Range from Small Start Up Companies to the Global 500

Blue Alumni

Typical Assignments

Listed below are selected examples of our work. For more details on anything listed, or to discuss any other areas of expertise and experience, please call 0207 236 9393.

Example 1
A Blue Alumni consultant helped re-launch a modernisation programme for one of the largest UK Government Agencies. This £15 million modernisation programme was aimed at third party providers of a managed government service to individual clients. The programme was behind schedule and not delivering the required outcomes. We were appointed by the Agency to re-launch the programme and generate an appropriate response in the 220+ providers of the service nationally. We developed and implemented improved:

• Guidance for providers and the Agencies contract managers
• Methods of communications with the providers in order to engage them in the programme
• Fund management procedures
• Programme evaluation criteria

After 4 months, the Agency were confident enough to take the programme back in house and adopt the approach and procedures implemented.

Example 2
Blue Alumni provided a team of consultants to a major international bank. The UK retail channels of this bank include financial advisers selling both third party products and its own multi-manager OEIC based investment product.

We managed a business process re-engineering project involving 20 people to reduce the administration costs in the IFA channel. We provided the re-engineering methodology and expertise, trained and coached staff in business process modelling and ran the process innovation workshops. The project team delivered the new process designs to realise savings of up to £4M per annum.

One of the consultants was then re-hired to play a key role in a critical project to improve the quality of financial advice delivered by the retail channels. He worked in a senior role with executive management to define new standards for the sale of investment and protection products, to comply with the FSA rulebooks. He then helped establish a change programme to implement the new standards across the organisation. He set up and ran a training programme for the customer-facing teams and then acted as coach to the 40-strong Advice Quality team to guide the evolution of the standards.

The team achieved all the programme goals and made a significant contribution to the improvement of advice quality within the business.

Example 3
For one of largest picture collections in the world, Blue Alumni co-ordinated the establishment in the UK of a new digital business model, including a major new e-commerce launch. This involved working with the development team in Seattle to design and implement new business processes and ensure that staff were fully trained and prepared for the roll-out. We then implemented a programme management structure to ensure that all systems projects delivered business benefits, including the successful implementation of a Y2K upgrade programme.

Example 4
A Major Life Insurer had been developing a computerised point of sale system for some 3 years but this project was delayed in its final stages. After the system had been at the 90% complete stage for over 12 months a Blue Alumni consultant was appointed to undertake a brief review to determine the causes of the delay. Following his initial diagnostic review we mapped out a revised programme plan based on a realistic assessment of the status of the programme.

The consultant was then appointed to lead the development. This involved review and strengthening of the business case, introducing new rapid systems development procedures, management of the user team responsible for the specification, development and implementation of communications, training and roll out strategies. The technologies used ‘leading edge’ techniques with extensive use of XML messaging and communications of confidential policy and personal data between the laptop point of sale system and the head office mainframe computers.

Over 120 staff were engaged in the project and the new systems were implemented and rolled out to over 2000 users, as planned.

Example 5
Blue Alumni consultants have worked with a leading European construction group since 1995. Initially this involved setting up client and employee surveys, and working with the boards of the subsidiary companies to establish a culture of employee involvement. Significant measurable improvements followed in customer service, processing costs and employee morale. More recently we have been working with main board to support their overall change strategy. This included designing and running an interactive strategy development workshop for the top 40 directors in the group.