case studies

Financial services

Project Review

Client
Barclays Bank PLC
Sector
Financial services

Project description

Corporate Banking operates a formal IT Project investment review process, with a panel to review submissions. One proposal that came before the panel was for an urgent upgrade to a money transmission product.

The urgency driven by Year 2000 deadlines was such that the panel had de facto to fund the investment, but an immediate project review was requested. The issue was whether the existing technical and operational infrastructure could deliver the expanded operation within the aggressive timescale proposed.

The Corporate Banking Information Services Director commissioned ItemPlus to undertake the review. The review needed to:

  • cover a wide range of ‘dimensions’ (project management and planning, IT and business operations, technical design, technical strategy, etc.)
  • be undertaken quickly
  • be managed and communicated to produce recommendations which would be fully supported by Corporate Banking executives without referral back to the project team.
  • ItemPlus assembled a small team of consultants with experience in all the aspects of the project, and worked alongside a senior manager from Corporate Banking to undertake the review.


The recommendations were delivered jointly by the senior manager and the ItemPlus assignment manager.

Outcome

The Committee accepted the recommendations and formally recognised the value added by ItemPlus.