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Rail Technology Article
25th May 11
The UK’s rail network is one of the oldest in the world. In spite of its age, constant improvement and maintenance programmes ensure that it is more than capable of serving 21st century needs.
As part of this ongoing improvement programme, specialist consultant The Ultimate Solutions Partnership (TUSP) has recently helped leading contractor, Balfour Beatty Rail Infrastructure Services (BBRIS) to centralise, modernise and streamline its Renewals Management System.
The upkeep of the UK’s rail network is a never-ending job that takes place 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As one the UK’s largest track renewals organisations, Balfour Beatty Rail Infrastructure Services provides renewals services to Network Rail for almost a third of the UK’s rail infrastructure – providing a complete renewals service from formation through to complete relaying of plain line and switches and crossings work – a service level it also offers to more than 30 other countries worldwide. The company recently embarked on a programme to enhance and centralise the existing project management system that encompasses its renewals service and called upon the services of TUSP to help implement this change.
TUSP’s first step was to pull together all the high-level business processes and to analyse what they did, how they interacted with each other and how and when the information was then delivered to those who needed it. Richard Smith, director at TUSP explains: “It became obvious to us that the actual process itself could be broken down into a number of discrete processes or phases. By apportioning the process in this way we immediately simplified it – making it far easier to incorporate the anticipated enhancements.”
The second step was to then understand what was involved in each of these phases and, more importantly identify the deliverables at each stage. “By identifying the deliverables we were able to create a phase cut off or ‘stage gate’. What the stage gates allow BBRIS to do is to define the end of one process and the beginning of another. Each stage gate required sign off from senior management, where they would either approve completion of the phase or sign off all elements that were satisfactorily complete, with defined objectives for those that were still to be completed. The beauty of the system is that it is not totally rigid – not all disciplines have to be completed – but the next stage can only begin with the necessary approvals and remedial instructions in place.”
For this part of the plan TUSP implemented a software package called Primavera P3E to map the timings for each activity within the process. “We also opted for Progress Reporter, another package from Primavera. What this does,” continues Smith, “is monitor the activity due dates, allowing the relevant engineer to manage those activities and also record when they have completed them, which then updates the data back into the P3E software above it.”
With each process mapped at the deliverable stage TUSP discussed a visualisation tool based on web technology, which would allow all interested parties to see the information that pertained to them, the depth of which could be controlled by privileges determined by password log-ins. Because the existing system involved a lot of paperwork, the existing hard copy formats were turned into web pages using the Microsoft.Net framework.
Once this had been completed TUSP had effectively developed an end-to-end integrated system that determined the process, provided the framework and offered all the necessary project support tools. The new system was also capable of producing method statements, planning procedures and ordering information, all driven by the project management infrastructure and the many lead times it has to manage. As well as centralising the data repository it became obvious to both TUSP and BBRIS that some of the planning work undertaken by certain personnel would be better suited to being undertaken at depot locations rather than at the HQ. As well as making sense from an operational point of view, the idea of having planners at the ‘coal face’ also made sense.
The new streamlined system has been christened Renewals Management System (RMS) and is still undergoing support from TUSP – this is mainly in the form of ongoing training and change management. As well as support, however, enhancements are also on the cards, with a potential migration to handheld technology in the future.
Commenting on the project and its subsequent implementation, Geoff Durand, Managing Director of BBRIS explains: “The previous systems we had in place were bespoke and needed much more support than this new approach. However, it was not all bad… the new system leverages many of the capabilities of the old systems, which were not really fulfilling their potential. With the new intranet-based approach all the capabilities are now available to all that need them.
“Although it is early days, we are expecting the new system to be a lot more reliable, indeed early signs are already reinforcing this belief. Our customer, Network Rail has also been expressing an interest in what we have done and with this new end-to-end process now in place, we can demonstrate what could potentially become a national programme.”
Smith concludes: “Putting new systems in place can often present a variety of challenges, not just from a technical standpoint, but also from a personnel perspective. One thing that TUSP is good at is marrying the two together. In this case not only did we deliver on the technical brief but we also addressed the equally important staff issues – where many people are now realising the benefits to be had – embracing the new approach over the older legacy system. Change does not have to be difficult; you just need to know how to manage it.”
Business and Golf Are More Alike Than You Think
24th May 11
Explaining golf to someone can be as simple as "hit the little white ball and try and get it in to the hole in as few strokes as possible". As we all know it is never really that simple.... or is it? By taking a back-to-basics approach we look at how a step-by-step approach to teaching golf tallies remarkably closely with the way business projects can be addressed. Richard Smith, managing director of The Ultimate Solution Partnership (TUSP) and Howard Bonaccorsi, director of Golf at Ashford's Homelands Golf Centre, explains how and why?
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"It was while I was having a few lessons with Howard," explains Smith, "that I realised that his approach to teaching golf bore some remarkable similiarities with the way TUSP helps companies undertake project assignments and business improvement. Indeed, his step-by-step approach was eerily familiar and, as the lessons progressed, I was convinced we had more than just golf in common.
