How to Avoid Ten SAP Serial Killers
SAP’s decision to force migration to S/4HANA is driven by the need to modernise and enhance capabilities with real time data processing and a much improved user experience. It has many potentially major benefits for organisations and the individuals within them. However, we have identified Ten SAP Serial Killers, i.e. issues that can significantly hinder successful implementation and integration of the latest form of SAP. Read more about them here
Help us create the Manifesto For More Successful Change?
We are gathering a group of the most senior and experienced Change professionals to help our industry improve its odds. We are in the process of drafting A Manifesto for Change and we’d very much welcome people to join us. We have kick-started the manifesto thinking with four key actions to improve the odds beyond 30% chance of success. Read more here
Balancing Innovation Agility and Control
“How do you strike the right balance between innovation, agility, and control?”
It’s a question we are often asked and so we gathered some of the change industry’s brightest minds to discuss it last week. We challenged them to provide actionable insights for leaders aiming to navigate the tension between fostering creative, experimental cultures and maintaining robust risk management frameworks. Read more about it here
Incorporating Sustainability into Intelligent Change
“Choosing who I work with is really important to me, particularly from an ethical perspective. As a sustainability professional, I want to work with organisations that really care about what they do and how they do it.”
- Jo Henneker
I have recently joined the Pelicam practitioner team and to make that decision, I looked at the history of Pelicam and the team to check out their sustainability credentials. Read more here
Tackling Digital Transformation one bite at a time
In today's relentless, fast-paced business environment, it is crucial to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to technology. Digital transformation has become an almost mythical buzzword in the business world, and companies are constantly striving to become more technologically advanced. However, digital transformation can be an overwhelming and expensive process. This is where a modular, bite-sized approach can be extremely beneficial……
Read more here
‘Getting stuff done’… it’s our take on a well-known brand’s “Just Do It”. At one level, it sounds easy to say, a bit glib. However, when you are dealing with multi-million/billion-pound programmes, getting to the heart of the big challenges and addressing them quickly can save a LOT of time and money. Read more here
A decade of Intelligent Change Forum
The Intelligent Change Forum (ICF) is one of the parts of Pelicam that we’re most proud of. What started out as a good excuse to meet up with colleagues and contacts steadily grew and developed. We’ve now been running our quarterly ICF meetings for more than 10 years and 2022 saw us bring it back into the real world after a forced period of digitisation during the pandemic. Good project management always includes … read more
Media Magic: Reaping Benefits: a quick look at a major advertising/media client
Keeping an eye on the introduction of a new digital currency, the ‘Digital Pound’
Mark Paton (Client Partner) recognises trends in clients' approach to digital
Recognise how scaling up in FinTech demands changes in leadership style
Projects and programmes are dynamic; they shift, morph and change. Unsurprisingly, so is Pelicam. We know that our agility is one of the strengths which allows us to remain relevant to our clients, and provide genuine value when we’re invited to take a look at one of their programmes or projects. All that flux means it’s worthwhile reintroducing ourselves every now ……… read more here
Pelicam articles from the archive
Our Commitment to ESG Related Change
We have recently published a series of videos on ESG which have gained a large number of views and comments. ESG is clearly a hot topic or a sore point depending on your view point.
Another year’s off and running. At Pelicam we’re determined that your resolutions for improved project and programme delivery in 2023 lasts longer than your January gym regime. Eleanor Roosevelt very wisely said “Learn from the mistakes of others, you can’t live long enough to make them all yourself”.
Four pillars of project intelligence
We’re often asked, what makes project delivery genuinely “intelligent”? We have gained insight over the last 20 years, from working on multi million pound projects and transformation programmes for a wide range of household names. So what are the 4 pillars of “project intelligence”?
Pelicam experience in bite-sized chunks
Picture the scene; your team is energised, motivated, focused. They have a collective understanding of the critical factors to deliver successful change. They have deliverable, target focused solutions.
In-Flight Assurance: “Be braver, stronger, smarter….”
As Winnie the Pooh once said to Piglet, “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think”. While Winnie’s transformational change acumen is questionable, his words of affirmation might be as relevant in the boardroom as they are in 100 Acre Wood.
