Amnesty International case study

1. Amnesty International case study Graham Oakes Ltd

2. Agenda • Why joint venture? • The challenges • How we approached them • Questions • I don’t have definitive answers. This is a chance to share experience and learn how to do better next time. • Can’t discuss Amnesty International internal details. www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

3. Amnesty International ECMS project • Global defender of human rights, formed in 1961 • 2,000,000 members • 80 independent sections • 400 staff in International Secretariat in London (mostly) • “Information is our currency” • Need to revitalise information management infrastructure in response to changed strategic model • Complex governance, culture, information & technology www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

4. Independent consultants bring • Specific expertise • Buying the principal, not the trainee or the methodology • Close relationships • The person who sells also delivers • Advice and mentoring rather than upselling • No incentive to set up a big project or downstream sale • Engaged consultants • Doing diverse work, focused on what they enjoy • Low overheads • Lower portion of fee goes to offices, shareholders, etc www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

5. But there are a number of challenges • Mixture of expertise • Many projects require a mix of skills that few individuals can bring • Scale • Many projects are too large for an individual • Many projects are too risky for an individual • So for a client, the options are • Use a larger consultancy after all • Engage multiple consultants and then co-ordinate them yourself • Engage a “network” of independents www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

6. The network model works when you have • Communications • Large consultancies have a strong communications and knowledge sharing infrastructure • Modern communications help networks replicate this • Support services • Probably the main reason larger consultancies have formed • Finance, marketing, IT can all be provided as independent services • Clear agreements on working practices • Clear roles, responsibilities and plans • Upfront thinking can turn a weakness into a strength www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

7. Sep 2004: Invitation to Tender Oct 2004: Assemble Team Oct 2004: Bid Dec 2004: Contract Jan 2005: Deliver April 2005: Support How did we approach these challenges? www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

8. Sep 2004: Invitation to Tender Invitation to Tender Key issue:Getting on the list • Network extends our reach • Ad hoc alliance has difficulty doing structured marketing • Formal alliance can consider campaigns • Offering/campaign based • Alliance based • Brand confusion? www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

9. Oct 2004: Assemble Team Assembling the team Key issue:What skills do we need? • Finder makes first approx. • Factors • ITT requirements • Availability • Experience together • Some iteration as settle on joint approach • Business strategy • Organisational culture • Content strategy • Technical architecture/systems www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

10. Oct 2004: Assemble Team Assembling the team Key issue:How do we present ourselves? • Options • Prime • Consortium • Individual contracts • Considerations • Client comfort • Our risk • Accreditations • References • ISO9000 www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

11. Oct 2004: Bid Bidding Key issue:Integrated approach • Clear roles & responsibilities • Detailed plan & project mgt • Clear communication plan • Well defined deliverables & IP • Strengthened our bid – more clarity than a single bidder • Took a lot of effort – probably more expensive too… www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

12. Approach • Small, diverse team of independent experts • No vested interest in application or downstream implementation • Can “read between the lines” • Sensitive to cultural & organisational factors as well as technical • Can move quickly while focusing on key areas for AI’s context • Supporting intellectual framework • Embeds experience – helps us to move quickly & without gaps • Provides basis for key deliverables (risk register, spec., etc) • Open, collaborative, active approach • Skills transfer and ongoing support • We want to see people succeed, and to learn ourselves www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

13. Framework of existing IP • Risks • Lack of focus • Missed stakeholders • Change management • Technology • Audiences • End users • Content & editorial • System admin & management • Business Requirements • Current state • Content • Technology • Business (governance, structure, processes) • Change readiness www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

14. Plan www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

15. Deliverables • Why • ECM vision statement • What • Current state • Content • Process • Culture • ICT Infrastructure • Related projects • Future state content • Content matrix & org • Metadata & taxonomy • Lifecycles • Skills • Functional reqts • Non-functional reqts • How / When / Where • Architecture Models • Technical • Security • Admin • Skills • Implementation options • Content migration • Vendor shortlist • Risk Register • Iterative approach, to ensure we’re aligned • Enough detail to set up future elaboration • Who • Audience map • How Much • Business Case(s) • Costs • Benefits • SWOT • Change mgt • Benefits realisation www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

16. Dec 2004: Contract Contracting Key issue:Internal clarity via JV • Roles and responsibilities • Defined in Tender • Revenue split • By company • By milestone • How to handle changes • Flows from project plan • Dispute resolution • If one has a problem, we all do • Mutual agreement • Agreed mediator with shared costs www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

17. Dec 2004: Contract Contracting Key issue:Internal clarity via JV • Intellectual Property • If you create it, you own it • Professional Indemnity • Termination • Administration • What expenses can we bill • Who handles invoices, & when www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

18. Dec 2004: Contract Contracting Key issue:Client clarity • Joint and several liability • Amnesty’s contract • Simpler than the JV agreement • Tender doc as a schedule www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

19. Jan 2005: Deliver Delivering Key issue:Communication • No central server • Shared “virtual control centre” via spreadsheet • Within team • With client • Email • IT support for offsite work? • Conference call • Service • Skype www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

20. www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

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23. April 2005: Support Support • Renegotiate roles & revenue • Match skills to changed client needs • Bring in new skills • Team celebrations • Improve the communications infrastructure • Blackberry • Document sharing & versioning (Groove? Shared service?) www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

24. Summary • Needed to be clear about how we’d work together • So we could plan our activities, and allocate revenue • So we could reassure the client • Clarity required effort, but made us more competitive • Little beyond “good project management” but we had to demonstrate it from the outset • We delivered • Skills and political savvy meant AI did something they couldn’t have done with a more junior team from a larger consultancy • Can’t have too much support for communications www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

25. Questions? www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology

26. Graham Oakes Ltd • Making sense of technology • We help people work out how to use technology to achieve business goals. • We deploy highly experienced consultants with a diverse set of technical, management and people-centred skills. Our principal, Dr Graham Oakes, is a highly skilled systems engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the industry and a track record of delivering highly innovative solutions. • Clients • Amnesty International – Defined enterprise content management strategy to support information sharing between researchers, activists and external partners (e.g. journalists, other NGOs). • Cisco Worldwide Education – Defined financial models, competitive marketplace and potential infrastructure partners to commercialise Cisco’s e-learning assets in Europe. • The Open University – Defined enterprise architecture, customer relationship management strategy, and business case for renewing course production systems. • Oxfam – Defined strategy and business case for content management and customer relationship management systems. • Intermediate Technology Development Group – Defined enterprise architecture for knowledge sharing amongst communities of researchers and project teams in first and third world. • MessageLabs – Helped define & implement technology strategy for customer and partner self-service portal. • Sapient Ltd – Helped define & implement risk management strategy for customer billing solution. • Services • Business and technology alignment • Integrated business, technical and human architecture • Technology innovation • Project execution and review www.grahamoakes.co.uk making sense of technology