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A day in the life of a Service Assurance Analyst at a global law firm
Ollie Leedham, an L2 Grayce Analyst, shares his experience on client site as part of the Change+ Development Programme.
I joined Grayce in September 2020 on the Change+ Development Programme. After completing my onboarding training, I soon started on client site at a global legal firm as a Service Assurance Analyst in a hybrid PMO role.
My responsibilities oversee the Change Management function and ensuring it is aligned with ITIL regulation, whilst maintaining the highest governance standards possible. My work ensured users had continued access to the latest IT services, applications, data storage and other business resources.
Throughout my time on client site, my role evolved to focus more on Project Management, where I worked on some valuable work items, shaping them to ensure plans were in place for project delivery. Within this, I directly reported to the Lead Change Manager, reporting on latest change trends and schedules, as well as risks for compliance-based projects.
Solving client challenges
I saw three main challenges within the business I was placed at: data storage and access, software system support, and keeping up to date with growing technology used by competitors. In my role, I completed work to improve this IT capability. I worked on a platform to make the changes needed to enhance the IT estate, out of hours support and business communications.
I also looked at compliance-based work to identify what systems and applications may be out of support and outlined a plan to ensure these were brought back in support to avoid major costs to the business. Driving these key work items forward, within the SQL space, benefitted the business portfolio and was invaluable in providing a basis for what was needed. It also enabled the client to adopt and drive agile methodologies to prioritise work items and deliver them within our various sprints.
Continuous development
One of my biggest achievements on client site was managing the whole IT change structure autonomously. My main responsibility was to manage the IT change inbox, critically reviewing change documents and assessing changes based on their risk and impact.
I would manage the IT change schedule to avoid conflicts and manage Change Approval Board agendas, actions and approvals. Here, communication with stakeholders was key to ensure effective management. The resulting action was a very positive one, I received great feedback for the running of the function and all changes were rolled out successfully.
Another personal highlight from my project, was that I had the opportunity to drive continuous improvements to a monthly reporting pack that was provided to Executive Board level members. I introduced incremental changes, making it more engaging and appealing, focusing on relevant KPI metrics and formatting.
During this, I took on a Project Manager role, controlling documents and orchestrating feedback meetings with different stakeholders. The result was hugely positive; we were able to complete all the changes proposed and get them approved by the Head of Service Delivery for permanent use.
Wrap-around support
Upon joining the Change+ Development Programme, Grayce paired me with a personal Delivery Manager. Through regular monthly performance reviews (MPRs), I was able to playback what I had been working on and enhance my overall knowledge and understanding. MPRs have been invaluable to my success at Grayce, as they give the opportunity to reflect on client work. My Delivery Manager also supported my technical training, recommending numerous LinkedIn Learning courses to broaden my expertise and kickstart my professional development.
Grayce’s welcoming Analyst community also ensures you have a great start on client site. The introductions to buddy systems, for example, help new starters integrate straightaway and ensure you don’t feel like a small fish in a big pond.
Why Grayce?
Analysts and emerging talent are key to filling an important resource gap. The enthusiasm of Grayce Analysts shines through as they maintain maximum commitment throughout their client assignments, whilst consistently showing a strong willingness to learn. Particularly with my client, they chose Grayce Analysts as they prepared to bring in key Agile experience to the business. Stemming from the excellent reputation that Grayce has, it was a clear choice for those who require that expertise.
Outstanding feedback
Ollie has received exceptional feedback from his legal services client, which has seen him nominated twice for our Client Feedback G Award. An IT Change Manager at the business says, “Ollie is an absolute asset to Change Management, and the whole Service Delivery team. He has great organisational skills and has taken everything in his stride as he streamlined our processes. His great interpersonal skills and personable and friendly style of communication is key as he interacts with varying levels of seniority.”
