation of the recently outsourced Service function.

Stabilise the IT Function.

• Root and Branch review of the IT Operating Model to identify strengths and weaknesses.
• Address gaps on a prioritised basis in conjunction with the various IT Directors

Carve-Out

• Reviewed and improved Project governance and controls.
• Quickly identified the key workstream blockers that put the delivery date at risk.
• Identified options to circumnavigate those blockers (primarily related to technical & security issues that required support from the divesting organisation).
• Worked with key stakeholders in the divesting organisation and motivated them to change their previously unhelpful position on removing the blockers.

Stabilise PMO

• Reviewed existing controls and PMO structure and concluded it was not fit for pupose.
• Introduced new, light-touch controls and governance appropriate for a 600-person organisation.
• This included:
• Introduction of a Portfolio Steering Committee
• Introduction of Project control gates to ensure that only the critical few projects were approved.
• Introduced Project Mandates for each initiative which clearly articulated the anticipated outcome & benefits, MoSCoW deliverables, Resources, Known Risks and Dependencies and Sponsor of each project.
• The aim of this was to ensure that Stereo Members had access to a simplified summary of each proposal in advance of reviewing for approval.
• Regular Steerco meetings to share progress versus plan of the portfolio roadmap.

Stabilise Outsourced Service

• Met with Outsourced providers leadership team to explain concerns.
• Agreed remediation plan.
• Tracked remediation plan and held both parties accountable from completing action.
• Handed over Service responsibility to a newly appointed Service Director

Stabilise the IT Function.

The team has gone from an unloved function with a poor track record of delivery to one which is able to rapidly deliver change and which has increased credibility and confidence across the business.

Carve-Out

• The carve-out activity was completed one month ahead of plan and directly contributed to a new customer contract worth $2.7m pa.

Stabilise PMO

• The new controls and governance ensure that the organisation only attempts to deliver change that is aligned to the organisational strategy.
• Each Project has a Sponsor who is held accountable for achievement of the project outcomes.
• Projects are not started unless there is the capacity to deliver.
• Dependencies and Risks are understood.
• The Mandate process ensure Exec members have all of the high-level information they require to make an informed decision about project approval and benefits tracking.

Stabilise Service

• Service is significantly improved, underpinned by user satisfaction stats.
• Regular Service Reports are used to highlight progress against standard SLA.
• A Service Improvement Plan is actively maintained to improve any aspects of service that require attention.
• The CAB process is properly adhered resulting in a significant reduction in change related incidents.
• A new dedicated Service Director is now in place to oversee the relationship with the 3rd party provider.

• Private Equity
• PMO
• Project delivery
• IT Service Management & Design
• ITIL
• TOM (Target Operating Model)
• Customer Success
• KPI's

• Organisational Agility & Effectiveness

• Private Equity