For most organisations "Information Management" represents the key component in managing the business. The implementation of corporate strategy; the practical business of decision making; the measurement of key variances; all have a common denominator: information. Information Management is all about managing information; Management Information. 

We understand that introducing change in a business is the process of developing strategy and then implementing that strategy by way of a connected series of initiatives, or projects. Information Management is a key component; combining this with effective Business Change Management maximises the likelihood that the expected benefits will be realised. 

Whether your business is currently defining its strategy or implementing an existing strategy, the necessity of gathering, harmonising, understanding, disseminating and using information will become vital at an early stage. Simpson Associates has the knowledge that can benefit you in either situation.

Where Strategy is Defined

In the circumstance where an organisation is engaged in enacting business change our engagement model can assist in a number of ways. This state is sometimes referred to as bounded change; the state where the objectives are clear and where change can be considered without major reference to the environmental context.

We can help you to start up and ultimately complete a change process and we can help you to identify the possible solution to a known but as yet un-quantified business improvement. Our Discovery, Business Case and Services Engagement processes are described below.

Discovery

Most organisations have more demands for information than they can satisfy and no shortage of obstacles preventing them from having effective Information Management.  Our Discovery service helps people to identify and prioritise issues that need to be addressed. The Discovery process identifies the links between the reasons for providing effective Information Management and the benefits of doing so, forming the basis of a Business Case.

Business Case

Once a priority has been identified then the investment must be justified. Our Business Case service provides a framework to describe the benefits needed to present a compelling reason for the organisation to invest in developing effective Information Management. This framework, applied to each priority, can form the basis of a formal investment appraisal.

Services Engagement

Once you have identified the benefits that justify a need for change, our service engagement model allows us to work with you from the start-up and initiation of your initiative, right the way through the development lifecycle and into the support of the solution delivered.

Depending on your requirements as an organisation, we can enter an engagement at a number of different stages: For example, if you have identified areas of improvement and the benefits you expect to realise, we can work with you to start-up and initiate a project that will deliver those benefits.  Our services team have the vision, methodologies and experience to ensure that as a customer, you are fully informed about the journey you are about to undertake and are kept informed and involved along the way.

Alternatively, you may have already initiated a project and only need to engage us to deliver part of that project, more typically regarding the more technical aspects.  We have established processes that allow us to understand your business requirements and translate these into a solution that meets your business objectives.

For more information about our Professional Services please click here.

Where Strategy is Yet to be Defined

Defining a strategy is a challenge for many businesses. Simpson Associates provides this service using the OGC Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) framework. This state is sometimes referred to as unbounded change; the state where the objectives are unclear and where change must be considered with reference to the environmental context. 

For our customers this often involves the Identification and Definition Stages of a Programme. Todays climate is one of constant and increasing change; Programme Management helps an organisation to undergo change effectively whilst maintaining strategic control. In industry as a whole, where change has failed to deliver the planned benefits, the reasons are often more organisational than technical.

Whether you see change within an Information Management context or in a process context, having effective Information Management will soon become a priority.

Our services provide:-

Programme Briefs and Blueprints

Change Programmes are successful when they have defined ownership and determined leadership within the organisation. The creation of Programme Briefs and Programme Blueprints ensure that there is clarity of purpose, credible planning, organisational commitment and effective control before the programme of change is authorised. For you as a customer, this greatly increases the probability of success.

Benefit Profiling

The fundamental reason for beginning a Programme is to realise benefits through change. The creation of Benefit Profiles and Benefit Maps ensures that the reasons for authorisation are sound and that the benefits expected are both material and achievable. From this position there is a clear process to validate activity within the Programme to the purpose of the activity, thereby establishing an essential element of control.

Project Dossiers

The creation of Project Dossiers defines the enablers of change and their relationship to the benefits to be realised from that change. As these enablers, or projects, are likely to be delivered over the short- and medium-term then they must be defined in terms that facilitate their completion. We create these conditions by defining projects to flow into the PRINCE2 project management approach. This provides our customers with a sound basis for initiating and completing each project within the context of the overall purpose of the programme.

Programme and Project Governance

Our services recognise that programmes are always effective when they have the appropriate leadership. Our approach complements our customers governance structures and matches them to the appropriate roles within the programmes definition. This ensures that no programme moves beyond the identification stage without the explicit approval of the sponsoring executive. In practice, this means that there will be no activity that does not correlate to measurable benefit.

Business Change

It is not unusual for a project to complete successfully without delivering the expected benefits. Often the reason is that the organisation didnt make the changes necessary to incorporate the outputs of the project into the business. Our process recognises the importance of the Business Change function and its relationship to benefit realisation. The Business Change role is business side and provides the essential bridge between the programme and the business operations. This bridge represents the final link in the chain that connects the process of change to the realisation of benefit for our customers.