Delivered with Remedy Project Consulting, this project included a re-build and cutover of the Beyond Blue service. Beyond Blue provides 24/7 mental health information and support. You have likely seen their advertising, or seen their phone number at the end of a TV show about mental health. This has been an important service for Australians for over 20 years.
Background
Many Australians rely on the services of Beyond Blue, often at the most vulnerable times of their lives. For the previous ten years, the Beyond Blue operations were performed via contract with Medibank. This included all staffing for the call centre and email, rostering, payroll, technology, and call workflows.
As Beyond Blue approached the 10 year milestone, they decided to go to tender for a new operations provider. The tender was won by Remedy Healthcare, a subsidiary of Australian Unity. Excited by this new chapter for their service, Beyond Blue would also use the opportunity to implement new digital channels and a refreshed model of clinical care. Now all Australian Unity had to do was pull it off…
The Challenge
While the Beyond Blue service had evolved continuously since its inception, moving its operations from Medibank to Australian Unity was by far the biggest change they’d ever attempted.
Being a steady, reliable source for Australians in need is a key part of the Beyond Blue brand, and therefore the cutover had to be especially smooth.
The previous contract with Medibank was set to expire in just seven months, and there were no provisions for extensions. It was a hard deadline, and Australian Unity had to be ready to receive calls from Australians in need on the day the old contract expired. Tthere was no fall-back if the new service was not ready.
The Approach
Rather than a lift-and-shift, Beyond Blue and Australian Unity agreed to build a new operational service from the ground up, then cut over by re-routing the telephone lines and email addresses in one quick move. This would allow the old Medibank service to continue operating until the end of its contract, and provide Beyond Blue the rare opportunity for a root and branch refresh.
This meant new technology systems, people, and procedures.
We broke work down into multiple workstreams, with each its own project, led by a Project Manager. The new cloud call centre system was delivered by the Technology stream, hiring and training 100+ staff was delivered by the People stream, the new clinical processes were delivered by the Clinical stream, etc. In all we had six streams standing up the new service.
These six projects were tied together as one collaborative Program. At the program level we addressed risks and issues that applied to multiple projects, and had a governance model that provided clear accountability and kept everything on track.
Obstacles
With any program this size, delays would always be a risk. The fixed delivery date was especially risky. No extensions on the previous contract were available, as the previous provider would be winding up its operations and had no incentive to provide back-up for a competitor. To keep the delivery on track, the steering committee was configured to ensure direct accountability for the performance of each member’s respective streams. In this way the steering committee is a forum of ownership for resolving risks and issues rather than a simple show-and-tell often found in steering committees.
Alignment of workstreams had to be managed carefully. Managing a technology project is not the same as an HR project to hire and train new staff. However they are also co-dependent. Consider the challenge of acquiring and distributing new laptops to a remote workforce (Technology) in alignment with their hiring and training (HR). Careful management does not mean more management, but rather being involved to the right degree: Ensuring those who need to collaborate are, and, where needed facilitate a solution. In this way the Program Manager is getting involved to sufficient degree to ensure success but also enabling the team specialists to apply their unique skills and maintain ownership of the issue.
Outcome
The new and improved Beyond Blue service was up and running, ready for cut-over before the fixed deadline. Clients calling or using the new online chat were speaking with one of 100+ freshly trained staff on a new telephony and chat platform. Beyond Blue continues to reduce the impact of depression, anxiety, and suicide, supporting our community when people are unwell or need to protect their mental health.
