Peter Leather Setting Up & Running Internal IT Practices SFIA
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Practices were implemented across the Business Change and IT functions at Norwich Union Life to transform capabilities. Seven practices were established covering key lifecycle roles. Setting up practices involved defining roles, priorities, and change agendas. Practices provide communities, career paths, process standardization, and other benefits. Sustaining practices requires organizational focus through dedicated roles, governance, and engagement to formalize practices and embed them in the organization long-term.
Peter Leather Setting Up & Running Internal IT Practices SFIA
- 1. Setting up and running internal IT Practices Peter Leather Head of Practices, Norwich Union Life © Aviva plc
- 2. A bit about me …
- 3. A bit about Norwich Union … • NU i th UK in the • Norwich Union Life (NUL) • N i h Union Insurance & RAC Norwich U i I • NU UK IT Services NUL – Business Change and IT • In scope - 900 permanent staff, 250 contractors • Large, complex environment: 10,000 customers, 100 mission- critical systems, 10 product lines, 5.5 million customers
- 4. A bit about our transformation …
- 5. Why practices? • Assignment based working • Process transformation • Common ways o working Co o ays of o g • Support career development • Raise level of employee engagement
- 6. A Focussed People Management Model 7 x Practice Leaders 10 x Resource 40 x P f Professional i l Deployment Managers Development Managers Many Task Managers
- 7. Implementing & Running Practices Exploiting Embedding Starting Up Time
- 8. Implementing & Running Practices Exploiting Embedding Starting Up Time
- 9. Community PROBLEMS Too busy to think Help not available Little personal stake Hierarchy
- 10. Community PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS Too busy to think Headroom Help not available Community of SME’s Little personal stake Shape the agenda Hierarchy Voice for everyone
- 11. Professional Standards PROBLEMS Team specific jobs Descriptions out of date Local ways of working Local interpretations
- 12. Professional Standards PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS Team specific jobs Organisation wide roles Descriptions out of date Descriptors owned Local ways of working Common processes Local interpretations Common language
- 13. Professional Standards PROBLEMS Manager led promotions Blue eyed boy syndrome Fuzzy criteria; locally interpreted Ad hoc promotions
- 14. Professional Standards PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS Organisational Manager led promotions perspective Blue eyed boy syndrome Cross practice validation Fuzzy criteria; locally Clear organisation wide interpreted criteria Clear timetable; Ad hoc promotions transparent to all
- 15. Professional Standards PROBLEMS Job for life Stagnant Careers Ad hoc, undirected
- 16. Professional Standards PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS Job for life Employability Stagnant careers Renewed focus Ad hoc, undirected Aligned
- 17. What practices did we implement? 7 practices covering the Business Change & IT delivery lifecycle • Business Analysis • Project Management • Business Operations • IT Development & Analysis • Design & Architecture • Testing • Service Management
- 18. Key Set Up Activities • Agree number and scope of practices • Get everyone into a practice ti • Get key players on board • S t priorities Set i iti • Agree change agenda – local v global • Mobilise and engage the community
- 19. What roles do you need Practice Sponsor - Exec direction and overall accountability Practice Owner - Direction, strategy and org priorities Practice Leaders - Operational implementation - Member of community, respected f - Need to be flexible and quick to learn Process Owner Volunteers
- 20. Accountabilities of Key Roles PRACTICE SPONSOR Leadership & Strategy p gy PRACTICE OWNER for Practice delivery • Overall accountability • Leadership & Strategy PRACTICE LEADER Review, contribute business context to and endorse individual & overall Practice(s) •strategy the Practice leader, set out the Practice’s environment, drivers, constraints, mission With Leadership and strategic direction support of Practice objectives & p g • Promote understanding & Owner, define the Practice vision, and set out the senior s • With the Practice Owner g pp j progress to fellow Practice vision Practice’s •managersenvironment, drivers, constraints, mission and strategic directiondirection of BCIT With other Practice Owners and the Head of Practices, set the overall Practices • Decide onDefine & communicate the roles & responsibilities strategy escalated to them and what • resolution of major Practice issues & changes of of the Practice members, • •Advocatestrong competencyadequately resourced (financial and and self supporting the Build they Practices are basedPractice that can expect from the communities that are active man hours), and that •optimal balance of Members&inmajor home for allis initiatives Establish Practices as the Delivery activities& professionals • Engage Practice g g Practice events achieved • Gain a high level of senior improving the Practices professional standards and QMS • Engage Members in Stake-holder’s (including other Practice Owners & the Practice sponsor) support of the Practice’s activities Processes Competency & Capacity • Encourage innovation and individual empowerment of Practice members • Engage with y & Capacity Capacity Planning stakeholders to understand long term p Competency senior pBCIT y business capacity requirements b i it i t • Input to BCIT capacity plans and set Practice establishment in response to them. • Input to long term BCIT capacity plans and set Practice establishment in response to • them. Participate in forecasting of QMS & tool deployment workload, plan resource requirements and identify & recruit appropriate resources, including process owners. • With the Practice Leader, ensure that successors to key Practice roles are identified and • Identify, recruit far in advance. committed sufficiently& deploy resources needed to support Practice development activity advance • Take• responsibility for the health of the that successors to key Practice roles are identified and With the Practice Owner, ensure Practice’s QMS processes committed sufficiently far in advance. Training, development & recruitment • Develop/improve, validate and publish Practice professional career paths • With the Practice leader, approve the Practice’s training, development and recruiting requirements and budget recruitment Training, Training development & • With the PDM community, ensure consistent execution • Balance the needs of individual Practices in meeting businessof skills assessment and professional methods approaches • Lead the creation & maintenance of high quality Practitioner skills information, and base core Practice decision
- 21. Organisation Structure Senior Leadership Team Business Business Operations Change & IT Director Directors Practice Sponsors x7 100% 20% Head of Practice Practices Owners x 7 Professional 100% Development Practice Process Leaders x Owners 7
