“I think one thing to consider is experience, because I think when someone has gone through a whole transformation experience once, they're quite well equipped to help an organisation to know what to look out for, where we can accelerate, where we can focus, where we can simplify, what are the traps, what are the things to to avoid?” Key takeaways:…

"Rather than putting job roles out if a piece of work needs to be done, in the future, could we allow employees to bid on a piece of work based on the skills that either they have or they want to develop? " Key takeaways: Now that individuals are working much more flexibly, the employee touch points, whether it's people processes, finance processes…

"If we compare the consumer world to the enterprise world, the consumer world is far more sophisticated. The enterprise world has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years to try and catch up in the user experience we have in everyday life, but there's more to do." Key Takeaways: It's more important than ever for organisations to invest in techno…

"There are too many people in HR still who don't think commercially, and I think that's a mistake." Key takeaways: As organisation continue to adjust to a post-COVID digital world, HR is going to be a driving force behind building the new world of work. As such, HR professionals need to be equipped with the skillset, mindset, and toolset to respond…

"The skills that are going to be really important to organisations that are successful in digital transformation are actually some of what we would have historically called 'soft skills', but there's nothing 'soft' about them. In fact, they are the skills that help organisations perform better." Key takeaways: As organisation continue to adjust to …

One of the major challenges for HR and leadership is to question 'How digital are we? Do we need to become more digital? Have we got everyone skilled up?' Key takeaways: Areas such as the digitalization of work, and ensuring that employees are adequately trained to work in a digital way, along with HR's role in supporting employee wellbeing and men…

There's been more change in the world of work in the last three months than, say, over the past three decades, I'd suggest. Key takeaways: Conversations around the future of work show that there are exciting opportunities for the workforce to evolve, but also challenges in how to make that happen. The impact of Covid-19 has had a tangible impact on…

Covid-19 has raised some stark questions about technology, supply chains, staffing, leadership, sustainability, skills and resilience. These questions won’t go away when the virus abates, and many need to be addressed right now. You can learn more about Mental Toughness on one of our virtual training courses, please visit https://www.underscore-gro…

To find out more about the Crisis Management & Recovery Toolkit please visit https://www.underscore-group.com/cmrtoolkit/ Follow us on social media: @UnderscoreComms, find us on LinkedIn, or get in touch via email at [email protected] Visit our website to find more content on crisis management, virtual training, transformation and proj…

Key takeaway: It’s essential that your executive steering committee, operational steering committee and design authority draw their members from across different functions and areas of the business. In this episode, Jason refers to two articles on puzzles and mysteries. The first written by Gregory Treverton in 2007 in the Smithsonian Magazine and …

Transformation is, at its core, the process of turning one operating model into another. Key takeaway: An operating model is the collection of capabilities (people, process and technology) that an organisation deploys to turn its vision and strategy into products and services that deliver value to its customers. Welcome to season two of the Undersc…

Deciding who will test and in which phase of testing is something that requires careful consideration. Key takeaway: There’s a lot of activity involved in testing a system, and programme leads need to figure out how to to co-ordinate all this testing activity, to ensure it's done effectively. Welcome to season two of the Underscore Transformation P…

As a minimum, you need testers who understand the testing process and how to navigate their way around your new system. But the best testers are people who take delight in breaking things and can articulate precisely how they broke them. Key Takeaway: Even the most well developed SAAS solutions need extensive testing to avoid process errors, data b…

Key Takeaway: Successful digital transformation requires a firm grasp on Data Architecture, Master Data Management and Data Extract Transformation & Load (ETL). This episode provides an introduction to these concepts and vital Information you need to avoid the common pitfalls when implementing new technology. Welcome to season two of the Underscore…

'Both integrations and reporting are ways of transmitting data. Integration is point to point - it's data transmitted from one system to another. Reporting is data transmitted to a human'. Key Takeaway: The role that reporting and analytics play in the delivery of your business transformation. Welcome to season two of the Underscore Transformation …

As a customer of that technology vendor, engage with whatever there product development process is. Even though we're talking about implementation right now get involved early; influence the roadmap. Welcome to season two of the Underscore Transformation Podcast. We hope you enjoy this episode exploring the importance of selecting the right technol…

Welcome to season two of the Underscore Transformation Podcast. This season focuses on the Build phase of transformation, and follows on directly from season one (Scoping). If you haven't already, we recommend you listen to episodes 2-11 of season one as we will refer back to these topics, and they are vital in building the foundation knowledge req…

