Government Agency – Architecture as a Service
Problem
A Government organisation needed to quickly deploy an architecture team to provide support, guidance, governance, consistency and advice across a number of programmes of work.
Engagement
In 2020, James Harvard successfully built a team of over thirty consultants to provide Architecture as a Service. Many of these had previous experience with the client and we were able to reach them as they form part of our significant network. From the decision to award the contract to successfully operating the service, was just four weeks.
James Harvard delivered the following service components
- Enterprise architecture
- Security architecture
- Solution/application architecture, engineering and integration
- Data architecture
- Technical management/network/infrastructure architecture
- Service architecture and design
- Architecture governance and assurance
- Architecture leadership
Results
The team have successfully provided the services supporting a number of programmes, including:
- The successful upgrade and migration of the underlying infrastructure (to include hardware and middleware components) of a national suite of applications
- Service transition, delivery management and solution architecture expertise
- Consistent standards across multiple solutions
- Application and enforcement of technical & architectural standards
This partnership has resulted in our client expanding our services and successful delivery in a wide range of essential projects for this high-profile client.
Insurance Company – Technology Transformation
Overview
Our client, a leading insurance provider, is currently running multiple business and technology transformation programmes.
They needed an agile delivery partner, who had the ability to scale resource quickly through a burst capacity model, as well as deliver defined, pre-agreed, work packages while maintaining a value for money cost base. They required a robust delivery structure for excellent consultancy services and a readymade escalation route, with points of contact for delivery assurance and operational governance.
Engagement
James Harvard was first engaged to find teams to shape the delivery of the three major aspects of the programme;
- Data Community Tribe Mission: To enable access to the most accurate, close to real time data for end users with use of bespoke and market leading tools for analysis and insight. Delivering data solutions for Fraud, Telematics, Pricing, Analytics, and the wider data community.
- Data Decisions & Integrations Tribe Mission: To create a first-class data decisioning platform using internal and third-party data.
- Data Platform Tribe Mission: to deliver value to the feedback analytics initiative and start reducing the security technical debt backlog, as well as developing automated testing coverage and suitable visualisation (MVP) of product usage.
Our consultants are currently working to achieve the Programme Deliverables including:
- Guidewire implementation using Agile/Scaled Agile
- Product Ownership within projects
- Squad Leadership
- Google Cloud Provisions – Data & Engineering
- Technical Architecture provision – GW/Claims & Policy management
- Testing capabilities
- GuideWire implementation leadership at programme and project level
Results
The feedback and business outcomes have been well received and are highly regarded with key milestones and service level agreements being met and exceeded. James Harvard will continue to support this insurer in the delivery of their five-year strategic roadmap covering pricing, data and analytics within the programme.
Police Force – Digital Transformation
Overview
Our client, a local police constabulary, required a new strategy around the collection, storing, referencing and evidencing of digital evidence, as well as wider support for digital transformation and change management.
Digital transformation is central to the 2020-2030 digital policing ambition to drive improvements in data, technology and, most importantly, the skill of the people that lead, manage and use it. The constabulary needed to employ the best of local front-line innovation and creativity whilst finding the means to scale and deploy national programmes.
Engagement
As part of the strategy and ensuing programmes we have delivered:
- Design and delivery of the force wide digital strategy in line with the National Policing Strategy 2020-2030.
- Design and blueprint for network capability to support digital strategy.
- Implementation of a digital evidence management solution and the supporting business and digital transformation.
- Implementation and deployment of a force wide body worn video capability.
- Assist in the design and implementation of a new storage platform for the force including full migration from the existing estate.
- Assist in the delivery of a new force control room and control system with supporting business transformation activities enabling future change driven by national policing initiatives.
- Implementation of the national enabling programme to provide office 365 to over 5000 staff.
- Implementation and delivery of a mobile data capture solution for all front-line officers.
- Ongoing delivery and assurance of the national emergency services network programme.
Results
We initially deployed a small team to work in partnership senior management across the constabulary to identify upcoming projects requiring specialist support.
To achieve this, we conducted a series of interviews, the output of which were consolidated into a series of workshops. The workshops were designed to validate the solutions and direction and bring everyone to the same level of understanding and buy-in.
The strategy and roadmap were then documented into a single programme brief that was used to initiate the various pieces of work.
This enabled us to mobilise and deploy tailored teams rapidly when required, to work on the various projects.
Partnering with James Harvard has saved the Constabulary over £1.4m whilst keeping them at the front of policing technology.
Automotive Company – Digital Transformation
Overview
Our client is a captive global automotive financial organisation with a team of 1,100 people in 12 European countries. They have continuously developed a diversified portfolio of automotive finance products and services, putting the customer in the centre of everything they do.
They offer attractive retail loan and lease programs as well as wholesale finance solutions for dealers, helping them to finance and to grow their businesses. Their success is driven by strong, lasting relationships with their dealers and the customers they serve.
