SMMTSOCIETY OF MOTOR MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS

CASE STUDY

2 | SOCIETY OF MOTOR MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS CASE STUDY

SMMT COLLABORATES WITH XCHANGINGUK VEHICLE REGISTRATION DATABASE GETS AN UPGRADE

How, through a collaborative working model, Xchanging and the SMMT tackled the upgrade of MVRIS - the automotive industry’s database of UK vehicle registrations

THE PROJECT

To come up with a collaborative working programme to successfully deliver an industry database for all new UK vehicle registrations; one fit to meet the demands placed upon it

THE BACKGROUND

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is one of the largest and most influential trade associations in the UK. It supports the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad, promoting a united position to government, stakeholders and the media.

The automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy accounting for more than £64 billion turnover and £12 billion value added. With more than 160,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and in excess of 770,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 10% of total UK export of goods and invests £1.9 billion each year in automotive R&D. More than 30 manufacturers build in excess of 70 models of vehicle in the UK supported by around 2,500 component providers and some of the world’s most skilled engineers.

One essential aspect of the SMMT’s work is the production of regular reports to provide reliable data used by members and industry stakeholders to understand the state of the industry.

The Motor Vehicle Registration Information System (MVRIS), as a comprehensive record of first registration of new vehicles is the SMMT’s flagship service. It is updated daily; adding over 2.5 million new registrations every year. Data from MVRIS feeds a number of SMMT reports that provide market and trend insights used to inform decision making.

THE CHALLENGE

The eight-year old MVRIS was due an upgrade to make it easier to use, quicker to access the data it held and less manual when it came to producing reports. The SMMT were also keen for the system to have additional functionality allowing it to run, for example ‘what if?’ scenarios and to support access from mobile smart devices.

Central to the SMMT’s requirement when considering solutions providers to work with was the way the provider worked; the approach it planned to take to the programme management and project delivery. The SMMT wanted a partner that was prepared to work flexibly, adapting delivery during development as requirements evolved and to take on board learning throughout the process.

THE APPROACH

After a highly competitive tender process in 2013, the SMMT selected Xchanging to design, develop, deploy and host the replacement solution to the legacy MVRIS system.

An intensive period of requirements gathering and development would lead into a controlled migration phase for a seamless transition from the old to the new.

Throughout, collaboration with the SMMT and identified members would be critical to the project’s success, as would communication within and across the Xchanging working groups and the SMMT and its customers.

Drawing on the skills and experience across its Application Engineering

Services and Infrastructure Managed Services departments, Xchanging demonstrated a strong understanding of the requirement.

Robert Kennedy, Head of Automotive Information Services at SMMT, says: “We operate in a highly dynamic and competitive industry so we need a platform that reflects that. Xchanging stood out as a provider because they listened to our complex needs and responded well with a solution that will deliver what the Society and its members demand.”

As specialists in delivering end-to-end integrated solutions, and deploying them in such a way that they can be maintained through future demands, Xchanging was confident in its capabilities to deliver. What they felt was needed to meet the SMMT’s requirement for a flexible, agile approach was a relationship management plan.

Xchanging decided the model from the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) that underpins the British Standards Institution’s BS11000 standard met the need perfectly. The fresh new approach made Xchanging stand out and assured the SMMT of world class service and relationship management.

Seftton Samuels, Operations Director, at SMMT said: “We were impressed that Xchanging offered a new approach to relationship management and collaborative working; it has set Xchanging apart from the competition and enabled both sides’ enthusiasm around the bid to continue to grow into a high quality relationship management process to execute the project.”

“ We operate in a highly dynamic and competitive industry so we need a platform that reflects that. Xchanging stood out as a provider because they listened to our complex needs and responded well with a solution that will deliver what the Society and its members demand.Robert Kennedy, SMMT

SOCIETY OF MOTOR MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS CASE STUDY | 3xchanging.com

A workshop for Xchanging and the SMMT, run by the ICW, successfully established how the collaborative working approach would benefit the project.

The first step was to put in place the Relationship Management Group which identified ten joint business objectives over a two-year period. Through monthly meetings the group tracked progress against the objectives, explored how ideas for improvement could be shared, how further innovation could be brought to bear on the project and how the two companies could work together to achieve the business’ aims beyond the scope of the current MVRIS project.

The fundamental difference to the collaborative working model, that sets it aside from the traditional programme management approaches, is that it does not use the contract as the foundation for delivery. Flexible tweaks and changes to the delivery plan are accepted as inevitable. They are discussed, explored and managed through change requests without the need to defer always to the contractual agreement. With this approach, additional prototypes could, for example, be agreed upon as beneficial to the project as they could result in an overall shorter development time. The emphasis is not on the original number of prototypes that were agreed, it is on reaching the end goal. Together. It is this mindset – this viewing of everything within the wider context of the overall objective rather than just within the scope of each individual request – that is the essence of the collaboration Xchanging and SMMT enjoyed.

In line with the BS11000 standard for collaborative relationship management – which Xchanging subsequently successfully achieved – an eight-stage approach was taken to managing the programme. The stages included defining how the collaboration was to function, managing the relationship and delivering the desired outcomes. The application of these stages to the programme’s objectives and

“We were impressed that Xchanging offered a new approach to relationship management and collaborative working; it has set Xchanging apart from the competition and enabled both sides’ enthusiasm around the bid to continue to grow into a high quality relationship management process to execute the project.” Seftton Samuels, SMMT

THE SOLUTION A COLLABORATIVE WORKING APPROACH

deliverables was defined and managed through the Relationship Management Plan.

Throughout, Xchanging consulted with the SMMT’s customers of the MVRIS service and collaborated across its own divisions and working groups for the sharing of ideas and issues.

THE BENEFITS

A purpose-built solution to meet the SMMT’s needs was designed. Utilising an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) approach the solution re-uses pre-existing components that can be upgraded if needed without a re-design of the whole. The solution, accessed through SharePoint provides the functionality, flexibility and usability the SMMT were looking for.

• Within four walls – combining as it did the capabilities from a number of Xchanging teams, the collaborative

working model helped the seamless combination of multiple services from multiple lines of business

• Opinions welcomed – the pooling and sharing of ideas encouraged inputs at all levels of the management structure

• All about the customer – customer input was a critical part of the process early on and throughout the programme

• Trust and openness – consistent, minimal points of contact into the Xchanging team built a trusting, open relationship for a successful working partnership

• Bend not break – a flexible, agile approach to development and delivery meant the emphasis was on the right thing - partnership success, not the rigid adherence to a list of deliverables in a fast-changing environment.

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