Welcome to season two of the Underscore Transformation Podcast. This season focuses on the Build phase of transformation, and follows on directly from season one (Scoping). If you haven't already, we recommend you listen to episodes 2-11 of season one as we will refer back to these topics, and they are vital in building the foundation knowledge req…

Welcome to season two of the Underscore Transformation Podcast. This season focuses on the Build phase of transformation, and follows on directly from season one (Scoping). If you haven't already, we recommend you listen to episodes 2-11 of season one as we will refer back to these topics, and they are vital in building the foundation knowledge req…

“We identify 37 roles that are required to execute the change well” Joe Ales Welcome to season two of the Underscore Transformation Podcast. This season focuses on the Build phase of transformation, and follows on directly from season one (Scoping). If you haven't already, we recommend you listen to episodes 2-11 of season one as we will refer back…

Thank you to Nick Ranier for joining us to talk about his career in transformation with a particular focus on the scoping phase. Nick is a senior transformation leader with 25 years' transformation experience in a variety of sectors, including energy, defence, engineering and distribution. His career has been spent at the coalface of the digital re…

Thank you to Shafique Barabhuiya for joining us to talk about transformation in finance. If you'd like to learn more about Shafique and the work he does in supporting finance functions through change, you can connect with him on LinkedIn. This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stag…

This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stage of transformation: Scoping. The 10 Points covered in the Scoping Checklist are: 1. Programme sponsorship 2. Problem definition 3. Preparing for change 4. Requirements gathering 5. Vision, objectives and design principles 6. Governance an…

This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stage of transformation: Scoping. The 10 Points covered in the Scoping Checklist are: 1. Programme sponsorship 2. Problem definition 3. Preparing for change 4. Requirements gathering 5. Vision, objectives and design principles 6. Governance an…

During this episode we reference the competency model of Programme Managers, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) by Axelos. For more information on the products and services provided by Axelos, please visit their website. Underscore is an accredited training provider for MSP and Prince2 (project management training), along with other capabilities …

During this episode we include definitions of Project, Programme and Portfolio Management based on those given by Axelos (the custodians of Prince2, MSP, ITIL, P3M3 and more). Underscore is an accredited training provider for Prince2, and MSP. For more information on the products and services provided by Axelos, please visit their website. This sea…

This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stage of transformation: Scoping. The 10 Points covered in the Scoping Checklist are: 1. Programme sponsorship 2. Problem definition 3. Preparing for change 4. Requirements gathering 5. Vision, objectives and design principles 6. Governance an…

This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stage of transformation: Scoping. The 10 Points covered in the Scoping Checklist are: 1. Programme sponsorship 2. Problem definition 3. Preparing for change 4. Requirements gathering 5. Vision, objectives and design principles 6. Governance an…

This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stage of transformation: Scoping. The 10 Points covered in the Scoping Checklist are: 1. Programme sponsorship 2. Problem definition 3. Preparing for change 4. Requirements gathering 5. Vision, objectives and design principles 6. Governance an…

"What should be driving your program is the real needs of the business. The customer of your function is central to what it is you're trying to deliver. Link the requirements with a clear line of sight through to the ultimate business benefits that you're going to deliver." This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent…

Season One of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stage of transformation: Scoping. The 10 Points covered in the Scoping Checklist are: 1. Programme sponsorship 2. Problem definition 3. Preparing for change 4. Requirements gathering 5. Vision, objectives and design principles 6. Governance and…

This season of the Underscore Transformation Podcast is based on our recent white paper covering the first stage of transformation: Scoping. The 10 Points covered in the Scoping Checklist are: 1. Programme sponsorship 2. Problem definition 3. Preparing for change 4. Requirements gathering 5. Vision, objectives and design principles 6. Governance an…

Thank you to our guests in this episode: Andy Welch, Portfolio Director – LinkedIn Kathryn Marshall, Chief HR Officer – LinkedIn Mark Harrison, Change and Delivery Director – LinkedIn Richard Phelps, Management Consultant – LinkedIn Sharon Bridgland-Gough, Chief HR Officer Mark Chillingworth kindly hosted the discussion - LinkedIn The 10 Points cov…

Underscore Transformation is a podcast dedicated to uncovering the mystery and mystique that surrounds business transformation. Each week, Underscore's co-founders, Jason West and Joe Ales, will discuss the common challenges and pitfalls you can expect to find if you are leading, managing or simply experiencing business transformation. More importa…