Slade School of Fine Art

Kent Institute of Art and Design

Central St Martins School of Art and Design

Independent agile delivery and digital transformation consultant, coach and trainer

Public Digital

Expert / network member

Organisational consultant, trainer and speaker with a focus on creating environments where people thrive so that organisations can thrive. Working with organisations worldwide in the public and private sectors to create conditions that enable effective collaboration and iterative, user-focused delivery. 

I work with leadership teams, embed communities of practice and lead initiatives that allow for learning and growing capabilities, all of which help create sustainable change.

I am known internationally for my work on communities of practice, illustrated in her book Building Successful Communities of Practice and collaboration tools, such as the Team Onion.

Clients include: Department for Levelling up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Department for Business and Trade (DBT), Nesta, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), HM Land Registry (HMLR), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Passport Office (HMPO), ustwo, Citizens Advice, Oxa, The Co-op, Transport for Greater Manchester, Council of the European Union, Ministry of Justice (MOJ),  BBC, Automattic, FutureLearn, doteveryone, Prostate Cancer UK, Software Acumen and University of the Arts London (UAL).

Specialities: Organisational structures that support delivery, communities of practice, agile training and transformation, organisational training and capability, career frameworks for multidisciplinary organisations, capability building, workshop facilitation, agile delivery leadership and building teams.

Tacit

Organisational consultant, trainer, author and speaker.

Originally brought in to set up ways of working and approaches to delivery on the digital programme. Moving into sustainably growing digital, data and technology capability, creating communities of practice and usable community owned skills and capability maps. And onto leading a discovery team, using agile and people focused approaches to identify the capability needs of people and blockers in the organisation, then creating initiatives to meet those needs.

HM Land Registry

Digital / agile delivery consultant. Growing digital capability

Working with the digital transformation team to support digital delivery at Defra

A large part of my work included building communities of practice of (distributed) digital specialists across the Defra group and also supporting agile adoption, digital transformation, recruitment and agile training

Defra

Agile transformation coach and consultant

Responsible for defining Agile practices and leading the Agile project and programme delivery management profession.

I led the definition, development of awareness, capability building, and assurance of the application of Agile delivery methods, principles and practices across a broad portfolio of software and non-software projects. To do this I drew on my broad knowledge and experience of Agile and Lean tools and techniques. 

As the Agile subject matter expert across GDS and in wider government, I offered support, advice and training to others and helped capability building and hiring across government departments.

As the lead for the Agile delivery professional community, I built and led a team of around 40 project and programme delivery managers including mentoring and line management. I was responsible for the ongoing high quality and the continual professional development of those within the community. To do this I recruited and built a strong network of professionals at GDS, created a learning culture amongst them and created opportunities to connect with others across government and the wider global Agile community to share and develop good practices.

Government Digital Service

Head of Agile Delivery

Setting up and running a scaled Agile portfolio management function from inception to operation, using Agile and Lean techniques to manage workflow, create alignment across Government Digital Service and ensure continuous improvement.

https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2013/08/30/scaling-agile-practices-to-the-the-gds-portfolio

With a small team, I worked in all parts of the organisation to understand user needs, map existing workflows and challenge existing processes. I created efficiencies with new workflows and lightweight processes for tracking projects through meaningful data. I created forums to ensure decisions were made when needed, in order to not slow down delivery. I set up opportunities to communicate to those across GDS though information radiators and training sessions.

As a programme delivery manager at GDS, I set up an Agile IT change programme of work to replace existing IT infrastructure and tools within the Cabinet Office, (The Cabinet Office Technology Transformation). I was instrumental in putting iterative delivery and user needs at its core, and took the programme through it’s alpha stage. I was responsible for building a team and embedding Agile and Lean techniques into the delivery.

Programme / Portfolio Delivery Manager

Head of Delivery at a social technology company of around 50 staff, team management and development of around 20 developers and project managers. 

I was responsible for advocating and developing Agile and Lean delivery techniques within the organisation, including the introduction of Kanban to existing Scrum teams. I managed large scale Agile project delivery of social software and applications, from inception to delivery, including: ensuring Agile ways of working; motivating digital teams; planning, delivery and continuous improvements of delivery practices; managing budgets; tracking and reporting to stakeholders; building client relationships and effectively managing client expectations.

Dachis Group

Head of Delivery

Managing large scale Agile projects delivering social software, from inception to delivery. Including: ensuring Agile ways of working; motivating digital teams; planning, delivery and continuous improvements of delivery practices; managing budgets; tracking and reporting to stakeholders; building client relationships and effectively managing client expectations. Clients include: Samaritans, Red Bull International, National College for School Leadership (NCSL) and Coca-Cola.

Headshift was acquired by Dachis Group and changed it's name in January 2012, details about this post continue in the description associated with it above.

Headshift

Senior Delivery Manager

Project leader at a company of 45 staff, producing and managing digital projects for large corporate clients including Purina Europe, Johnson and Johnson, Merlin entertainments and Shock Absorber: website and microsite build; website toolkit creation and application development.

Awards included: 2010 IMC European Awards’ European Grand Prix in the category of Outstanding below the line campaign of the year, Gold for Innovative Idea or Concept, Gold for Event Marketing, Silver for Brand Building, Silver for Integrated Communications.

JPMH

Senior Producer

Project leader at an arts and creative enterprise development practice, with a split between developing arts and music SMEs and events production. Projects I led included tour production and event management, setting up training and development networks, project management for the BBC Fame Academy Bursary scheme during its first 3 years.

Set up and run a successful internship programme to develop people looking for their first step into the creative industries, ensuring the majority of interns moved directly their first real job.

The Hub (UK)

Producer

Research into the Internet as an arts space.

Emily Webber