Helping clients see the bigger picture

Whilst you’re introduced in to ship a particular piece of labor – like a gadget migration, a brand new platform, or an analytics improve – it’s simple to stick centered at the short. Ship the duty. Hit the time limit. Transfer on.

However one of the vital most dear paintings you’ll be able to do for a shopper occurs while you glance past the duty to hand and lend a hand them transfer nearer to their long-term targets.

That’s what took place once we supported a big knowledge migration for the NHS. The preliminary ask was once easy: transfer groups from one knowledge platform to any other. However by way of stepping again and asking the fitting questions, we helped flip a technical migration into one thing a lot more treasured: a shift towards a extra joined-up, assured and strategic option to knowledge.

And this sort of shift isn’t distinctive to healthcare. It’s one thing we see throughout sectors. When supply groups interact with technique, even small initiatives will have an enduring affect.

From gadget migration to mindset shift

The NHS had to transfer a number of analytical groups from the Nationwide Commissioning Information Repository (NCDR) to a brand new platform referred to as the Unified Information Get admission to Layer (UDAL). The platform holds knowledge used to trace ready instances, track maternity care and plan the place new products and services are wanted, among many different use circumstances. It’s important that this information is correct, up-to-the-minute and simple to percentage throughout groups.

The technical objective was once emigrate customers and decommission the previous platform. However the true alternative was once to reinforce how the NHS controlled, depended on and made use of its knowledge – no longer simply transfer it from A to B.

As we were given into the paintings, we noticed tactics to sort things. The method was once guide, so there was once a transparent alternative to herald automation and cut back mistakes. Some groups didn’t absolutely believe the brand new platform’s adulthood, so we would have liked to concentrate on development their self belief and figuring out. We additionally discovered that if one thing went fallacious with the knowledge pipelines, no person was once right away alerted. This left groups unaware they weren’t the usage of the newest knowledge earlier than gaining access to it.

So we requested a larger query: how may just the program migration lend a hand construct a more potent, extra strategic NHS knowledge platform?

3 issues we did in a different way

1. We requested strategic questions early

As a substitute of simply running via a role record, we unfolded conversations with technical and non-technical groups. We would have liked to grasp what good fortune seemed like. Now not only for this migration, however for the organisation’s wider knowledge ambitions.

This helped us reframe the venture. Quite than simply finishing a handover, we began serving to the NHS discover how this platform may just improve shared metrics and long term platforms just like the Federated Data Platform (FDP).

2. We co-designed real looking answers

We introduced in skilled knowledge experts straightaway. Individuals who had delivered government-scale platforms earlier than. Their perception helped us temporarily spot the true trade-offs, steer clear of pointless complexity and concentrate on what would in reality paintings.

One of the most greatest enhancements was once serving to the NHS select a unmarried, constant option to long term migrations. UDAL introduced two choices: a well-recognized however inefficient datamart path and a more recent, sooner Lake Mart path the usage of Databricks. The Lake Mart choice was once extra scalable and cost-effective, however much less acquainted. We labored with the buyer to turn how somewhat of prematurely coaching may just give them long-term advantages. After our contract ended they followed this means as their same old.

3. We constructed believe within the gadget

A large blocker was once believe. Many groups had been understandably fearful about switching to a brand new platform with out understanding it was once dependable. One factor was once that there have been no indicators when one thing went fallacious with the knowledge. We helped repair this by way of coaching NHS engineers and bettering how the gadget flagged mistakes, so if one thing broke, groups would know in an instant and may just repair it temporarily.

We additionally seemed for fast, sensible enhancements so groups may just see rapid enhancements to their previous tactics of running. For instance, changing guide Excel bureaucracy with a virtual request device to hurry up the method and cut back errors.

The type of worth each and every venture must intention for

Via going past the unique short, we helped the NHS set more potent foundations for its knowledge technique. However the worth we delivered, strategic alignment and sensible development isn’t distinctive to healthcare. It’s what occurs when supply groups lean into technique.

Right here’s what that may appear to be throughout any organisation:

Don’t simply ship – lend a hand outline good fortune

Each venture is an opportunity to head past supply and form one thing higher. That doesn’t imply scope creep or going off-brief. It way being curious, asking higher questions and recognizing the place your experience can upload actual, lasting worth.

So subsequent time you’re running on a gadget migration, platform construct, or gadget trade, take a second to zoom out. As a result of once in a while, the most important alternatives are those hidden simply in the back of the duty record.

For a deeper take a look at one of the vital paintings we’ve been doing with the NHS browse our Health and Care case studies.

In regards to the Creator