Blog

MCA highlights demand for analytical skills

Management Consultancies are recruiting significantly less graduates from Oxbridge and Russell Group universities according to a new independent survey conducted for the Management Consultancies Association, only 4% of young consultants were educated at Oxbridge whilst 54% came from Russell Group universities as leading firms seek to diversify their talent pool and compete with tech giants…

A tumultuous start to 2019

If the start of this year is anything to go by much change threatens (or promises) to lie ahead. No doubt you have been turning your minds to what 2019 will hold for you and your business. So what might we expect? 1. Given the latest Brexit bombshell and utter lack of clarity, business leaders…

Rave reviews for John Oakland’s updated Process Control book

The business, commercial and public sector has changed dramatically since John Oakland wrote the first edition of Statistical Process Control: A practical guide in the mid-eighties. Now fully updated by John and Robert Oakland to include real-life case studies from the Oakland Group this book is a must for anyone wishing to understand or implement…

Hiab Celebrate – Quality Organisation of the Year

  Congratulations to our client Hiab who have been awarded the prestigious Quality Organisation of the Year, in the 2018 International Quality Awards. Organized by The Chartered Quality Institute (CQI), this competitive award recognizes businesses who demonstrate a clear culture of quality in everything they do. “When customers invest in Hiab they know they are…

Top Management Challenges in the 21st Century

Management Challenges in the 21st Century The rapid advancements in technology have the potential to both create opportunity and drive innovation. AI/machine learning is just scratching the surface of what can be achieved through process automation and advanced customer engagement. However, the hard facts are that most businesses live with a complex mix of technology…

Data Quality at Big Data London

Meet us at Big Data LDN on 13-14th November 2018! We are exhibiting at stand 241. We will be talking about data quality, governance and analytics. Big Data LDN is the UK’s largest free to attend data & analytics conference and exhibition. It is open to all and will host leading global data and analytics experts,…

Is Outsourcing Worth The Risk?

The last few days have seen the publishing of a damning report from the Commons public administration committee into the failure of large outsourcing contracts to deliver value for money. The report was prompted by the recent collapse of Carillion and the fall-out for Government procurement departments that spend a reported £251.5bn per annum on…

Productivity hot seat – Mike Turner

Paul Connolly, MCA Deputy Chief Executive, interviewed Mike Turner recently in the MCA Hot Seat.  The interview is part of the MCA’s Year of Disruption. Disruption can be a whole host of troublesome ‘known unknowns’, which can negatively impact business confidence. Across the Year of Disruption, the MCA is running a series campaigns examining these…

Stopping the “race to the bottom” in Outsourcing

What’ going wrong? I watched with interest Serco’s Group Chief Executive, Rupert Soames, on Breakfast News yesterday morning discussing the need for a reformed UK Public Sector Outsourcing market. He expanded on this theme in Serco’s 2017 full year results presentation, warning of “a market for the dumb and desperate” if collective action is not…

Digital transformation and quality – an expert’s view

In the December issue of Quality World, published by the CQI, John Oakland shares the Oakland Institute’s latest research on companies undergoing digital transformation.  The research is particularly focused on how those companies ensure they can manage the quality of their product or service when digital innovation can bring great change. The opportunities and risks…

John Oakland receives award from CQI

We are delighted to announce that John Oakland received the CQI Honorary Award at the recent International Quality Awards in London. He was recognised for his ongoing work in quality and operational excellence. John receiving his award from Ian Mitchell of Network Rail and Shirley Parsons who sponsored the award. John’s acceptance comments: “Receiving the…

Quality and how to build it your business

“All too often quality is viewed as ‘a thing’ which can be given to an individual (the most senior person with ‘quality’ in their job title) or the Quality Department to own and manage.”   Andy Crossley has recently published an article in Quasar – the in-house magazine of the Research Quality Association (RQA, https://www.therqa.com/about/ ),…