A New Zealand Government agency that maintains Core Business Systems found itself with oversubscribed, blocked technology environments that delayed product updates to staff and customers. With a need for greater transparency and insight into the causative factors that contributed to inefficiencies, they turned to Sentify.
THE CONTEXT
Sentify’s NZ Government client is a critical feature of the local landscape. They maintain Core Business Systems that are recognised internationally for how the needs of customers and staff are met.
THE PROBLEM
Oversubscribed, blocked or clogged technology environments, were delaying product updates to staff and customers. While the symptoms were evident and theories abounded as to the ‘assumed causative problems’, there was no alignment or agreed position as to the ‘actual causative factors’. Sentify were engaged to provide a transparent, honest and independent assessment, using a team of experts with knowledge in ‘Ways of Working’, ‘Quality and Risk Architecture’ and ‘Technical Delivery Practices’.
THE APPROACH
Sentify’s approach was two phased. The first was to deliver and collaborate in Discovery Workshops, targeted with revealing the current situation. Sentify framed three persona groups, covering the Senior Technical Team, Delivery Managers and Senior Managers, who all contributed their perspectives of the current impediments and constraints. The second, Value Stream Mapping (VSM) workshops, were conducted for a select group of business domains. These domains were modelled to determine how individual value streams contributed to the ‘rolled up’ view. The two approaches captured a solid cross sectional view of the landscape, along with the causative factors reflective of the symptoms.
THE OUTCOME
Importantly, the approach provided an aligned view across the organisation, through the use of the Persona groups. Sentify supported the organisation in clarifying and identifying the root cause of the symptoms. Some of the feedback was sensitive, covering people, process and technology. Reporting in an open and honest way generated a highly cohesive mutual trust relationship. Scratching below the surface using Discovery & Value Stream Mapping Workshops, was a highly visible, inclusive, efficient, low cost and productive method of establishing current state.
Our client told us, ” … the metrics supporting findings and commentary are really compelling …”, which has enabled the executive to act. Chris Wellington, CEO & Founder, Sentify