What I do
What I do
I help you and your organization make better use of computer technology. I can advise you on workflow and business process management, intranets, electronic commerce and other aspects of being a successful electronic business.
This can be at any stage, from strategy setting, through system selection and project direction to post-implementation review.
How I work
Your organization probably already has the internal resources to find out what it needs to know, plan a course of action and put it into practice. Where I can help is by:
speeding up that process,
applying specialized experience and knowledge,
bringing a fresh eye, and
acting as catalysts for change.
If you do  not have sufficient or suitable internal resources, I and my associates can take you through the entire process, from needs examination through to implementation and review.
Looking beyond the technical
My contribution is not restricted to computing matters. Creating the electronic business is as much about organizational change as it is technical innovation, if not more so.
For instance, if your programme crosses internal boundaries or straddles discipline, I help you build the bridges. If there is there no natural focal point for your change efforts, I can help you give it a focus.
I am an idea provoker, cross-fertiliser and human networker. I detect and solve problems -- usually human and organizational -- that technical specialists are seldom trained to deal with.
At the same time, I try to open the eyes of the 'soft' functions to the possibilities that IT offers. And alert them to the rigour involved in doing it well.
Here are some examples.
Organization A, a software supplier, needed an email server. One technical faction favoured Lotus Notes; the other preferred Microsoft Exchange. Trench warfare was breaking out. I brokered and moderated a meeting of the two groups. Both sides aired their preferences and misgivings, in a controlled way, and eventually agreed to adopt the way forward that emerged on the day.
An organizational consultancy would not have understood the technical significance of what was discussed. A technical consultancy would not have been able to manage the meeting dynamics. I did both, to everyone's satisfaction.

Organization B, a different software supplier, wanted a one-day briefing on human interface design for its office software team. I instead got agreement to run a three-day workshop on the subject. It was new attitudes that Ire needed, not learning a few 'rules' of screen layout.
The workshop was deeply interactive and hard work for all concerned. Among the participants were non-technical staff from the company, there as substitute customers. They and the designers worked together in teams and produced two explicit outputs. One was a thesaurus of office verbs, to form part of the design vocabulary. The other was an agreed process for the work to be done in the weeks and months afterward.

Organization C, a government department, needed a new process for producing inspection reports. Its inspections are made by multi-agency teams, seldom involving the same personnel twice running.
I had to take account of the professional sensitivities of the different specialists involved, their different reporting conventions and their variable, often low, computing abilities. I could not put a heavy IT learning load on them, yet urgently needed to improve the quality and turnaround speed of reports.
The process I produced made these things possible, in an acceptable way, as well as creating a new structure for published reports. I also designed a new Web site and intranet architecture for the department while I was there.

Where to use me

I often work on the one-off problems, the oddball cases, the ones that won't fit the recruiter's profile. In particular, I get called in for systems or processes that touch human beings, be they employees, customers, prospects or trading partners.
You need balanced solutions to meet these people's needs, as well as yours and those of the system. Creating this balance requires experience and breadth of vision. I offer these.
I act as a go-between, working with senior managers to translate business needs into systems objectives. Often that means first showing the business side what is possible with modern systems - and, as importantly, what is not possible.
I then work with your specialists to create a system that meets as many of those objectives as is possible.
So, think of me for those awkward jobs. And for technical consulting, strategy setting, 'sanity testing' of plans, interim management, strategic supplier selection or similar.
Whatever you think you might need help on, give me a call. I will tell you if I think my associates and I can deal with the matter. If we can, we'll offer to help. If we can't, I'll let you know immediately.
I are in nobody's pocket and my only interest is in helping you achieve a successful outcome.
The Record page gives examples of previous assignments. It also gives details of my editing and conference services. In The electronic business, I set out what I see as important in gaining success.
If you would like more details, or wish to discuss a possibility, please call me on +44 (0)1883 713074, or email me here. (Sorry about the rigmarole but I'd rather not be spammed.)
Roger Whitehead