192  Blockchain

Steps to establish CoE

Setting up a successful CoE requires a lot of patience, leadership, influence

and people skills. The following are steps to set up a successful CoE:

• Assess the gaps in the organisation as a whole and with departments.

This will assist in creating requirements and the need for a CoE.

• The assessment will highlight the potential gaps in resource skills,

operational efficiency, resiliency, controls, standards and leader-

ship. It will also highlight deficiency in the operating model, high

resource turnover, politics, bureaucracy, lack of productivity, high

operating cost, loss of market share and lack of innovation and

competitiveness.

• Create a list of all deficiencies and uplift required across the

organisation.

• Prioritise the themes requiring CoE.

• Create a business case for the themes to derive efficiencies and assist

in achieving business and strategic outcomes.

• Get a sign-off on the CoE budget.

• Coordinate with the leadership of the department requiring efficien-

cies and CoE setup.

• Create a list of internal and external skills specific to areas highlighted

as part of requirement gathering.

• Get a sign-off and sponsorship from leadership of the departments

requiring uplift and CoE setup.

• Interview the team that should be part of the CoE for selected uplift

initiatives.

• Communicate the CoE membership to selected employees.

• Establish business and technology outcomes for the CoE.

• Establish the agenda for the CoE. It must be aligned to strategic objec-

tives and CoE requirements.

• Depending on the location of the CoE membership, set up workshops

and recursive virtual and physical sessions. There can be multiple ses-

sions to accommodate the different time zones.

• Assign a project manager to run the session and communicate the

minutes of the meeting with discussion points, actions, timelines for

deliverables, risks, issues, blockers, ask from management and any

escalations.

• Establish a communication and feedback channel.

• Establish KPIs to measure the delivery of the initiatives that are part

of CoE.

• Send communication to the senior leadership and sponsors of the CoE

on a regular basis.