Capability: Data Visualisation and Reporting

Uncovering the power of Power BI: embedding new practices, empowering users & the handover process

Posted on: 24 April 2025
Uncovering the power of Power BI: embedding new practices, empowering users & the handover process

In our previous blog in this three-part series, we explored the ‘meal delivery model’ for the Power BI platform and the tools and teams required to bring this model and its methodology to life. In the final blog of this series, we’ll assess how new practices can be embedded and users empowered as the solution build is underway, as well as how to effectively carry out the handover process for a seamless go-live. 

To read our full whitepaper that outlines additional methodology and best practices to unlock all that Power BI has to offer, click here.   

Embedding new practices and empowering your users

To effectively embed new practices and empower users, evaluating training and resources will be fundamental for a successful Power BI migration. Conducting a training and resource assessment to evaluate users’ training needs and ensure they’re equipped with the necessary skills and confidence to use Power BI will be key to maximising its value. Planning a range of training for various users will be particularly impactful in this case, as will offering the right training to the right users. Communicating expectations, project and migration updates and overarching benefits will also be critical, especially when users are asked to contribute and to change established practices. 

The handover process

Prior to going live, ensuring the necessary solution documentation is in place for both user and developer reference will be vital. Holding handover sessions for your BI team, your IT team and management, unifying support and resources and making sure the helpdesk is both responsive and reactive to any technical issues that arise will bolster this.  

To help determine response times for any technical issues arising, users’ needs that would have arisen during the discovery phase of the project must be understood. Departmental or team champions for non-technical Power BI users can therefore bolster outcomes in these circumstances, and managed support can alleviate the burden of updates and adaptations in fast-changing NHS environments.  

Time must be allocated for handover sessions for the BI team, IT team and management. This will serve as an additional opportunity to reiterate the benefits of the new PowerBI solution along with a practical introduction. Consistent monitoring and feedback should be sought out to refine helpdesk processes and continue deriving the full benefits that the solution can provide as the handover stage continues.  

While PowerBI is an exceptionally flexible platform and will expand and adapt to accommodate new data and reporting requirements, having the necessary development resources available to make changes and upkeep the solution will be paramount. 

How CACI can help

Migrating to PowerBI enables NHS stakeholders to achieve new strategic goals and transform their analytical capabilities. CACI understands the value that migrating to PowerBI can bring, which is why we have developed our own set of best practices and key principles for PowerBI migrations within the NHS. We strive to deliver a seamless migration built on our extensive experience in NHS data and technology, prioritising stakeholder engagement, providing reliable reporting, secure data sharing and self-sufficient BI capabilities for data-driven decision-making. 

For more information or help with Power BI project planning, delivery or ongoing managed services, contact us today. To learn more about how you can tap into the power of Power BI, our whitepaper outlines the best practices and methodology that will boost your understanding and usage. 

Read the rest of the series here:

  1. Uncovering the power of Power BI: discovery & delivery framework
  2. Uncovering the power of Power BI: ‘meal delivery’ model & critical resources

Uncovering the power of Power BI: ‘meal delivery’ model & critical resources

Posted on: 17 April 2025
Uncovering the power of Power BI: ‘meal delivery’ model & critical resources

In our previous blog in this three-part series, we uncovered the value of thorough discovery and how to build a successful project delivery framework. Today, we’ll explore the ‘meal delivery model’ for the Power BI platform and the tools and teams required to bring this model and its methodology to life.  

To read our full whitepaper that outlines additional methodology and best practices to unlock all that Power BI has to offer, click here. 

What is the ‘meal delivery’ model for Power BI?

The ‘meal delivery’ model is an analogy for Power BI data insight in NHS systems, stemming from a challenge of making data insight (food) available to a range of different NHS users (eaters). In this context, there are a range of preferences and capabilities among Power BI users and audiences to consider. Therefore, data architecture must enable the experiences and nuances within them, catering to the specific needs of various users: 

  • Analysts: These users will need direct portal access to usable data building blocks and analytics tools. With the ‘meal delivery’ model in mind, these users will need to select quality ingredients to make a meal for themselves.  
  • Executive users: These users need dashboard access to pull reports from selected datasets. They will want the ingredients packaged and provided along with a basic recipe to make the meal in a way that best suits their individual needs.  
  • Report consumers: Finally, these users will need Power BI reports sent direct to their inbox or accessible from Teams. They will want the meal delivered to them, ready to eat. 

