Plan – define the journey
Everything is moving quickly, and yet there is so much to do. New competitors, new channels, new technologies, new buying behaviours, new markets – there is a constant barrage of change that underpins the focus organisations have on delivering more value to customers.
This barrage is also going to impact your new project. Data from the Standish Group 2015 Chaos report shows that only 6 percent of large projects are delivered successfully – and you are expected to be one of them.
It starts with your strategy to deliver the program – on time, to budget and to scope. It is not about the technology, it is a plan that will deliver the innovation, agility, transformation or operational value the business is investing in. A robust plan will cope with the unexpected challenges and changes – get it wrong, and you’re facing plenty of sleepless nights. It’s not just the resourcing costs associated with any delays, there is the missed opportunity cost that impacts your success.
With 450 tried and trusted industry specialists (and independence you can bank on), we help with the planning phase of your transformation initiatives – either by designing your plan for you, uplifting your capability to deliver the plan or applying the independent governance and assurance to your plan that boards and stakeholders are increasingly seeking.
When do you need planning services?
- The business is undergoing a whole of business or major division transformation and needs a plan that will provide holistic view of the technology requirement, business impact and realistic financial and scheduling models.
- You’re about to embark on a merger, acquisition or divestment and need an independent plan to qualify the value of the deal, the integration requirements, the impact on BAU and the financial models.
- You need independence to mitigate vendors and large consultancies manipulating the project, program or portfolio to their benefit (and not your or the organisation’s best interests).
- The initiative is large and complex, and you are lacking the internal planning capability, or are concerned they are unable to give you the focus the program needs.
- This is new ground and you need subject matter expertise to help scope new products, services and/or innovations.
- You’re faced with tight time frames and need help from someone you can rely upon.
- You’re expanding into new geographies, markets or new sectors and would benefit from having a team who have done it before on your side.
Our Approach
At the core of our offering is a detailed and documented clear path to success against the constraints you’ve been given.
Our expertise in planning, coupled with our flexible engagement models, means we can work to your circumstance (rather than some rigid model created way back when). We handpick a team of subject matter specialists tailored to your program, and support them with our exclusive assurance services and ensure they can deliver a comprehensive plan (with stakeholder support) that can be rapidly mobilised and accurately delivered against.
We approach the plan with extensive rigour and qualification – we know how important it is to get right. We assess the goals, identify the dependencies, understand the business impacts, break down the deliverables into small iterative stages and outline the stage goals and costs.
We ensure the technology and methodologies are fit-for-purpose, potential risks and issues highlighted, dependencies addressed, resource capability and capacity scoped, the schedule verified, budget validated and the pragmatic controls identified. You will have clear visibility of what and who you need to mobilise quickly, visibility of what benefits should be realised and when to manage stakeholders, the granular detail to manage your teams, and the governance to your track your progress.
WHAT WE DO
SERVICES
- Full planning capability;
- Uplift your existing capability / capacity to deliver the plan; or
- The independent governance and assurance for your plan that boards and stakeholders are increasingly seeking.
BENEFITS
- You have a plan that has been independently created and/or validated;
- You are working on a strategy committed to your needs (and not manipulated to someone else’s);
- The project strategy, implementation, and delivery methodologies are pragmatic and fit for purpose;
- The project has clear governance and risk management controls;
- The initiative is aligned with the business benefits;
- You have full visibility of what has to be done and can mobilise quickly; and
- The project is well placed to deliver the quality expected, on time, and to budget.
FUNCTIONS
- Delivery methodology strategy (Agile, LEAN, SAFe, Waterfall, Hybrid etc).
- Detailed project schedule (or sprint plan).
- Business impact and dependency strategy.
- Benefits management strategy.
- Project / program / portfolio governance.
- Risk and issues management strategy.
- Budget management strategy.
- Resource capability and capacity strategy.
- Vendor management strategy.
- Stakeholder management strategy.
- Organisation change management and communications strategy.
- Scope change management strategy.
- Reporting – tracking key metrics for success.
Why Inner Circle
- Our planning function is tailored to your situation and delivered by experienced specialists with a proven history successful project, program, and portfolio delivery (there are no graduates who don’t yet know what success looks like or what it takes to be successful).
- The devil is the detail and the detail we provide empowers you with the right visibility to make the right calls on the right issues at the right time – so you avoid the pitfalls and make more informed decisions quickly.
- Our delivered plan is in an easily implementable state – you can rapidly mobilise your project, program, and portfolio leadership team and have them immediately start implementing our plan and driving to success.
- We work to your circumstance and environment. We utilise your tools, methods, and controls (and bring ours if needed) – and we integrate into your project, program or portfolio rather than try to dominate (to mitigate the impact of “External Consultant Syndrome” on productivity).
- Our teams are managed and supported throughout the process, bring the collective knowledge of 450 battle-hardened specialists, and have access to our globally recognised IP and methodologies.
- We are truly vendor agnostic – we have no partners, alliances or change request KPIs. We are here to have your back and help you deliver your desired business outcome, not someone else’s sales targets.
We’re ready to start, are you?
All it takes is a message.