- 22. Implementation Plans RESOURCES/ GRP AS – IS IMPLICATIONS VISION ACTIONS PRIORITY DEPENDENCIES COSTS People tend to use More difficult to read A single development Agree a suitable Participate in Catalyst Process and c. 3 man weeks to methods and deliverables method used approach to Business Project Framework participate in DEVEL PM ENT M ETHO D techniques which are Harder to move throughout NUL requirements Requirements TWG workstream (John Business familiar to them between projects A method which is gathering and to ensure suitability Curtin) will agree Requirements TWG rather than any customisable to meet documentation within of method to BAs overall approach (Education costs universal standard. needs of each an overall Catalyst Business y included under Work There is no standard project development Requirements Products) NUL BS method for method workstream (Rash BAs Ensure method is Gandhi) will run a BAs are trained in sufficiently flexible to TWG to agree Prince - but this is handle all types of requirements content not used on projects project (e.g. custom LO development, package implementation) Communicate method to BAs and educate them in its use
- 23. Implementing & Running Practices Exploiting Embedding Starting Up Time
- 24. Resourcing PROBLEMS Ad hoc hiring Local / job level hiring Recruitment with HR Different planning assumptions
- 25. Resourcing PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS Ad hoc hiring Capacity Plan Wider Local / job level hiring Organisational needs Recruitment with HR Business Accountability Different planning Global approach assumptions
- 26. Process Deployment PROBLEMS Shelf ware Difficult to deploy Centralised Templates
- 27. Process Deployment PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS Shelf ware Support on the job Difficult to deploy Education by practices Centralised Leadership within practice Templates Exemplars
- 28. The BAU Scope for Practices (1) Careers & Skills: Providing career development opportunities which are aligned to the future of Norwich Union. Defining roles, career paths and learning & development opportunities which enable you to realise your career ambitions. Tools & Processes: Supporting the deployment and institutionalisation of the QMS processes. Actively owning our processes and driving process improvements which enable us to achieve our business j objectives. Community: Building a community of professionals who are actively engaged in the future of Norwich Union. y g g Communicating via a variety of mechanisms (e.g. newsletters, practice forums and institutes, informal and formal networks) j in support of our business objectives.
- 29. The BAU Scope for Practices (2) Knowledge Management: Deriving business benefit from actively sharing knowledge and experiences. Re-using process assets to make us more productive. Resourcing: Influencing our resourcing strategy and supporting it by growing the capability of our practices e g by skills e.g. development, career progression, recruitment Infrastructure: The practice management system that ensures we are successful in what we do and that practices add value to Norwich Union.
- 30. The Testing Practice … very happy to work at NUL and to The Test provides a great sense of be part of the BA practice. The Practice has community and has helped a y p p practice, PDMs and RDMs do a great , g brought great g g What do our people feel about practices? great deal in the transition job of supporting their staff. I feel benefits to my in changing business units that NUL provides the opportunities profession. and settling in to my new for staff to make a good contribution role in IT and progress their career career. The BA practice is a great On a positive note, the introduction asset to the individuals who and Practices over the last few Progression plans and are members. It provides years has really made a difference development; training and support as well to the feel of the organisation and promotional and as a Focus for activities like the recent CMMI level 3 career opportunities; process improvement achievements have been a great variety and achievement. challenges of work; I think practices are fantastic. being listened to / having input into I have really enjoyed the y j y They give an opportunity to practice plans and opportunity to interact with step away from your typical where the practice the Leadership Team through day job and work with people 'goes' in the future Practice Events,. I believe that you y wouldn't normally. The y these kind of opportunities forums and institutes are a help foster an inclusive and great way of getting everyone open culture which will enable together to address issues, employees to make a more p y spread information and build M More should go through h ld th h effective contribution to the relationships. practices as these are our achievement of BC goals and change enabler objectives.
- 31. Implementing & Running Practices Exploiting p g Embedding Starting Up Time
- 32. The true value of Practices has emerged over time Capability Management Talent Management Value Resourcing Process Deployment Professional Standards Community Time
- 33. Developing Our Capability Senior Senior Practices Setting Leadership Leadership via Direction Team Team sponsors p Trans Trans- Trans- formation Enablers formation Practices Programme Programme & Practices Capability Transformed to t execute t Outcomes Practices Capability our strategy Time
- 34. Success Stories Community: All in a Practice; active Practices with governance boards; Forums; Institutes; regular L&L L&L. Careers & skills: Paths defined; competencies and skills assessed; information being used. Strategic approach to L&D. Practices g g pp managing their talent. Knowledge: People are sharing – lots of volunteers for initiatives, processes, coaching/mentoring. processes coaching/mentoring Resourcing: Practices driving activities to get the right resource mix and leading on planning for future skill requirements requirements. Processes: People have taken real ownership. Achieved CMMi Level 3 – practices recognised by external assessors as key to this achievement. Infrastructure: Well developed management system. Documenting our people processes NU UK now looking to exploit practices across all processes. 3 BC&IT organisations.
- 35. Sustainability – Making it stick Organisational Focus • Have roles focussed on implementing and running practices • Get the right people into these roles • Evolve and grow the model Formalise • Develop a programme to deliver the agenda, not just BAU • Ensure senior level governance at the most senior level • Define a dashboard of Critical Success Factors • Use a mix of 100% dedicated and part time resources, not just FTEs Sell to Engage • Define and articulate personal, community and business benefits • Build activity and performance expectations into objectives • Engage / leverage the community – not just “usual suspects” • Find people’s passions, use emotion and celebrate success