As a result of their on-going acquisition, mergers and divestment strategy they needed to transform their way of working. To do this they are investing significantly in the transformation of their operations and engineering services via a strategic programme of change that will deliver target outcomes.
Engagement
James Harvard is supporting many projects within the overall programme:
- The transformation of the IT infrastructure and operations to align with the new operational model
- The transfer of applications and services to a new data centre
- The implementation of new solutions and services in line with a new operating model
- The implementation of new security services
- Programme assurance across the wider programme workstream deliverables
- Developing and owning business cases
- Establishing project governance
- Risk management
Results
The programme has successfully delivered digital onboarding and E-Sign project for two European countries. This functionality is a major milestone for the project and allows the dealer and customer to have a 100% digitalised process, without the customer needing to physically attend a dealership.
We also helped implement POS applications including e-signature, used for remote distance selling. The newly migrated and built applications were tested from both a technical and end user perspective to ensure that they work appropriately in the new environment.
The adoption of new infrastructure and processes, and implementation of a global warehouse solution has transformed the way our client operates, and we continue to support them.
Service Improvement
Problem
Our client, a regional police force, needed to undertake an information technology infrastructure library (ITIL), aligned service management review to assess organisational maturity and create a remediation plan to address gaps in process and governance.
Engagement
Our initial service review was completed in 20 days. We identified significant gaps in operational processes, strategy and project delivery that impacted the force’s efficiency. This was presented to the Chief Officer group and senior leadership team with a prioritised action plan to address. The plan had 4 workstreams addressing:
- Operational service improvement
- Technology strategy (design/delivery)
- Project delivery standards and governance
- Asset management discovery (to support all planned remediation work)
The asset management element was vital to identify all technology in use. As part of the programme we defined requirements for effective asset discovery and service documentation, which entailed evaluating products and procuring Snow software to identify and catalogue all the technology in use across the force in conjunction with existing operational management tools.
The service delivery issues within the forces were exacerbated by the lack of knowledge of all technology they were operating – this included mobile devices, in-car systems, isolated forensic platforms, specialised digital equipment and systems deployed within the force’s own data centres.
To deliver this engagement, we worked with police staff and other specialist technical resources to deliver the plan to address the gaps in service management processes, including designing and overseeing the operational governance to support these. Additionally, we designed, in conjunction with the Business Change Organisation, a new delivery standard for projects and programmes which encompassed the entire lifecycle of a service. We created a prioritised plan for the Architecture team to address missing design standards/principles for on-prem technology and cloud adoption that will accelerate project delivery. All of this was built on the foundations of the asset discovery exercise and collation of this data into a centralised asset register and configuration management database (CMDB).
Results
The programme delivered a number of benefits to our client, including:
- Reduced number of repeat service incidents by implementing effective problem management.
- Improved customer satisfaction through better customer service ratings.
- Identified cost savings of £500K through sharing/reuse of technology.
- Strong project delivery methodology/products to assure delivery targets achievable.
- Discovery of all assets in use by the forces – leading to improved management of operational risk and better service delivery by improving the knowledge base and dependant processes.
Cloud Discovery
Problem
In early 2021 the NHS were again considering their strategic goals and programmes, following a year of reactive projects and activities in response to the clinical and organisational crisis as a result of Covid-19.
Some digital transformation progress had occurred during that period, but was largely curtailed, without the opportunity for in depth necessary planning or the usual levels of oversight. Many of these changes were driven by national agendas or immediate local need.
The health board had partially adopted Microsoft 365, with migrations to Teams and 365 mail happening during the Covid crisis. 2021 allowed for some consolidation and planning for the wider adoption of the Microsoft technology stack.
Engagement
James Harvard were commissioned to undertake a short but thorough discovery piece, with an aim of understanding the position the NHS Board were at in the cloud journey and to assess the readiness to further adopt and migrate.
Our consultants used their extensive experience of Microsoft 365 and Cloud in health settings to provide the Health Board with the necessary advice.
During the early phases of the discovery the consultants engaged with stakeholders at all levels, to understand technical, data and governance ecosystems. Extensive analysis of documents, systems and many interviews increased the consultants’ knowledge of the organisation and the challenges they faced. Years of experience and a deep understanding of best practice allowed for an efficient engagement and detailed recommendations.
Results
The NHS Board were seeking clarity and a defined roadmap. The output from the consultants recognised this and the detailed findings paper highlighted both the problems and set out a comprehensive roadmap for change. The roadmap defined a portfolio of work to prepare for cloud and highlighted a number of projects required to remediate significant risks affecting the Digital Directorate.
In addition, whilst not part of our scope, the James Harvard consultants produced an options appraisal on delivery mechanisms to support decision making for the future transformation.
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