Business Consultancy: Corporate Services

Advalus provide a multi-displinary approach to business consultancy which enables our clients to choose from the following services:

Business Case Development

Creation and development of Business Cases (BCs) across the lifecycle (in accordance with prevailing Government policy - including Treasury Green Book and Managing Public Money guidance- and following the 5 case model approach;

• Strategic Outline Programme Case (SOP), Strategic Outline Project Case (SOC), Outline Business case (OBC) and Full Business Cases (FBS), plus other cases as negotiated on bespoke basis with HMT
• We can create and develop the BC itself, plus all required supporting information, including:
  • Strategic Case - development of arguments, papers and briefs etc setting out the case for change, with information notes and briefing notes to support.
  • Economic Case - creation of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Benefit Realisation Plan (BRP), Investment Appraisal (IA) and Options analysis (long list, selection criteria, recommendation), VFM Assessment, Sensitivity analysis, Distributional Analysis Optimism Bias or Risk analysis.
  • Commercial Case - Procurement options analysis, Risk transfer assessment, service requirements, paymech, contract risk issues, key negotiation aspects and TUPE obligations and considerations.
  • Financial Case - Cost forecasts (current/nominal), Analysis of sources and uses of funding, affordability assessment across CDEL/RDEL/IND-RDEL analysis, balance sheet impact analysis, accounting implications.
  • Management Case - Governance and structuring risk assessment, Organisational risk analysis, project plans, recruitment plans, contingency/fallback options.

Capability Development

Advalus can provide the support required to develop capability at the organisation wide, programme, project team, clusters, and individual level;

• Our process includes the following:
  • Capability Gap Analysis and Redesign (mapping 'To Be' against 'As Is').
  • Identification and creation of capability development strategies.
  • Training Needs Analysis.
  • Tools and methods analysis and delivery plan.
  • Training Design.
  • Training deployment.
  • Evaluation and Quality Assurance.

Change & Transformation Management

• Current Baseline / Evidence of Need /Systematic evidence based reviews.
• Analysis of key factors and constraints (people, assets, technology, processes, innovation, market threats)
• Case for Change (assessment /evaluation/ design/ prioritisation / stakeholders).
• Planning and change management control / supervision process /resource.
• Achieving the journey – management & results.
• Agile, Waterfall delivery techniques and specialists.
• Stakeholders -ensuring that business partners are bound into and support the proposed changes.

Complex Projects

• Feasibility and Options Assessment (including Cost Benefit and Investment Appraisal of development /restructuring options).
• Procurement and Industrial Strategy re Third Parties.
• Improvement programmes; cost reductions, efficiency improvements, enhancing outputs, scaling options.
• Assessment of internal capabilities (people, systems, tech, IP, funding) and advice on value-driven reconfigurations.
• Assessment and design of delivery structure (governance and executive, project delivery teams).
• Sustainability and legal risk assessments: legal requirements vs funding sources.
• Procurement and project delivery support.
• Commercial negotiation.
• Business Case / Approvals support.
• Through life reviews / enhancements.

Corporate and Operational Planning

• Creation of corporate plans at all levels; Strategic Plan: Tactical Plan: and Operational Plan
• Development of the Operational Plan across the business units, and Divisions
• Flow down of plans to projects and BAU activities at detailed level to ensure full strategic alignment
• Support includes all planning, management products and documentation including:
  • team structures, recruitment and training plans
  • dissemination and alignment of strategic outcomes to tactical and operational activities
  • budgets and plans to secure investment

Forecasting, Planning and Strategy

• Strategic assessment of forecasting capability and risks, recommendations to enhance capability.
• Development of detailed, dynamic forecasts across a range of data - including demand volumes, infrastructure, financial performance and related outputs.
• Detailed models created with full dynamic flexibility, and associated Master Data and Assumptions Lists (MDAL).
• Linking forecasting to operational plans in a dynamic way to test alignment and sensitivity.

Organisational Strategy

• Review/critique/creation of organisational strategy.
• As Is and To Be Assessment of People, Capability Gaps and Opportunities.
• Assessment of Process/Technology Gaps and Opportunities.
• Stakeholder and shareholder liaison / management.
• Management of the whole change process - from definition of Strategy/Outcomes, through delivery and restructure, into continual improvement phase.

