Background
GEC
Marconi Radar and Defence Systems (GMRDS) was a group of ten
companies designing, manufacturing and selling Land, Sea and
Air Radars, Missiles, Secure Communications, Navigation Systems,
Land Systems, Command and Control Systems and Simulation Systems.
At this time the USA and European defence manufactures were undergoing
a period of rapid rationalisation. The GEC Marconi companies
were in need of rationalisation and modernisation and programmes
were put in place to achieve improved ways of working and operational
efficiency. Within GMRDS all manufacturing was transferred into
a single new operating company and manufacturing facilities rationalised
down to two plants. In 1997 GEC Marconi reorganised its defence
businesses resulting in the transfer of GMRDS Air Radar and Navigation
Systems into a new Avionics Group and the transfer in of Under
Water Weapons and IT Systems (ESAMS).
In 1997
GEC Marconi announced the formation of joint ventures in Radar,
Land and Air Systems with Finmecannica the Italian Defence
Manufacturer. Combining the Radar, Missiles Command and Control,
Simulation Systems and Manufacturing GMRDS businesses with
those of Alenia formed the first joint venture, Alenia Marconi
System, AMS. On the formation of the joint venture the remaining
GMRDS businesses were transferred into other GEC Marconi Groups
in Land and Sea Systems with ESAMS transferring to GEC.
Brief
• Strengthen
the Business Improvement organisation, develop improvement plans
and establish a continuous improvement culture
in the GMRDS companies. Business Improvement was responsible
for process improvement, quality and IT.
• Implement in each GMRDS Company the new common Enterprise Resource Planning
System (ERP) being deployed by GEC Marconi.
• Project manage on behalf of GEC Marconi the pilot ERP businesses, all
pilots were in GMRDS.
• Migrate all companies to a standard desktop with access to E-mail,
Intranet and Internet and expanded PC population to every desk.
• Produce the IT Strategy in support of Business Process Improvements.
• Restart in GMRDS the GEC Marconi Software Improvement initiative that
had been failing.
• Deploy non-financial measures across the companies that would indicate
areas for improvement and measure the effect of the improvement
initiatives.
• Develop wherever practical common processes across all companies.
• Manage the Year 2000 project.
• Represent GMRDS on GEC Marconi process, IT, software improvement councils
and working groups.
• For UK GMRDS companies maintain their ISO 9000 quality accreditation.
• Complete IiP improvement initiative.
My
Approach
• To
develop a close personal working relationship with the Company’s
Business improvement teams.
• To encourage cooperative working through regular business, IT and
software forums and improvement initiative working groups where
there was a common business need. This fostered a common business improvement
culture and enabled sharing of experience and best practice.
• Implement common project management and review processes in the ERP and
Year 2000 projects.
• Understand why the software improvement initiative was failing by
visiting Carnegie Melon University Software Engineering Institute,
the developers of the Software
Capability Maturity Model against which capability
was being assessed, and attending international conferences
on software process improvement. Trained as a Software CMM assessor.
• Gain board approval for the deployment of the Business
Excellence
Model, (BEM) across all companies as the model for measuring
business performance and improvement.
Achieved
• Established
GMRDS Business Improvement structure and organisation in joining
companies.
• Deployed BEM to measure the business performance, using findings
as input to the business improvement plans. Leading Divisions
improved their BEM Scoresby 30%.
• Implemented new client server Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
system that integrated financial, (Oracle), manufacturing,
(WDS Compass Contract), product data management (Sherpa), and project management,
(Artemis) in the pilot businesses. Completed four implementations.
• Migrated all companies to a standard desktop with access to E-mail,
Intranet and Internet and expanded PC population to every desk.
• Developed IT strategy to support business objectives and process Improvements.
• Prepared for IT outsourcing.
• Put the Software improvement initiative back on track. Three of
the software units achieved Software CMM Level 2 (Model has
5 levels). For Radar this was achieved in the minimum best in class time measured
by the SEI.
• Established annual funded improvement plans in each company and the process
for their development.
• Developed and deployed of a common GMRDS Enterprise Process Model across
all companies.
Brian
Lewis Profile
An
International Business Change Director experienced in both FTSE
100 companies and the public sector with core skills in change
management, process re-engineering, information technology and
software development. Impressive record of delivering commitments
and meeting financial targets in a wide range of roles - Business
Turnaround, Channel Development, Business Development, Project
Management - in Europe, USA, Middle East and Australasia.
