Where this applies
A technology or AI implementation is going in.
The requirements were specified against the documented process, and the conditions the pilot succeeded in are not the ones it has to scale into.
How it shows up
- The rollout reports on schedule, and adoption trails behind it.
- Results from the pilot do not scale into the organisation or repeat at the next site.
- Each stage takes more effort than the one before, although early testing read green.
- Workarounds develop alongside the new system.
The context
A system is configured against the process as it was described during the requirements definition phase, generally a set of process maps, workshop outputs and the procedures on file. In most operations the work has since adapted to exceptions, workarounds and local arrangements that were never written down, because they were the practical response to conditions the procedure did not cover.
A pilot usually runs in a contained part of the operation, with the people most invested in the result. At scale, the system meets the full range of conditions at once, and adoption, data quality and the expected return all depend on how closely the configuration matches the work as it is currently done. Where it does not, the system automates the documented version, and the cost becomes evident after go-live, when correction is most expensive.
When
The gap does not close at go-live. Each stage of the rollout changes the conditions the next one meets, so the plan for the remaining stages is built on a starting point that has since moved.
Before
Before the system is configured, while the requirements are being specified, so they describe the work as it is currently done.
During
During the rollout, when the results and the business case begin to diverge, so the remaining stages are recalibrated against where the operation now stands.
After
After each stage and after go-live, to carry what was learned into the next site, the next stage or the next implementation.
What we do
Establish the real starting conditions.
We document how the work is currently done in the areas the system will touch, including the exceptions and workarounds, and confirm it with the people who run it.
Define how it needs to work.
We design the target process with the teams that will use the system, and test it against cases that have already occurred, before the configuration is finalised.
Set the sequence and the measures.
We define the rollout order, the conditions each stage has to meet, and the measures that show whether the system is delivering the return it was funded for.
What you get
A documented current state.
The process as it is currently performed, including its exceptions, recorded and confirmed by those who operate it, so the requirements are specified against the work.
The model tested against real cases.
Situations that have already occurred are run through the target process, so the system's behaviour under real conditions is known before it is configured.
KPIs and a baseline.
The KPIs that derive from the operating model, each with its data source identified, together with the measures as they stand before go-live, so the return on the investment can be demonstrated against a known position.
The conditions for each stage.
What each stage of the rollout has to deliver before the next begins, agreed with all relevant stakeholders in advance.
How the plan stays current.
At each stage, the results are checked against the conditions set for them, and the stages that follow are reassessed against where the rollout now stands, with a defined way to approve changes to the plan itself.
Where else this applies
Major project
A major project or program is being mobilised.
The schedule and the delivery plan assume an organisation that behaves the way the org chart describes it.
Joint venture
A joint venture or alliance has to work as one.
The contract sets out how the parties will work together, and neither party works exactly that way today.
Transformation
A transformation has been signed off.
The plan was approved against how the business is described, and it now has to succeed under the conditions in which the business currently operates.
To start that conversation, get in touch.
The first step is a conversation about the program, what has been committed, and where the open questions are. It takes about an hour and it produces a view on whether this is the right work to do.
The first stage can also be commissioned on its own. It sets the starting conditions and defines what the rest of the work would involve.
Get in touch