Policy Development, Advice and Review

• Systematic approach to Policy analysis and advice (scoping, problem definition, evaluation criteria, identification and evaluation of alternatives, to select preferred).
• SWOT / PEST analysis on policy evidence base(s), and advice on addressing evidence deficit(s).
• Design and implementation of policy review processes to assure effectiveness (ongoing review cycle).

Programme and Project Management

• Reinforce programme management structures through introduction of relevant Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) into specific roles, as a team, or as advisory support to the customer’s own PMO structure.
• Deliver or support specific project management tasks; eg risk management, benefit management, stakeholder engagement, approvals management.
• Provide a mix of expertise to ensure coherence between the generic management, technical /delivery management, commercial management, security, and financial / business analyst aspects
• Introduce transparency and evidence-based reporting; to be clear on actual progress and performance / delivery risk.
• Experts are established programme management practitioners (MSP, PRINCE 2, Agile etc) to ensure alignment with client preferences on methods etc.

Business and Disaster Recovery

• Development of a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan, including:
  • critical function map - tracing outcomes back to inputs, and identifying critical junctures, processes, people, systems (SW and HW) and data.
  • identification /assessment of DR risk - setting out the potential threats and forms of contingency required.
  • tailored response plans; using a combination of the critical function mapping and risk assessment to develop a series of specific mitigation/response plans.
  • development and communication of plans - working with the organisation to refine, communicate and encourage understanding of the DR plans.
  • Linkage of the established DR plans into the overall Business Continuity Management (BCM) systems.

Continuity Planning

• Deployment of Continuity Planning and Business Continuity Management (BCM) across a range of capabilities and outputs (organisational , resourcing, ICT, financial planning, operational planning, security, project continuity)
• Design and construct Business Continuity Plans (BCP) in the context of best practice, regulations and accreditation bodies - with graded risk assessments and recommendations
• Each plan includes and is supported by:
  • full risk assessment.
  • business impact analysis.
  • development of 1 or more reversion plans.
  • testing plan.
  • training plan.
  • software/tools/methodolgoy recommendations.

Economics

• Competition and Markets.
• UK & International law, public policy and regulatory implications.
• Business case evidence formulation.
• Contract and Procurement Design.
• Dispute Support.
• User dynamics and pricing.
• Technology and Impacts.

Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances

• Market analysis and assurance (sectoral, customers, competitors, emergent/disruptors).
• Capability analysis and assurance (talent, technology, pipeline, constraints).
• Brand/positional analysis and assurance.
• Financial, Tax and Accounting analysis.
• Risk assessment.
• Development of JV structures and alliance options - balancing risks, opportunities, timescales and commitment.
• Development of recommendation and implementation plans / playbooks.
• Development of financing and structuring recommendation.
• Identifying exit options and mitigation strategies.
• Negotiation / Implementation to maximise value.

Restructuring Mergers, Acquisitions and Disposals

• Strategy / Business Case / Evidential support.
• External analysis - markets, assets, technologies, personnel, IP and innovation.
• Identification of funding/ investment sources/options as required, risk assessment and recommendations.
• Advice on restructuring businesses and assets, finances and corporate structures: in preparation for M&A or disposals.
• Assessment of potential counterparties and support/ supply chains to identify correct target/buyer in line with strategic ambitions.
• Provide specialists in rules, regulations and taxation implications.

Outsourcing / Insourcing Advice

• Outsourcing advisory:
  • Market Analysis and macro trends assessment.
  • Specialist Risk analysis.
  • Options assessment and economic value analysis.
  • Contract structuring and advice.
  • Reporting / Presentation / Stakeholders.
• In-sourcing advisory:
  • Target operating modelling (including Organisational structure design, Job profiling and expert modelling for Resource, Technology and process design).
  • Risk identification and mitigation (critical functions, control risks).
  • Compliance management.
  • HR, Talent and Recruitment plans.
  • Day 1 / through life implementation plans.

Procurement Advice

• Procurement strategy for options assessment and selection.
• Supply chain management.
• Contract management.
• Support and CIPs / Legal specialists advice provided at all stages of the programme /project lifecycle.

Risk and Opportunity Management

• Organisational / Programme level Risk Assessment and Management - scoping, data collection, exposure analysis, ongoing evaluation.
• Stakeholder liaison (workshops, board presentations and approvals).
• Detailed Risk and Opportunity (Identification / Modelling and Forecasting).
• Risk valuation/cost forecasting (incl. 3 point estimating and risk/uncertainty 'spread' modelling).
• Monte Carlo analysis and modelling.