The people and tools that make it happen

Using all the insights that have been discovered, a plan can be created to maximise Power BI benefits and meet all identified requirements, goals and constraints. The development process and method will determine the pace of the Power BI implementation and the level of disruption to business as usual. It will also define a team’s size, roles, skills required and cost of resources. An Agile Scrum Project method can be utilised here to maximise developer and user collaboration and allow for continuous improvement across each sprint to incorporate change in a controlled way without derailing the project’s progress.  

With Power BI project delivery being split into two workstreams— one being data and infrastructure, the other reporting— this method offers the flexibility to continuously embed best practices and ensure data and infrastructure workstreams do not diverge.  

How CACI can help

Migrating to PowerBI enables NHS stakeholders to achieve new strategic goals and transform their analytical capabilities. CACI understands the value that migrating to PowerBI can bring, which is why we have developed our own set of best practices and key principles for PowerBI migrations within the NHS. We strive to deliver a seamless migration built on our extensive experience in NHS data and technology, prioritising stakeholder engagement, providing reliable reporting, secure data sharing and self-sufficient BI capabilities for data-driven decision-making.  

For more information or help with Power BI project planning, delivery or ongoing managed services, contact us today. To learn more about how you can tap into the power of Power BI, our whitepaper outlines the best practices and methodology that will boost your understanding and usage. 

In the upcoming and final blog in this series, we’ll investigate new practices to be embedded and how to empower your users to ensure a successful handover. 

Read our previous blog in the series ‘Uncovering the power of Power BI: discovery & delivery framework’ here

Uncovering the power of Power BI: discovery & delivery framework

Posted on: 11 April 2025
Uncovering the power of Power BI: discovery & delivery framework

NHS organisations that pursue data transformation will achieve substantial changes in their data-driven decision-making that ultimately improves efficiency, quality and patient experience. Power BI is an optimal contender for NHS organisations seeking a complete data transformation. However, achieving this and reaping its many benefits requires a carefully planned migration process, necessitating a partnership with a reliable data partner that possesses innate experience.  

Having worked with many NHS organisations over the years to plan and implement data migrations, this three-part blog series is developed from the principles of our Power BI migration methodology and real-world experience of NHS data projects, sharing key questions you should consider asking and areas to address to ensure a successful migration to Power BI. 

As such, the series begins with understanding the value of thorough discovery and how to build a successful project delivery framework. To read our full whitepaper that outlines additional methodology and best practices to unlock all that Power BI has to offer, click here. 

The value of thorough discovery

Unearthing all the information that will influence and affect your migration is a vital—albeit lengthy— first step. Skimping on discovery can compromise the solution’s effectiveness. 

Stakeholder mapping and collaboration

Stakeholder mapping and collaboration can make a significant impact to help define migration goals, as it will unearth possible issues and harvest key requirements to define migrations goals. Workshops with key stakeholders can aid this process, helping establish users’ needs and gauging their use of the Power BI platform. 

Conduct a current state analysis

Reviewing current data architecture, data processing locations and transformation methods will help you intrinsically understand stored data and information flows. During this review, inefficiencies within the operating landscape where your new solution will be situated can be identified and a solid foundation for new data architecture objectives can be built and defined. 

Building the project delivery framework

Building a successful project delivery framework will begin with defining features and functionalities required, including visualisations, connectivity, AI functions, data modelling and relationships between datasets. Ensuring you have a single version of the truth that is built on high quality data will also be critical. Reporting and analysis must also be transparent, enabling users and auditors to visualise how figures are produced. To facilitate this, solutions and configurations by audience type should be proposed to ensure users’ needs and Power BI access requirements will be met. 

Furthermore, developing a full target data architecture and identifying software/licensing requirements based on an assessment of your current analytics development process and available resources will be an integral part of the development of this framework. Availability will also need to be considered, as will security across all apps, including different access levels and permissions. 

How CACI can help

Migrating to PowerBI enables NHS stakeholders to achieve new strategic goals and transform their analytical capabilities. CACI understands the value that migrating to PowerBI can bring, which is why we have developed our own set of best practices and key principles for PowerBI migrations within the NHS. We strive to deliver a seamless migration built on our extensive experience in NHS data and technology, prioritising stakeholder engagement, providing reliable reporting, secure data sharing and self-sufficient BI capabilities for data-driven decision-making. 

