iCore Ltd

Keeping businesses moving …

The Met Office Case Study

 

The Met Office produced an ambitious five year strategy designed to provide increased value for money to its customers. The business plans were to be implemented whilst also maintaining a continued focus on business and scientific excellence. To deliver the new business plans, the development and implementation of a new IT architecture coupled with an effective IT Governance framework, was required to ensure success and continued alignment to the business strategy.

Engagement

The Met Office engaged iCore following a competitive tender process to provide the following:

  • An assessment of the current maturity of the governance of the development and implementation of the IT Architecture;
  • A proposal for a suitable future state for IT governance;
  • A high level plan for moving to the future state, identifying any ‘quick wins’ that could be made.
Deliverables

At the Met Office many of the components required by an IT Governance framework are understood – a strong project management culture, a background in quality processes, formal third-party supplier selection and management and a recognised need for measuring performance. Using COBIT® as a benchmark, iCore provided the Met Office team with a thorough and detailed set of activities to improve IT governance, together with a simple categorisation of ‘In progress’, ‘Do now’, ‘Do soon’, ‘Do later’. In terms of the overall recommendations and route map for an IT Governance Improvement Programme, iCore then took some real examples of next steps to illustrate the benefits and build the benefit case for Executive approval.

Outcome

The Met Office Executive approved the proposals for development and implementation of the new IT Architecture, but integral to the portfolio of programmes and projects required to manage this investment, it recognised the need for linking it to an IT Governance Improvement Programme. Within three months, the Met Office had introduced the new governance structure, organisation and framework.