Case Studies

Delivering a Digital Transformation of Critical National Infrastructure

Written by NEPRO | Apr 8, 2024

The Home Office required a business change management to support and embed a secure digital transformation program. The Home Office approached the Bloom marketplace for its rapid and compliant route to market which enabled the customer to identify a supplier with the capability and expertise of delivering on this complex requirement.

The successful supplier, Marlowe Consulting, specialise in building internal long-term capability in business change to support future Digital Transformation outcomes, through the delivery of practical change management skills.

Challenge

The Home Office’s digital transformation programme is a strategic paradigm shift that relies on people both within the Home Office and in OGDs reengineering how they operate, adopting new skills and accepting new ways of working. It requires focus on the change management and people implementation approach of The Home Office which ensures the programme is set up for long term success.

Marlowe Consulting provided a critical friend business change review of the programme. With the aim of providing an independent assessment, support and challenge to the senior leadership charged with oversight and successful delivery of the programme, more specifically a secure ICT system. This review outlined a business change strategy, practical approaches and team structure for the business change team to action and deliver.

Post review the leadership team invited Marlowe to work with the business change team to deliver the recommendations and practical implementation of business change approaches identified.

“Our experienced project delivery teams were able to work with our client to deliver a best in class digital transformation. By sharing our extensive industry knowledge, transferring essential skills and developing capability we ensure our clients have the required skills for a sustainable continuation of best practice.”.

Deborah Feakins - Director, Marlowe Consulting

Solution

Marlowe’s specialist expertise in integrated people-centric change provided The Home Office with a direct line of sight between strategy, planning, impact and readiness assessments, engagement, communications, training and benefits realisation. An assessment of people and customer-centric approaches and practices was conducted that were benchmarked against industry best practice which identified opportunities for improvement.

Marlowe was responsible for the design and delivery of targeted, specialist change management skills to upskill a sustainable strategic civil service business change capability.

A structured set of business change deliverables and a works breakdown structure was agreed and delivered, which included:

  • A benefits framework and a business change deliverable register for tracking.
  • A prioritised stakeholder engagement process, a new business case stakeholder strategy and resistance management strategy.
  • Business change plan created in collaboration with cross workstream teams, to ensure shared responsibility for milestones and activities.
  • Practical, action-based roadmap of activities to address identified gaps in transformation governance, knowledge, capability and skills.

The programme implemented a multi-stage business change transition roadmap with full operational engagement. This development of a portfolio and enterprise approach to change management has improved communication, sharing and collaboration opportunities with stakeholders .

In addition to the business change support, Marlowe supported the development of a new business case following a programme rescoping exercise. They worked with economists to quantify benefits, and develop a benefits realisation plan for review by the Home Office Portfolio Investment Committee and HM Treasury. Marlowe recognised the need to transition with minimal disruption to operational services, this reduced the risk of key skills and retained knowledge being lost which minimised any drop in performance during transition.

Outcome

Marlowe facilitated the adoption of business change approaches incorporating governance, building integrated plans, managing risks, dependencies, benefits and actionable reporting. This ensures a managed and sustainable transition from legacy to new, supported by:

  • Coaching others and providing hands-on practical support to develop new skills has increased levels of proficiency so that leaders, managers and employees are more confident and productive in the new ways of working.
  • Leaders that are aligned, upskilled and confident working as an effective team.
  • Learning opportunities that are aligned to professional development pathways to accreditation and qualifications.
  • Business change that has been cited as an exemplar programme for business change.
  • Development of a secure national rollout (NRO) plan that was complimented by all stakeholders for the thoroughness of thinking (including constraints, risks, balancing of technology and business needs) and the clarity with which it was presented and discussed.
  • NRO for the platform launched in line with baseline plan, with 3 ports live by November 2019 and 11 ports live by January 2020.
  • Support at go-live that was rated 4.1 out of 5 by end users.