Project Recovery

Problems can arise at any point within a major strategic partner service delivery relationship. Life with a strategic partner is very much like a marriage – after the first year or so, when the honeymoon period has become but a happy…

If matters have come to a head and no matter what you’ve tried, your IT vendor is simply unable to deliver its solutions to your expectations, then you may have to begin the process of project termination. This decision should…

The Carillion collapse story is big news right now. The announcement that the UK’s second largest construction firm is going into liquidation is bound to cause a media fuss, but in today’s political climate it has been supersized because this…

Radiotherapy is crucial to the treatment of up to 40% of all cancer patients. However, it’s recently been reported that deaths may well have resulted from radiotherapy equipment upgrade delays experienced across the NHS. It seems that radiotherapy assets –…

Sometimes, despite your best efforts and those of your vendor, IT project failure cannot be averted. Inevitable though this may be in some cases, often a project can be saved or steered away from failing to meet your expectations by…

For some, IT project partners, vendors and suppliers can be a source of pain. Some IT Project Managers may even be on the brink, considering a partnership termination. But, as some will attest, termination is time-consuming, costly and bitter; where…

It’s hard not to be susceptible to good marketing, but when it comes to bringing in someone who claims to be an ‘expert’, they need to be serious about their claims. Why? Because by representing themselves as an expert who…

To get your project back on track, clear communication with your vendor is critical. Following the key steps below will help to ensure that both sides are clear about your expectations, that the system will be fit for purpose once…

If you’re looking into re-aligning your IT project, you may find it hard to figure out where to begin. To help, we’ve charted 6 steps below, which if you follow in the right manner will help you to get your…

When it comes to hiring ‘legal’ it usually means things are starting to, or already have, gone awry. So when hiring an IT lawyer or technical expert, you need to be clear about your objectives and outcomes from the beginning.…

Research advisory organisation, The Standish Group, reported in their now infamous Chaos report that just 33% of all IT projects are completed on time and in budget. And though these reports started nearly 20 years ago, the updates they provide…

Supplier relationships can be complicated, they can be messy and they can at times be self- destructive. Poor planning, insufficient research, ambiguous contracts and conflicting agendas – all can contribute. These errors or omissions don’t even need to be substantial…

If you are to believe the statistics published on problematic big IT projects – whether a commercial sector Enterprise Software implementation (ERP), a Local Authority Client Relationship System (CRM) or an NHS Trust dealing with a problematic Electronic Patient Records…

Outsourcing, managed and commissioned services are prone to relationship problems, with around half failing due to partners not performing to client expectation. You will be well aware that a lack of performance kills trust, but may be less aware of…

In 2007, Somerset County Council struck a deal to outsource various services to a joint venture company. That company — Southwest One (SW1) — was intended to serve as a trailblazer that demonstrated how public and private organisations could work…

After close to a month of uncertainty it was revealed last week that Daisy Group PLC has entered into an agreement to assume control of 2e2’s datacentre business unit. It was revealed late last month that 2e2 had gone into administration…

With the best of intentions, strategic partnerships and major projects can still falter. Such failings are typically down to a lack of quantifiable goals or a failing in the translation of business outcomes to contract terms (which are typically easily…

It’s a common situation. An organisation is very disappointed with what they perceive to be a failing provider relationship, unsatisfactory service delivery from a strategic provider, and they want out of the contract. They appreciate that exiting a service provider,…

The news last Thursday that Northgate Managed Services has put itself up for sale comes as little surprise to those of us with extensive experience in the managed services sector. The company has been struggling to provide any significant return for its…

Mainstream media hasn’t been shy in publicising the shortcomings of outsourcing and commissioning providers in recent times. Whether it has been the G4S debacle, or the more recent news that outsourcing specialist Mouchel has been taken over by its bankers,…

Despite good intentions on both sides of the fence, a service provider partnership can falter and you may find yourself considering options for service recovery. There are many reasons as to why this can happen (such as contract clauses), but…

Although I only joined Best Practice Group recently, I have already been well-exposed to the grim reality of faltering and failing service provider relationships. As a Sales Director and Managing Director of IT vendors during my career, I used to…

The back office ICT system was bought a few years ago. It was hailed as a fantastic piece of procurement by the team that was chosen to select a vendor and a package, the benefits that your company were to realise…

A recent court case highlights that warranties for work performed in ICT or outsourcing contracts must be reasonable in terms of the time they apply. In the J Murphy & Sons Limited v Johnson Precast Limited case, Clause 14(i) was…

A judgment from a recent court case suggests you can now contractually rely on the advice from your service provider – even if the contract terms try to exclude it. Standard contracts provided by the vendor will often try to exclude…

A new court ruling will make them think again… DE BEERS v ATOS ORIGIN [2010] Have you ever had this happen to you? A vendor commences a major project – perhaps for a large software initiative, service commissioning or outsourcing. Part…

Yet again, just last week the Government confirmed the scrapping of another major IT project; £12bn of taxpayers’ money down the drain. But is it a relief for the NHS which needs to save some £20bn? Organisations need manageable change,…

A £41m Oracle enterprise resource planning project, run by Deloitte and undertaken by Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board (PLCB’s) has been marred by inflated costs, staffing woes and operational problems, according to a damning report by the state’s auditor general. While PLCB’s…

The report Government and IT- “A Recipe For Rip-Offs”: Time For A New Approach published by the Public Administration Committee states that a complete overhaul of the entire system of procurement is needed to eliminate the ‘cartel’ of big IT firms and…

We read that Partnership for Schools (PfS) the government quango that was in charge of the £55 billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative will be abolished by April 2012. Considering the BSF programme was scrapped in Summer 2010…

Severn Trent Water (STW) is blaming a possible hosepipe ban on their new £70million computer system. It is claimed that challenges caused by their new SAP system are delaying the fixing of leaks, meaning targets are not being met and staff morale…

We have been involved in several BSF projects over recent times. Unfortunately, most of them from the point of helping to recover these projects, rather than being involved during the procurement cycle to help avoid problems in the first place. Whilst the…

A report has been published by the Institute of Government stating that Government ICT is an “outdated model”. The problem with comments like this, is that the Government has a view that the majority of Private Sector ICT projects (in…