Case Study
Defence Platform Supplier
Background & Situation
Our client, a major Defence Platform Supplier needed to improve delivery schedules with a key supplier on a long-term platform build.
Delivery was slipping and relationships, especially trust were poor. It was unclear where the issues sat, but each party was seen to blame the other, without identifying a positive way forward. Ultimately the customer was suffering. In addition, future business for the supplier was at stake.
Benefits
Clarification of the issues that affected delivery performance were addressed, we agreed with both teams a new robust process, gained clarity of dependencies, early warnings, and then put in place a methodology to ensure we worked together to address slippage.
A joint plan, and schedule was developed and shared at senior level, then cascaded through the project to help with understanding and achieving milestones.
Improved relationships and removal of an adversarial behaviour that had built up during the programme, based primarily on historical perceptions, this was achieved by embedding a continuous improvement plan.
Focused on critical short-term delivery and evidencing this being achieved. In addition, a longer-term delivery plan was established to avoid a repeat of the current issues.
Joint ownership of the process agreed by both customer and supplier.
The supplier is crystal clear on what they needed to do to enable the Prime to let future contracts to them.
What we did
- 1-1 interviews with each of the respective team members to capture positive, negative issues and understand what was driving the poor perceptions. Agreed what good should look like going forward.
- Agree a two-level approach, senior management to set the strategy, the operational teams to learn from work to date and build on existing pockets of good practice, on processes, dependencies, and a build drumbeat of activity.
- Facilitated a workshop between the Prime and the Tier 1 to prioritise the address the key issues and key opportunities.
- Agreed action plans with owners and clear timeframes, owned and driven by the senior leadership team.
- Agreed joint activity to help get buy in from the key stakeholders and help them manage their senior stakeholders.
- Developed a much higher level of trust to enable a much smoother programme delivery and a ‘no surprises’ culture.