For more information or help with Power BI project planning, delivery or ongoing managed services, contact us today. To learn more about how you can tap into the power of Power BI, our whitepaper outlines the best practices and methodology that will boost your understanding and usage. 

Stay tuned for the next blog in this series, where we’ll explain the ‘meal delivery model’ and the teams and tools that activate it. 

Are dashboards dead? Assessing their challenges & advantages to determine their future in businesses

Posted on: 24 December 2024
Are dashboards dead? Assessing their challenges & advantages to determine their future in businesses

Dashboards have been quite a topic of contention in certain circles with the recent recirculation of Taylor Brownlow’s essay ”Are Dashboards Dead?”. While I’m of the opinion that no, dashboards are not dead, they have been undeniably overused and often misunderstood, with a disconnect between a dashboard’s actual function versus our perceived function of them. 

Many of us have experienced dashboard fatigue, and rightfully so. As businesses, how many dashboards have we commissioned that were never fully utilised, if used at all? The answer is too many. The reason for low engagement isn’t the fault of the humble dashboard, but rather that a dashboard was never the appropriate solution for the end user, or its design wasn’t tailored enough to the business use case.  

When faced with a business problem requiring data insights, we often jump straight to dashboard creation. However, there are many other solutions that can be tailored to deliver data insights, such as concise reports and static presentations. With an increased understanding of where dashboards fail, the conversation has shifted to questioning their relevance altogether.  

So, what place do dashboards still have in businesses, and how can we better understand where they excel to drive improved outcomes? 

What are the defining terms for dashboards?

A dashboard is a tool that provides an interactive, visual summary of data. Its resulting insights are actionable, with an understanding that can be derived from the data to inform decision-making. While developments in AI make it possible for these insights to be generated for you, human interpretation remains crucial for ensuring they are contextually relevant and actionable. Finally, a dashboard report is a structured, static document or presentation that communicates specific findings or answers to defined business questions.

What potential challenges may arise with dashboards?

There are many instances where dashboards may be less effective or complicate matters for businesses, and other methods provide a better solution. Instances may include: 

  • When the user needs a concise answer to a question:
    Dashboards require interaction and exploration, which can be time-consuming. If a stakeholder needs a straightforward answer, a tailored report is more efficient.  
  • For business specific, niche questions:
    Not every level of enquiry warrants the resource-intensive creation of a dashboard. For narrow, targeted questions, simpler reporting methods suffice. 
  • One-time insights:
    Dashboards are overkill for static data projects, such as measuring the success of a single transformation. In these cases, producing a well-crafted report or presentation is more resource-efficient. 
  • If the data is exported for analysis:
    If users regularly export dashboard data to manipulate it elsewhere, it’s a sign that the dashboard doesn’t meet their needs or wasn’t necessary to begin with. 

When might dashboards be the right solution?

  • Company-wide reporting platforms:
    Dashboards provide a unified view of performance across teams, offering consistent delivery of insights to aiding faster decision making, customisable filters for views specific to each business unit, efficiency in distributing insights without the need for manual reporting and increased data accessibility through data visualisation. 
  • Regular cadence reporting:
    For tracking ongoing metrics such as daily sales, customer trends or campaign performance, and measuring progress against targets, dashboards provide updated insights without the wait. 
  • Exploratory analysis:
    When users want to discover patterns, relationships or unknown trends within the data, dashboards allow for interactive interrogation. These tools are especially valuable for data-savvy end users, enabling self-service exploration without requiring an analyst’s intervention. 
  • Monitoring ongoing initiatives:
    Dashboards are excellent for tracking live projects or recurring business processes, offering real-time visibility into performance. 

With the above in mind, we’re moving to a more informed approach where dashboards are no longer a tiresome, default solution, but a carefully considered tool. The future isn’t about abandoning dashboards, but about being intentional and strategic in their creation and deployment. The key is facilitating dashboard creation in a way that adds tangible value and is thoughtfully configured to provide meaningful, actionable insights that empower decision making. 

How CACI can help

At CACI, we work with you to deliver the best solutions for your analysis needs. Our extensive experience in successfully implementing dashboards across diverse industries highlights several key scenarios where dashboards have proven to be highly effective.  

Whether it’s creating a bespoke, one-off report or developing a suite of comprehensive, customisable dashboards, contact us to find out more about how our user centric approach and industry expertise can help you gain meaningful analytics that will drive strategic business outcomes. 