AssureStart: the foundations for delivery success
When it comes to ensuring a successful change initiative, there really is no substitute for getting off to a good start. Creating the foundations for success means your team has the best possible chance of navigating the inevitable challenges which will crop up further down the line.
Rapid Response: the smart way of ensuring change delivery
Now more than ever, the pressure is on to deliver innovative products and services in a more cost effective way. For an increasing number of organisations the question has become; how can I make sure my products stay on track with minimum assurance investment?
Reframing the Resource Challenge
It’s widely accepted that it’s become more difficult to find and keep talent in recent years. In our most recent Intelligent Projects Forum we brought together leaders from different industries to discuss their resourcing challenges and share the ways in which creative thinking can reframe what on the face of it seems a challenge, into an organisational strength……
Everyone can become a better leader
We asked John Monks from Curve, a Pelicam partner, to share their research with Zurich and Cambridge Universities into Emotionally Intelligent Leadership.
3 reasons why Change Agility matters
Change Agility, the ability to quickly identify issues and implement solutions, has always been a key trait for successful businesses, especially those which rely on efficient change.
Co-Sourcing. Buzzword or long term trend?
It seems like every year a new buzz-word emerges and becomes the “must-say” term in board meetings, networking events and project pitches. Some of those trends come and go, soon to be forgotten or replaced by the next hot topic.
The Science behind Project Serial Killers
Data and expertise. The combination of these two elements is a powerful one; the data to inform focus and the expertise to implement that insight effectively. The balance is also a sensitive one; to solely rely on the data from previous projects to provide the key to future projects is misguided…
Internal Audit: Auditing agile
Our Transformation Partner Alison Booth and our Financial Services Partner Mark Paton come together with ACCA to create a webinar which discusses how auditing agile can align project risk and corporate governance…
Stakeholder Management in the Age of Covid-19
Slowly but surely, people are making their way back into the office. What seems clear, though, is that a return to anything like pre-Covid normality is a long, long way off. As more businesses give their staff permanent flexibility there are serious bridges to be crossed when it comes to business transformation.
The Evolution of GDPR And the Corona Effect
We can all remember when the countdown to GDPR was front and centre with most organisations implementing strategies to ensure compliance for 25th May 2018. That deadline seems like a lifetime ago and there is a general expectation that all the points on a company’s GDPR checklist are ticked.
If I walk into a Transformation Programme, particularly an IT led programme, and any individual cannot tell me in five minutes, assisted only by a pen and white board, what the overall vision and strategy is, what the programme scope is and who the stakeholders are then I know there’s work to be done.
As Lockdown eases and we transition into the much-mentioned “New Normal” many organisations are coping with the rigours of novel scenarios and how that is affecting their business.
Lockdown’s been a steep learning curve for us all. Learning that I’m not a particularly good barber is perhaps the least surprising lesson, here are some of the more surprising things the last 4 months have taught us.
As in football, once a colleague is in an offside position, it is difficult to score a goal. Likewise, poor stakeholder engagement is one of the most common reasons why projects fail. When things don’t get done, a project can quickly stop playing ball. Stakeholder engagement is all about keeping everyone onside.
At the risk of irritation, many GDPR briefings are heavy in frequency, but perhaps light on clarity and usefulness. So, together with our friends at Create and Comply, we venture a little warily into the GDPR den and offer a view and a few pragmatic recommendations that we hope will be well-received.
Are uncertain quality targets holding your projects back? Over the years Pelicam has reviewed hundreds of projects and seen some real horror stories turned into successes. We categorised the root causes of project failure a while back and published them as “Nine Serial Project Killer”.
Not since the mid-1990s when the energy market in the UK was de-regulated has the utility industry faced so much change pressure. Forgive the pun, but the heat is really on, and the “big six” energy suppliers will all be feeling the pinch somewhere.
Many organisations are facing a challenge from the top to ensure more success from their change programmes – it’s hardly surprising when less than half of those started complete on time. The most important consideration is their ability to deliver on the six key success factors in this article.
Should we source our project management experts through permanent resourcing or from the contract market? This isn’t a question about permanent supply balancing to meet demand spikes; it’s a smarter question (from a smart client): how will talented projects people want to work in the future?
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