• Programme management of a complex agile development with multimillion pound budget and large team resource
  • Agile development
  • Bid Management
  • Opportunity Management
  • Risk
  • Business Process Management Software
  • Programme Project management
  • Problem solving

PwC

Running a £2M custom development of opportunity management processes using an agile method and Business Process Management software

Every day PwC receives a high volume of business opportunities to pursue from a wide range of clients for services of differing levels of risk. It has two key considerations in processing this opportunity flow that are, compared to most businesses, unusual: (1) due to the accountancy side of the business, it is regulated; and (2) its partners have significant, sometimes unlimited personal liability, for the quality of work sold and delivered.

To process these opportunities, PwC has systems that have built up overtime, often tactical developments, which require staff to enter the same data into multiple systems. With the objectives of simplifying key processes and improving compliance to risk controls during opportunity development, PwC decided to invest in a custom application of Business Process Management software, which provided a means to join up disparate systems and simplify the work required by expensive client facing staff on administration.

David’s was the programme manager for this investment, responsible for managing a team of 15 business subject matter experts, a PwC UK IT team and vendor teams from IBM and TCS, and a budget of £2M to cover PwC resources, vendor services and software licences.

In his role, David established functioning and effective governance forums to direct the Clientwise Programme. He proactively anticipated and crystallised management of risks and issues, acting as a ‘trouble shooter’ and using his problem solving skills, for example identifying issues with PwC’s waterfall approach to testing that resulted in a backlog.

IBM’s performance on managing costs was disappointing. David helped PwC maximise commercial leverage from the purchase of software licences to gain concessions from IBM’s services business. To obtain this leverage, he prepared a paper ‘Preconditions for purchase of BPM 7.5.1 licenses’ to which IBM was obliged to respond. This became a key tool in resolving the commercial situation in PwC’s favour.

Using the agile method ensured excellent business engagement throughout the programme, with David ensuring periodic ‘Playbacks’ of developed solution to stakeholders took place for feedback and acceptance. The delivered solution has been perceived as delivering process simplification and a practical, easy to use tool to help practice staff and partners meet their obligations to protect the firm for risks.