Why effective project prioritisation in consultancy is crucial

Posted on: 10 October 2024
Why effective project prioritisation in consultancy is crucial

When it comes to consultancy, project prioritisation is critical so that customers receive urgent or important work first before less vital items. In straightforward projects with one product owner and a finite backlog, you can approach this issue by working through the backlog and asking them to label them using MoSCoW, the prioritisation technique used in project management and business analysis to help stakeholders understand the importance of various requirements, for example. It’s when you move to a project with multiple product owners and an ever– extending backlog that the problems appear, however.  

So, what are the common project prioritisation challenges arising in consultancy nowadays and what solutions are available to consultants to solve them? 

Common challenges in consultancy around project prioritisation

Within each project, each stakeholder (this could be from multiple products, multiple product owners or stakeholders without a product owner) will bring their own backlog, each believing that their demands are the most important and that all your resources are theirs to use. Negotiating between these product owners can be difficult, especially as they may have their own deadlines that they’ve committed to, perhaps only needing your resources for part of their project and a delay could cause their entire project not being delivered on time.  

While earlier and clearer communication would undoubtedly help with these issues in the long run, where do consultants start in the meantime? 

How consultants can improve project prioritisation

Consultants that refer to a categorical prioritisation list for each project (such as the example below) will notice immediate and significant improvements. By scoring each project against a list of categories, with the resulting score used to order the backlog and any incoming items, their respective priority and importance will be illustrated to the wider business.  The category list is:  

Once a project has been scored on each of these points, the total score is calculated. This is then used to rank projects against each other. It’s important to reassess the time rating approximately every three months, as this rating will need to be increased to reflect the real-world situation.  

Benefits of this approach

The advantage of adopting this approach is that it enables you to provide an explanation as to why certain projects are higher priority than others rather than using a more subjective approach. It’s possible to add a higher rating to categories so that the calculation better represents the company’s priorities.  

Potential difficulties of this approach

Some of the issues we’ve noticed so far are that these categories don’t necessarily work as well for enabling items such as a pilot, which won’t deliver any benefit to the system on its own but is required before the new feature can be started. To bolster this, we had to consider the ultimate deliverable being enabled, otherwise, the supporting item would score too low.  

 Technical debt is another type of work that doesn’t quite fit into these categories, which is why we ultimately decided to remove it and prioritise it separately.  

 Despite all the categorisation and discussions, you can end up with a list that doesn’t quite correspond with your gut feeling based on market trends. To mitigate this, a review was organised every few months to monitor scoring accuracy.  

Conclusion  

For projects without a finite backlog where upfront prioritisation isn’t possible, this approach allows you to prioritise against existing work in flight. However, it’s important to account for the amount of time, effort and morale downturn it takes to pause and restart.  

This method of prioritisation is ultimately particularly a useful tool for prioritising the constant stream of incoming projects from multiple product owners. The conversations that come out of the prioritisation are also of substantial value, and to some extent, enable the prediction of what will be delivered in the near future.  

To learn more about project prioritisation in consultancy, speak to one of CACI’s experts today. 

Why consultancy is the perfect profession for problem solvers

Posted on: 16 September 2024
Why consultancy is the perfect profession for problem solvers

Puzzle Consultancy

Those who relish the thrill of solving puzzles and the rush of competition are likely to find a perfect match in the world of consultancy. This profession, often associated with high-stakes business decisions and strategic planning, can offer a dynamic environment where one’s passion for learning, problem-solving and helping businesses thrive can come to life. So, how exactly does consultancy work become the ultimate puzzle, providing endless opportunities to learn, solve problems and see tangible benefits unfold? 

The endless puzzle: continuous learning in consultancy 

One of the most exhilarating aspects of consultancy is the constant influx of new challenges. Just like puzzles, each project presents a unique problem to solve, often requiring fresh knowledge and innovative thinking. The variety in consultancy work— ranging from industries like healthcare and finance to technology and retail— ensures that there’s always something new to learn. For puzzle enthusiasts, this is akin to encountering a new, complex puzzle every day. 

Each client and project creates an opportunity to dive into new territories, understand different business models and stay updated with industry trends. This constant learning keeps minds sharp and satisfies curiosity, with every assignment more intricate and rewarding than the last. 

