To communicate swiftly and effectively through all channels, at all levels, internally and externally, regardless of whether the information is good or bad. To strive to establish, foster and maintain the role of trusted advisor for our partners, prospects and clients through long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.
Kenway Consulting was asked by a financial services client’s IT department to provide program management services for their Enterprise Document Management program. Kenway was tasked with making observations and recommendations to improve the program and to manage the implementation of these recommendations.
The program was over budget, and communication between IT and Product Management was ineffective and hostile. Competing personalities were compounding these issues resulting in emotional strain throughout the program. Furthermore, the Program Management team was wary of Kenway’s assistance, because they assumed favoritism would be shown to the IT group since that was the group who solicited the assistance.
Kenway met with all members of the program to understand their perspectives and pain points, and to identify opportunities for improvement. Kenway provided the structure that was lacking, allowing conversations to migrate from the ineffective, i.e. stating subjective opinion, to having effective, objective, clear, and fact-based dialogues. This method allowed the teams to engage in discussions that would have previously been avoided or unproductive. Kenway played the role of objective mediator, delivering the tough messages and making recommendations for the betterment of the program as a whole regardless of whether it was perceived to be in favor of IT or Product Management.
While the program still has several challenges to overcome, it has progressed significantly. Communication and collaboration between Product Management and IT have become more clear and effective. Trust is growing between the groups, and now sessions are able to derive “needs” for the effort as opposed to “wants.” Throughout the process, Kenway focused on acting with integrity and putting the overall client needs above those of a single organization.