$430 million professional services business

A Professional Second Opinion

This multinational company in the professional services end of the construction industry has grown from fairly humble beginnings to have well in excess of 1000 staff across multiple sites. The IT manager adopted the role in the early stages of the business, and has grown his skills in line with the business’s needs. While his skills are more than adequate for the role he fills, the company directors desired some external validation that his plans for the IT direction the company was going to take were in line with industry best practice. Initially, we simply reviewed the plans, comparing the intended direction with where the organisation has been, and with what’s broadly regarded as best practice. To ensure that the plans would fulfill the business’s requirements, we conducted an online survey of a selection of the senior business partners, determining that the IT Manager’s plans were in line with what the business needed, and that the improvements planned in the next 12-18 months would suit the business’s needs. On an ongoing basis, we continue to act as a ‘professional peer’ for the IT Manager, providing access to our expertise, and reviewing plans and proposals to ensure that they are the best fir for the organisation. To date, we have provided input on staffing/recruiting, technology directions, move to an outsourced data centre, and WAN infrastructure.