DIY Transformation

I moved home this summer. It was less than a year since my first-ever house extension which involved an additional bedroom with en-suite bathroom, a very large open-plan kitchen and French windows into the garden. As pretty as the extension was, it was not going to not meet the needs of a growing family. Hence the house move.

For my new family home, I plan on doing a similar project (although not in the same way!), drawing lesson from what I learned from my first-ever serious building project. I had to engage, discuss and contract with architects, surveyors, Party Wall Act 1996 consultants, builders, local council regulations, electricians, roofers, plumbers, gardeners, solicitors… plus the ‘additions’: carpenters, kitchen fitters, water softener specialists, window specialists, lighting specialists, and the list could go and on and on. I think what I am trying to say is that my to-do list seemed endless and challenging to manage. At the same time, my family just wanted to get it all done, move back in and live happily ever after. I used several very comprehensive self-made spreadsheets that listed outgoings, materials, timelines, etc. But my main efforts were spent on learning what I was doing in terms of bathrooms, materials, permissions, and regulations..

Assembling the best expertise

Recently I was in a meeting with a client. We were talking about all the plans he had with his collaboration project, all the tasks he needed to do, and all the internal stakeholders that he had to manage to get budget approval and the project going. Specifically, the meeting was around improving the user experience of his colleagues, after having deployed an in-house collaboration tool. By ‘in-house’ I mean that the project had been sourced and delivered by the internal team. On top of the choice of technology, my client now had to assess licensing requirements, room booking and scheduling systems, security-led compliance and regulations internally and from an industry perspective, the legislative challenge of GDPR and data protection. He had a to-do list as long as his arm. The truth was, as he put it, that he could not do it all. It literally was going to be impossible, especially with the size of the team he had. It was not only a matter of resources but also a matter of skills and knowledge. This gap in know-how may cost him dearly in the long run.

He asked me: “Would you be able to help me with end-user profiling? I need to understand if all my employees require the top-range collaboration licence, or if the basic one would meet the needs of several teams. If that’s the case, the potential savings for my IT budget may be huge.”

To which I responded:

“Sure we can help. But why don’t you prefer to do it yourself, internally, like the rest of your collaboration project roll-out?”

My client admitted that his team did not have the necessary skills to analyze the profile of their colleagues. Some people, such as architects, were too technical. Others, such as business analysts, did not have enough understanding of the collaboration options.

So I told him: “It is absolutely not a problem. Our consulting experts can help in the start of your project or all the way end-to-end.”

To build and optimize the best solutions, you need the best expertise. Our solution consultants are certified in 37 different domains and are able to assess and design solutions that optimize the adoption of your solution. Our project managers ensure that your project follows the Project Management Institute (PMI) or other world-class methodologies, and finally we commit to delivering your end-to-end solution on time to comply with your business objectives.

Going back to my DIY project: Would have I done things differently for my next house extension? Probably, yes, because I experienced two shortcomings, mainly:

-        First, I had a gap in knowledge and experience. For example, I never thought I would have to discuss a Party Wall Act Access Agreement with a neighbour.

-        Second, I had a gap in resources: My time was limited.

These gaps meant my budget suffered as I overpaid in some areas and the project got delayed, with the consequent financial implications.

Even if our consultants are certified in 37 domains, unfortunately, building is not one of them, so I would not have been able to hire them to help me with my house extension project. However, a dedicated customer service manager and a single support and contact point for all the products, such as what we provide, would have been really beneficial for my project. If they have an understanding of building, plumbing and heating regulations, or a team behind to support them, hiring them will be a no-brainer.

To discuss Orange Collaboration Consultants and how they can help your business, contact me on [email protected]