The competitive edge: thriving on problem-solving and strategy  

Consultancy isn’t just about applying standard solutions, it’s about crafting unique strategies that can give clients a competitive edge. This aspect will resonate deeply with those that are naturally competitive. Just as one would approach any challenge with the goal of finding the best and most efficient solution, the aim in consultancy is to devise strategies that not only solve a client’s problem, but also position them favourably in their market. 

The thrill of this competitive element is a significant motivator. It can drive creative thinking, meticulous data analysis and team collaboration to brainstorm the best approaches. The satisfaction that comes from cracking a particularly tough problem or devising a winning strategy can be immensely rewarding, much like completing a particularly challenging puzzle. 

The reward of impact: helping businesses improve 

While the intellectual stimulation and competitive aspects of consultancy can be exciting, the real joy comes from seeing tangible impacts. There’s a unique satisfaction in knowing that recommendations and strategies can significantly improve a business’ operations, profitability or market position, as though seeing the pieces of a puzzle come together to form a clear and complete picture. 

Helping businesses in this way can provide a profound sense of accomplishment, with each success story a testament to the hard work and strategic thinking that goes into project work. This impact-driven aspect of consultancy adds depth to the puzzle-solving experience, making it not just an intellectual exercise, but a meaningful endeavour that positively affects real businesses and people. 

Consultancy as the ultimate puzzle

Consultancy is the ultimate puzzle— one that’s ever-evolving and endlessly rewarding. For those who enjoy puzzles and competition, it offers a perfect blend of continuous learning, problem-solving and the thrill of seeing tangible results. Consultancy is a career that challenges the mind, fosters creativity and provides an unparalleled opportunity to make a real difference to organisations and people. It not only satisfies a love for challenges, but also fuels a passion for helping others succeed.  

Find out how CACI’s expert consultants can support your unique business needs by getting in touch with us here. 

Unlocking the Power of Government Data: Moving from Siloed Information to Smart Public Services

Posted on: 10 September 2024
Unlocking the Power of Government Data: Moving from Siloed Information to Smart Public Services

Government agencies are collecting unprecedented volumes of data, yet much of it remains untapped, trapped in silos that prevent effective decision-making and service improvements. This data holds immense potential to transform public services by enabling more accurate, timely insights into service delivery, effectiveness, and efficiency. However, the way data is currently collected, stored, and structured often renders it under-utilised or completely unused.

In this blog, co-authored by Ali Nicholl and Nick Turner from CACI, we explore the critical user requirements for a data-driven smarter state and propose a scalable, federated approach to data discovery, access, and sharing. By enabling real-time data access at the point of need, this approach not only empowers better public services but also provides a coherent AI-ready workflow that leverages existing legacy systems without disruptive centralisation, duplication, or increased complexity.

The Challenge: Making Data Work for Everyone

In today’s environment, where both government and industry are under pressure to do more with less, reduce complexity, and comply with stringent regulations, several pain points persist:

  • Breaking down data silos: Data is often trapped within departmental or organisational boundaries.
  • Improving data quality: Data accuracy and consistency are compromised without a coordinated approach.
  • Addressing data custodianship concerns: Worries around GDPR, security, and data misinterpretation hinder sharing.
  • Ensuring controlled access: Striking the right balance between open access and secure controls.
  • Managing costs: High expenses related to data transit, hosting, and maintenance.
  • Overcoming budget constraints: Investment in new systems while maximising returns on legacy assets.
  • Becoming AI-ready: Adopting new technologies without costly overhauls.

For any system to be truly data-driven, it needs a minimum standard for quality, availability, consistency, and interoperability—without sacrificing security and appropriate access control. It’s the organisations closest to the data sources that have the best insights into managing quality and availability. However, leaving consistency and interoperability solely in the hands of data owners can lead to fragmentation, while expecting any single organisation to manage all data ownership is unrealistic.

The Evolving Solution Space: Technology, Policy, and Attitude Shifts

Recent advances in technology and shifts in policy have begun to address these challenges. Nearly two decades ago, the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations (2005) and the Transparency Agenda (2010) laid the foundation for more open attitudes towards data sharing in the UK. The evolution of cloud technology and API-driven architectures has further improved data accessibility by reducing latency and enhancing interoperability.

For example, the UK Transport Sector has effectively used open data APIs to share real-time transport information with developers and service providers, resulting in over 600 apps that benefit millions of Londoners every day. However, while these methodologies improve access, they do not fully solve the “data silo problem”—where data remains fragmented and lacks context, limiting its utility for broader insights.

