Governance & Business Cases

Governance & Business Cases

The challenge

All change projects are difficult – and information systems projects are especially challenging. Most can only claim partial success and many go wrong from the outset. Those projects that succeed owe that to a number of critical factors but, at the heart, every successful systems project needs good governance and an honest business case. The problem for organisations in the sector is that structured decision-making and the detailed pre-planning are unfamiliar for many and culturally hard to implement for most.

The challenge
How we can help

How we can help

Adapta consultants have all worked extensively in or with charities, membership bodies and others in the sector. We understand the different cultures and our teams are skilled in introducing the right balance of control and consensus to each engagement. We work with you to establish an appropriate governance structure for the help we provide – so that you can manage our involvement with confidence but also so that we can demonstrate by example how any project needs to be established and controlled.

How we can help How we can help

What we will deliver

We refer to all our projects as “engagements” – and that’s because we believe that roles, relationships and clear communication are crucial to achieving success. So, even before we start work with you, we will ask to establish an appropriate project governance framework and the associated key roles (sponsor, project manager, stakeholders and so on). We draw on our library of template terms of reference, reporting frameworks, and other project components to help us and we combine those to achieve the most appropriate mix for your project and your organisation. And we’ll help you set all that up.

One of the most important components can often be the business case for change. We have templates and structures approaches for that as well but, more importantly, our consultants are trained and experienced in helping your teams articulate the needs and the risks – and we can help put those into the right format from senior management / trustee approval; or to convert the business case to a proposal for external funding.

What we will deliver
How we can help

Our credentials

The consultants we propose for governance and business case engagements are all experienced professionals many of whom have held senior management positions in the sector. We know what goes wrong when projects don’t have a firm foundation in governance, and we know how to embed that without undermining the important cultural and other principles in your own organisation.

Not every change project needs a business case – and those that do don’t always need the same level of detail. Our consultants have real experience of what works and what doesn’t and we bring that to share with you in the challenges you face.

Our credentials

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What our Clients Say

Crisis, Rebecca Pritchard
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Crisis
Rebecca Pritchard
Former Director of Operations

Adapta have been honest and realistic with us throughout. They are clear where they can add value and where we can do things on our own – so it feels like a partnership...

Médecins Sans Frontières UK, James Kliffen
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Médecins Sans Frontières UK
James Kliffen
Head of Fundraising

You have had a huge influence in our fundraising, and I would enthusiastically recommend you to other charities (and often have)...

Badger Trust, Dawn Varley
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Badger Trust
Dawn Varley
Operations & Strategy Director

I knew I could task them with my problem, and leave them to undertake the work in a professional yet friendly way, bringing their expertise and experience to the project…

Medical Aid for Palestinians, Iain McSeveney
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Medical Aid for Palestinians
Iain McSeveney
Finance Director

I’m very pleased with the professional way that Adapta managed the project. It was obvious that they have great experience in the charity sector and on the range of suitable software on the market…

National Children’s Bureau, Rachel Rand
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National Children’s Bureau
Rachel Rand
Strategic Director - Finance and Corporate Services

I would not embark on any IT project without first meeting with Adapta to understand how they feel they could support me. I have found their guidance and practical support invaluable…

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ClientEarth
Rosalba Leonelli
Head of Finance

Thank you to you and your team for developing and facilitating an excellent workshop. You fully understood our needs which were evident in the workshop structure and content…

Clients

We strive to support a dynamic, impactful sector that leads through innovation and collaborative thinking. We are continually amazed by the incredible work the sector does and the support it gives to make a difference to millions of lives in the UK and across the world. View the organisations we work with here.


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Case Studies

Our case studies provide real examples of the support and advice we give organisations, detailing the issues and challenges each faced and how, together, we were able to help them.