August 04, 2015
NEW METHODS, CLIENT INTIMACY AND A CONSULTATIVE APPROACH ARE KEY TO PROVIDING CLIENTS THE GREATEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT
McLean, VA — Rapid technological innovation. The demand for cloud, big data, and mobile solutions. The application of more advanced methodologies such as Agile development and DevOps. These trends are reshaping how government and commercial clients are procuring mission critical IT systems.
“The old mindset of ‘build it and they will use it’ is no longer viable in today’s market,” said Gary Labovich, Booz Allen Hamilton executive vice president and the leader of the firm’s Systems Delivery Group. “Our clients today demand technology solutions based on a foundation of collaborative delivery methods. This leads to successful implementations of mission systems.”
In a new market assessment report, Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) outlines how successful systems delivery requires a broad range of technology capabilities, an intimate understanding of a client’s mission, and a sensitivity and awareness to the management challenges of organizational adaptation and adoption.
“Success today is delivering a solution that solves the client's challenge and that users embrace,” said Gary Cubbage, Booz Allen executive vice president and leader of the firm’s Systems Delivery business in the Defense and Intelligence Group. “For more than a century, Booz Allen has been a leader in developing solutions that require a deep understanding of our client’s mission combined with the technical horsepower to develop and deploy mission critical systems.”
Based on the firm’s experience effectively combining the “art and science” of Systems Delivery for such clients as the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the General Services Administration, Booz Allen has identified three key factors that differentiates Booz Allen’s offering in this growing market:
- New Methods: Booz Allen employs modern development methods such as Agile and DevOps to promote a way of thinking and working that embraces change, regular feedback, value-driven development, full-team collaboration, frequent delivery and continuous improvement. By combining a cultural mindset with automated practices and metrics, Booz Allen nurtures collaboration between software development and system operations. This results in more rapid delivery of secure, high-quality code, and the increased stability of production systems. Additionally, Booz Allen has established a number of strategic industry alliances to bring the latest technologies, emerging solutions and thought leadership to our clients.
- Client Intimacy: The firm’s approach to Systems Delivery is based on bringing stakeholders together in a manner that establishes the clearest understanding of the client’s organizational needs, technical and mission requirements, user experience needs, and the art-of-the possible regarding the solution. Misinterpretation or omission of requirements are some of the most frequent and expensive errors to correct in the system delivery lifecycle. A partner with a deep understanding of client mission closes that gap, and results in the delivery of a system which meets the needs of its users.
- Consultative Approach: As the first management consulting firm, Booz Allen has more than a century’s experience in helping clients solve their largest and most challenging problems. While “software development” can be a commoditized service, successfully delivering a mission critical system which meets the regulatory, technical, and functional business needs of an organization requires a multi-disciplinary approach by a firm with deep change management expertise, including business process improvement, system preparedness, communications, and training.
These factors echo many of the findings of a recent commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Booz Allen Hamilton. In particular, the study found that “change management proves challenging but critical to project success. Elements of change management such as strong executive sponsorship, committed and responsible stakeholders, and continuous communication serve as the building blocks of successful project delivery.”
“Participants in the study focused on the importance of both technology and end user readiness,” said Leslie DiFonzo, Booz Allen Hamilton senior vice president and leader of the firm’s Systems Delivery business in the Civil and Commercial Group. “With our technical and change management expertise, Booz Allen is the essential partner to provide solutions that meet our clients’ expectations.”
Click here to learn more about Booz Allen’s System Delivery capabilities and how the firm is accelerating the pace of technical and organizational change.
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