A Federated Approach: Keeping Data in Place While Maximising Its Value

Our combined experience at CACI has only reinforced how unsustainable current approaches are. A smarter state needs a smarter approach. A federated approach. A federated approach allows data to stay in situ within its existing silos, accessible through a controlled, consistent, and extensible framework. This approach eliminates the need for costly mass data migrations while still unlocking insights at the point of need. Creating a more equitable democratisation of decision-making by ensuring that the right data is available at the right time.

This methodology aligns with how Health Services in the UK have approached data integration in recent initiatives. Within Social Care Networks, for example, connecting existing systems rather than centralising all data has ensured the Healthcare sector maintains flexibility to access relevant information while adhering to security and privacy requirements.

Data visualisation

Understanding Stakeholder Needs: Tailoring Solutions for Maximum Impact

Different stakeholders have different goals and challenges when it comes to leveraging data. Here’s how a federated approach such as ours addresses their specific pain points:

  • CIOs need timely, reliable data for informed decision-making. Our solution ensures up-to-date insights without the need for complex data migration, helping CIOs set policies and make strategic decisions with confidence.
  • Heads of Data and CDOs seek to maximise ROI from data assets. We provide enhanced data discoverability and governance, ensuring that those who need access can find and use data efficiently.
  • Service Owners focus on delivering policy or strategic outcomes. Our approach reduces the under-utilisation of data, enabling service improvements without significant operational disruption.
  • Data Analysts require consistent and high-quality data for accurate analysis. By maintaining data integrity and enabling seamless integration across sources, we empower analysts to deliver actionable insights.
  • End Users demand real-time access to relevant data without navigating multiple platforms. Our solution brings data closer to its source, maximising relevance and minimising inconsistency.

Building a Data-Driven Smarter State: The Path Forward

Creating a data-driven smarter state requires lowering the barriers for departments, organisations, and individuals to surface their data and enrich it with context, turning it into actionable insights. A federated approach represents a scalable, flexible, and low-risk path towards unlocking the full potential of government data. The journey from siloed information to integrated insight is not just about technology; it’s about creating an ecosystem where data flows seamlessly, fostering collaboration, innovation, and smarter decision-making across the public sector.

To build this future, we must prioritise accessible, context-rich data and scalable collaboration across stakeholders. The smarter state of tomorrow is within reach if we embrace these principles today.

This blog was submitted to TechUK as part of their “Building the Smarter State Week” and can be found on their website here.

Insights from the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival 2024

Posted on: 29 August 2024
Insights from the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival 2024

Attending the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival last month was a very informative experience for our CACI Mood team, filled with insightful discussions and ground-breaking innovations. Held at Newcastle Racecourse, the festival brought together 3,000 people from 32 countries, creating a vibrant and diverse atmosphere. As a proud sponsor, we had the opportunity to support this great event and showcase Mood’s innovation capabilities at our exhibition stand. 

An Inspiring Setting for Innovation 

From the outset of the event, it was clear that this was not just another industry conference; it was an opportunity to break down barriers, open dialogue, and explore new ideas in a completely different context.  

The festival’s structure, which included a record 37 sprints, facilitated rapid problem-solving and idea generation. These sprints were filled with thought-provoking discussions, and we were lucky to hear insights from the likes of British Olympians Steve Cram CBE and Ellie Simmonds, who shared valuable perspectives. 

Specific Innovations and Collaborative Approaches 

One of the most striking aspects of the festival was the diversity of participants, which included suppliers like us, industry veterans, and aspiring professionals. This diversity enriched every discussion with fresh insights and novel approaches, underscoring the value of varied viewpoints in problem-solving.  

Notable innovations included solutions for improving water quality, achieving net zero emissions, and reducing pollution and leakage. A particularly impactful sprint, led by data-giant Cognizant, focused on leveraging AI technology to enhance the health of local rivers. 

Overcoming Business Challenges 

The festival also highlighted the importance of overcoming challenges through collaboration. The structured yet flexible format of the workshops, including design sprints and daily dashes, ensured that participants remained focused and productive. These sessions were expertly guided by sprint leads, facilitating a collaborative environment where participants could step out of their usual roles and approach problems from different angles. 

