Weeknotes: Trains, Buses, and Taxis
Social Purpose
This week, my digital buddy Andrew Giles and I visited clients in Scotland. It would have been hard not to notice the twin storms, Isha and Jocelyn, that significantly impacted Scotland, coinciding with our travels to and from England. At times, our journeys resembled scenes from ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ — or, as we dubbed it, ‘Trains, Buses, and Taxis’.
If you’re now picturing Neal Page (aka Steve Martin) and Del Griffith (aka John Candy), I’m afraid you’re mistaken. As both of us are “functioning introverts”, we get along splendidly, engaging in animated debates about digital technology interspersed with comfortable, quiet reflection.
I enjoy working with all of Golden Marzipan’s Associates (I love you all!), but Andrew and I have cultivated a unique approach to developing digital strategies for our clients.
Business Need
Both Andrew and I have led digital and technology teams in social housing for large providers. Our proposition is that we’ve been there, done that, and learned from our past mistakes. Experience and expertise are our hallmarks.
However, our skill sets are quite distinct. Andrew leans more towards the technical aspects, whereas my interest lies in data and change management.
In our initial commission to co-develop a digital strategy with a housing and care provider in 2020, we decided to divide the tasks: Andrew engaged with the ICT and system administrators, while I conversed with the business users. This approach allowed us to safely navigate the diverse perspectives within organisations and achieve consensus on behalf of our clients, especially when resolving potentially contentious issues within established leadership teams.
This method of operation has persisted. Our latest client (Client A) found it mildly amusing as we talked through our most recent “domestic” dispute resolution.
Data Driven
We’ve developed a structure that, through practice, has become both efficient and effective. We now call it The Marzipan Way.
In simple terms, Steve operates on the left while Andrew takes charge on the right. Together, we unite to provide solutions, reports, and presentations.
When we established Golden Marzipan, we introduced the Battenburg quadrant as part of the first version of our toolkit. This served as a governance framework, aligning with the regulatory and governance tendencies in social housing. This approach has proven particularly beneficial, aiding in business development and providing a secure method for our clients to identify digital blind spots in their capacity and capability.
The latest iteration of our framework encapsulates our consultancy experience in digital social housing. Presented as a set of standards, or as we like to phrase it, “what does good look like?”, it offers versatility. Organisations can engage with a single one of the 16 different standards and workshop it to a tailored solution, or they can delve into one of the four themes to review their strategy, roadmap, or risk controls and assurance. This flexibility is at the core of our approach when organisations invite us to review their strategy.
For a comprehensive understanding, consider exploring The Executive Guide .
Digital Insights
Each of our projects culminate in uniquely different outcomes. There’s no singular approach to digital services and technology adoption. We don’t particularly focus on what systems are needed; instead, our discussions often revolve around change management, human-centred design and capabilities.
Thus unfolded our presentation to Client B’s Leadership Team. We engaged in thorough discussions about challenges and solutions, producing a comprehensive two-year plan awaiting board approval.
I’d love to share more details, but that’s where I must draw the line.
You might notice that I rarely mention our clients’ names in blogs and posts. We prefer to let them publicise our collaborative learnings, ideally in the form of a case study or endorsement. So, in these narratives, they shall remain Client A and Client B.
If you’re intrigued and wish to become Client C, please reach out to meet Andrew and Steve!