So where do these similiarities begin? According to Bonaccorsi: "The first step to teaching golf is to assess what the student wants to achieve. Do they want to be playing in the masters next year, or are they simply happy improving their basic game? This gives me the foundation from which I build the lessons so I can tailor the teaching towards these expectations." Smith compares and elaborates: "In any consultancy project we undertake, the initial brief is the most important part of the project as it will determine what we need to deliver and how we need to do it. Only by knowing and understanding expectations can we hope to arrive at the desired result. Get the initial brief wrong and things can go very bad very quickly."
Smith continues: "Once we understand the brief we establish a series of smaller steps which, when all taken together, address the overall objective. We take it all back to basics and then rebuild using 'bite-size' chunks; golfing analogies would include 'swing smoothly' and 'aim for the target' applying what you have learnt.
From golfing angle Bonaccorsi adds: "By breaking the golfer's game down in to smaller and more manageable discrete elements, such as posture, grip, grip pressure and alignment, we can concentrate on improving them one at a time and steadily combining them. To improve, you must take the right steps at the right time and practice the right thing. The 80:20 ratio exists in golf as it does in business. With most golfers, 80% of their practice relates to just 10-20% of their game, how many people do you see favouring their driver or 3 wood on the range when, in fact, the driver and 3 wood typically only account for 10% of their game."
There are pitfalls to this approach- which are all down to that attitude and resolve of those being helped. Bonaccorsi explains: "Some changes to a golfers game will initially result in poorer performance before being combined with others that will, ultimately, result in better performance. If people do not take the course through to its fruition, they will often revert back to old habits because the single bits they have learnt have not improved their game. There are not many individual quick fixes- some people will last nine holes and then revert back to their old ways." Echoing this, Smith continues: " In business, we have to make sure that the people we are helping can see the bigger picture and are aware of what is in it for them. Encouragement is a huge part of the process and is constant in any consultancy excercise. Like golf, it is not much fun hacking around without an end goal in sight."
At this point both Smith and Bonaccorsi agree that the interaction between teacher and pupil is paramount. Bonaccorsi tells us: "I sometimes ask what they do as a job or hobby and relate teaching to that. By undestanding who they are as a person I can offer a far more tailored approach; student and teacher must gel right from the start. In much the same way, it would also be wrong for me to assume that everyone I teach knows everything- I adapt to his or her level of knowledge- even reverting to non- golfing terms that they will more readily understand. Brand new people are easy to teach- there is nothing to change or unlearn. Those that have been golfing for 10 years will slip in to a comfort zone. It is important to show benefits early on or their dedication will slip.
"Empathy is just as vital in the world of business, " Smith continues, "In a recent survey undertaken by TUSP, we found that the vast majority of companies looking to hire consultants want a person not an automaton. They want someone who will fit into a team and meld with the group they are working with. Indeed, many want a company or mentor that shares the same values, be they personal or business orientated- or, in most cases, both."
Bonaccorsi elaborates on this: "It is important for me to be able to practice what I preach. I have to be able to hit terrible shots so I can demonstrate what caused me to hit such a howler. As well as showing people where they are going wrong it also puts them at ease because it shows that not only am I human, but also that I can also see exactly what it is they need addressing." Smith adds to this: "We have to show people that we have worked in some terrible places with awful systems in place, we have not just appeared into consultancy. By showing that we are 'battle hardened' many of our clients realise that we are not being sychophantic- we have actually 'been there and suffered that' ourselves. We also use examples, in much the same way as Howard's sympathetic bad golf shot. If we can demonstrate capability and experiences we can put people's minds at rest."
From a change point of view it is important to understand the way people see the before and after and how they interpret what they see. Smith explains: "If your swing is terrible but you really got hold of the ball, you may not think there is a reason to change. Looking at it from another angle do you often take a sideways look on the range and think to yourself: 'I wish I could hit my 5 iron that far'? These are two different aspects of the game and, to a certan degree, they are both in your head. What they do have in common is that a teacher or consultant can address them both. Imagine if your swing was improved how much further you could hit the ball, or if you could hit your five iron that far."
Bonaccorsi adds the golfing perspective to this: "When I get a client who has been playing for a few years, they don't realise the chaos that I am about to introduce into their game. The breakdown approach can be long and drawn out and unless it is taken to the end it may ruin their game. Patience is vital and a lot of people do not have this patience. They have to understand that anything worth doing does not need to be done perfectly first- you will learn to improve. Sometimes I have to introduce benchmarks- I try to get them doing something they could not do before- this gives renewed enthusiasm and proof that training is paying off. But we must take small steps."
Concludng the business perspective, Smith explains; "If you are a 'business' with a reasonable swing and reasonable accuracy then you may muddle through, but what will happen to you in relation to those companies that take advice to improve both their swing and accuracy, you will find yourself falling further and further behind." Smith and Bonaccorsi both agree: "Companies and players alike will try it on their own for six months before realising that they need help. It is this recognition that change is needed that is the vital breakthrough in many cases."
The similarities are indeed staggering and it is plain to see that external help either in business or golf rarely results in failure, especially if the dedication exists from both sides. Only by recognising that you need help will you really be able to take on board and apply what is on offer. Quick fixes are exactly that, within weeks you will be back into your comfort zone and playing or trading as you have always done. Change offers a fantastic opportunity to sport and business alike and those with the dedication will be those that reap the rewards.