Association Insight International & European | Page 33
Expert Briefing | Association Insights
Example:
5 Tips for your next technology decision
Fit for the customer:
•C
reate a clear simple business case which articulates the
opportunity or solves a problem
A large, global professional association set up a new
project to map and improve their customer journey.
The project buzzword = simplicity
•S
hare the business case so everyone knows what is being
done and why
The unexpected outcome was that because they kept
asking why, and challenged the existing processes they
exposed poor customer processes, bottlenecks and
weak links.
The mapping was developed by the people involved in the
activity and the IT team drew the picture that the business
described
The language was straightforward- eg “visit office”, not
“F2F interaction”.
The language was recognisable to everyone involved- i.e.
not just the people who put the process together but their
teams and peers.
The simplicity meant that the points at which things
needed to be measured were visible, to identify gaps and
enable handovers.
Kim Ansell
Principal Consultant
K2 Consulting
[email protected]
Katherine Grimshaw
Principal Consultant
K2 Consulting
[email protected]
Kim and Katherine are experienced strategy and
development consultants with a track record of delivering
value for membership, professional qualification and higher
education organisations. They understanding what you
want from technology to enable the business strategy.
Working with UK organisations in markets around the world
Kim and Kathy can help you to achieve a clear, flexible
and differentiated market structure, understand the value
of your products and establish the capability to identify,
prioritise and manage strategic partners.
•F
ind a way to priortise what the business wants and
needs
•D
emonstrate leadership support for the solution chosen
and the implementation approach, all the way through the
project, not just when the contract is signed
•P
ut the best people from all parts of the organisation
on the project, use it as development for them and the
people who step in to backfill their roles
•C
hallenge scope creep! Anything may well be possible
but focus on what is necessary to solve your problem and
exploit your opportunity
•R
eview, plan and measure success against your strategy,
not just against project milestones
• Always be able to answer the ‘Why’ question.
Example:
UNIVERSITY Z Assessment and Feedback project
Our mission is to make our students more employable.
If we have a better quality of assessment we can
implement and demonstrate that much more
effectively. So our technology project is to review the
workflow which assesses our students and records their
achievements.
Roger Greenhalgh
Strategic ICT and Organisational Leadership
Advocate
Jisc
[email protected]
Roger helps professional education leaders embrace the
strategic use of ICT in the operation and development
of their organisations. He works with a wide variety of
professional associations throughout the education and
ICT sectors, to understand business needs and challenges
and to guide the strategic adoption of technology. He has
broad experience of teaching and leadership in educational
establishments and skills in IT architecture and systems.
References:
1. About K2 Consulting: www.k2consulting.uk.org
7. Jisc: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/project-management
2. Jisc: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/about
8. Co-design: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HWgJlwTDIRQ
3. Jisc: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/business-intelligence/
change-management
4. Jisc: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/enable-your-staff-towork-with-digital-technologies
5. Jisc: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/collaborativeonline‑tools
6. Jisc: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/understandingyour‑data
www.associationsnetwork.org
9. Co-design: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=0OZsdJgoMK4
10. Co-design: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ZNtnwjN7juI
11. http://www.agilealliance.org/the-alliance/what-is-agile/
12. https://www.axelos.com/best-practice-solutions
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