Personal and Professional Insights 

Engaging with a diverse group in a non-work environment allowed me to gain new perspectives on the challenges facing our water sector clients. It was refreshing to address issues in a setting where creativity was encouraged, and there were no predefined expectations about the “right” way to approach a problem. Professionally, the festival highlighted the importance of stepping outside our usual routines to generate actionable ideas. 

The Value of Participation 

Participating in the festival was more than just a productive use of time; it was an investment in the future of our water industry. The insights gained and connections made will undoubtedly contribute to more effective and innovative solutions for our clients.  

The festival demonstrated that breaking away from conventional settings and embracing a more open and creative approach can lead to endless possibilities. 

Looking Forward 

Moving forward from the festival, we hope apply elements of it to foster a more open and creative environment in our meetings and workshops. Encouraging diverse participation and thinking outside the box will continue to drive innovation in our projects and add value for our clients.

The Innovation Festival was a remarkable experience that highlighted the power of creativity, diversity, and open collaboration. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the outcomes of this festival and am confident they will drive positive change in the water sector and beyond.

For more details on the festival, visit www.innovationfestival.org. 

Discover the power of Mood here.

Shaping an elite team mentality

Posted on: 22 May 2024
Shaping an elite team mentality

Written by Richard Thompson, Senior Technical Consultant, Mood

Team sports and consultancy may at first appear to be separate disciplines, but scratch beneath the surface and there are many similarities that can be drawn between the two. The drive to produce top–class performances is not something that comes naturally to all, but for those who strive for it, the end result can be quite special. The quest for excellence is an attitude that is forged and shared by all whom strive to be at the top of their game and constantly improve. 

Working on the analogy further, additional commonalities between sports and consultancy unveil themselves, especially in terms of the approach taken. Nothing is achieved easily; judgement is based on the outcome, and difficulties are faced along the journey to achieving desired goals. 

While everyone involved will have a different take, below are my four main focuses when undertaking any activity (both sporting and consultancy) to ensure my team achieves its greatest potential. 

1. Why are we doing this?

In any aspect of life, if people innately understand why they are conducting a task and believe in its benefits, they will give it their all. Having personally been involved in consultancy for 13 years and coaching sports for 25, , I always ask the team “Why are we doing this?” upon carrying out any activity for the first time. The answers serve as a great barometer as to whether they have understood what they are being asked to do, and will flush out any concerns (or better alternatives) and will often provide previously unsought insights. 

This can also be a great validation tool for why the action is being conducted, and the response “We’ve always done it that way” simply does not cut it as a reason. Time and techniques move on, and if people do not keep up, teams will be behind from the start. 

2.Teamwork

Cooperation between team members is crucial to achieving the desired result. Even individual efforts are reliant on a team who are often behind the scenes, who can ensure the preparation is correct and the conditions are in place for an optimal outcome. 

A top-class performer places immense value on their team, knowing that in order to succeed, everyone must align. Therefore, each individual must be treated with utmost respect. Appreciation on all levels works, whether it be calling out a colleague’s efforts, a token of appreciation or even a small compliment. Teammates are the ultimate ambassadors for future efforts. 

3. “I can’t”

Admitting that you cannot do everything should never be seen as a weakness. Self-evaluation is vital in all walks of life and ensures the team has the right people in the right place, at the right time. This does not mean individual ability is not desired, but it should be used in conjunction with the right mix of abilities. The world’s best footballer cannot beat the best team on their own, for example, they need a strong mix of abilities around them to put them in right position at the right time, to do what they do best. 

The statement “I can’t” should therefore be “I can’t on my own.” 

4. Effort

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke, high school basketball coach.

Effort is the backbone of growth and success. This applies in all aspects of life, especially in learning and improvement. Effort drives learning, and when you put effort into a task, you are actively engaging with it. Effort allows you to learn from mistakes and gain new skills or knowledge while increasing your resilience and determination. 

How CACI can help

Whether you feel you have any sort of sporting mindset or not is irrelevant. What is vital, however, is the merits of the why, the who, the what and the how. 

At CACI, we have the optimal mix of talent and experience across multiple domains, from business analysts defining the why, the who and the what, to consultants, designers and architects providing the how. We help global businesses turn data and information assets to key success drivers as strategic components in a coherent and evolving system architecture, while also connecting stakeholders and practitioners to collaborate in complex business architecture projects. 

If you have a complex problem, contact Mood to see how we may help you align strategy and vision, optimise data driven decision-making and future-proof your business.