Local Man Drives Start of 21CN
As Project Director for Pathfinder – the site for the first migration of live customers to 21CN – Andrew Board is instrumental in integrating all the delivery elements that will be needed to start the migration and ensure a smooth customer experience. Here Andrew shares with Consult21 News his thoughts on what he says is the boldest challenge for the telecoms industry to date.
What is your role in relation to 21CN?
My role is the Project Director for 'Pathfinder', the pilot site for 21CN which is based in and around Cardiff, South Wales; I have responsibility for delivery integration across the component programmes to ensure a de-risked and timely introduction of the 21CN platforms and technology to underpin a seamless customer experience for the 350,000 customers in the Pathfinder geographic footprint. Pathfinder proves our ability to do UK wide national mass migration.
What is your career background?
I joined BT just over 20 years ago at the time of the pilot and national rollout of the Customer Services System (CSS) in which I was actively involved working at the first 3 sites at Reading, Liverpool and Cardiff. I have worked in a variety of Project and Programme delivery roles ranging from BT Training to BT Operator Services (at the time of National Code Change) and from IT billing to Mobile systems with O2 during my career which included a secondment to the Netherlands.
What does 21CN mean to you?
It is the boldest challenge for the telecoms industry to date and the biggest opportunity for the company. To be playing a major part in the pilot of this programme is a unique position to be in and is a highlight of my career to date.
What is the biggest challenge of your role?
There are a large number of people to work with including all the BT cross programme delivery teams covering such areas as converged core, portfolio and customer experience. Ensuring that they are fully integrated and continue to work against on a set of shared delivery objectives to ensure the programme delivers as planned is vital. As with any project on this scale, this requires a large amount of co-ordination so that everyone continues to work together to ensure the programme is a success.
What are your priorities for the programme?
My top priority at the moment is ensure that the company has an integrated delivery strategy for Pathfinder so that we achieve the entry and exit criteria for each phase of the pilot that is being specified by my team and which will in turn be agreed with Industry. Also, that we learn and apply the key end to end lessons from the pilot to ensure the success of national mass migration to the rest of the UK starting in January 2008.
What is the most exciting part of the programme for you?
Working with Industry, local focus groups and the Key Opinion Formers in South Wales is very exciting. I also have the unique distinction of being a native of Cardiff and actually living and working in the Pathfinder geography and I will therefore be a recipient of the transfer engineering and migration so I can use my local knowledge to best effect. The commitment and enthusiasm of all the BT people involved in this delivery is truly amazing. The expectations of both our customers and suppliers maintain its high profile at all times.
What are your key milestones for 2006?
The first major milestone is to get the Pathfinder sites ready and then have the vendor kit deployed and successfully integration tested. When all the trials and testing are completed and signed off by Industry the final key milestone for 2006 is to see the Pathfinder Pilot go live in November.