Programme management of an operating system roll-out

The client and what they needed

The client portfolio provided the technology for people working in the central government department to perform their jobs safely and securely. This highly complex portfolio was responsible for a programme to upgrade the organisation’s IT estate to the Windows 10 operating system.

When the world’s governments began instituting lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme was just beginning to roll out upgraded devices running on the Windows 10 operating system. Lockdowns and work-from-home directives meant the programme needed to accelerate its activities with considerable urgency. This rapid and unplanned acceleration eventually led to disorder within the programme. The portfolio needed new programme management to bring things back on track.

Capabilities we delivered

Project, programme, and portfolio management Project, programme, and portfolio governance Stakeholder management and stakeholder engagement Business case writing and approvals Vendor management Supply and logistics

The solution

Hand and Millar (H&M) hit the ground running, identifying a critical mismatch between device provisioning and demand for devices across the organisation’s business areas. H&M rapidly produced a business case and secured funding for additional Windows 10 devices, while at the same time putting in place a rationalisation approach to bring demand and compute power back into alignment.

Because demand for devices was at an all-time high, part of this rationalisation needed to involve controlling it in some way. H&M worked extensively with senior stakeholders in all 12 business areas to agree and deploy an approach for equitable distribution. This led to recognition that devices needed to be managed more closely and allocated according to need through a departmental-wide policy.

H&M also devised and executed a plan to withdraw outstanding Windows 7 devices from the network, making sure the tens of thousands of machines were identified and retrieved for disposal.

The benefits

H&M’s delivery of the post-pandemic Windows 10 roll-out programme:

secured the department’s networks by withdrawing tens of thousands of end-of-lifed devices
increased the speed and efficiency of deploying more than 35,000 new and upgraded devices to users
reduced the projected costs of the programme by putting place improved management of device numbers and allocations
increased cooperation between business areas to ensure devices were deployed where they were most needed
greatly de-risked the security, efficiency, and costs of the departmental IT estate.

Hand & Millar’s knowledge of all areas was impressive and led to them being a key resource across the programme. They have been influential in helping me understand the client needs and expectations of the RAIDO Role.

MichaelRisk Manager

Hand & Millar are a “critical friend” whom I can always trust to provide clear and positive suggestions. Thank you for all the support you have provided over the time you have worked with us.

NikkiAsst Hd, Portfolio Team