Narada Pascal
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Narada Pascal

Principal ConsultantSpecialising in Quality Assurance Testing (QAT), Technical

With over 12 years experience as a skilled consultant, Narada values transparency in his approach to consulting for digital transformation, understanding desired outcomes and then delivering rapid results. Narada specialises in QAT and Technical: Development, Software, Infrastructure, Security & DevOps.

Hanover are proud to support a range of UK Government Departments in their mission to deliver digitised, optimised, public services for the benefit of UK Citizens through consulting and team building.

Our services are available through the following frameworks:

  • G-Cloud

  • DOS

  • Bloom/NEPRO 3

  • PSR

  • "I worked as a Hanover associate on a complex central government technology project. The working relationship with them was over a sustained period of time and I always found them to be supportive and knowledgeable, both on the associate and project side. They understood the complexity of the technical project I was landing into and it was a great fit for my skills, resulting in the right outcome for the client."

    Silvia

    Software Engineer

  • ​"Unlike other recruiters, Hanover treats contractors like human beings, rather than revenue-generating commodities! I would not hesitate to recommend their consultants"

    Chris

    Project Manager

  • ​"Hanover were clear, friendly and straightforward. Their intuition about roles suited to me was excellent and now I love my job!"

    Karin

    SEO Analyst

  • ​"My biggest appreciation of Hanover is that they helped me believe in my own work. It completely paid off and I got the job!"

    Henry

    Digital Designer

  • "What especially impressed me was that Hanover truly listened to what I was looking for and what my expectations for career progression were."

    Teri

    UX Designer

  • ​"Not only were Hanover great to deal with but they also followed up with me when I started in my new job to see how I was settling in." 

    Tom

    System Admin

  • Software Engineer
  • Project Manager
  • SEO Analyst
  • Digital Designer
  • UX Designer
  • System Admin
  • Product & Delivery
    SC Cleared Scrum Master

    We are hiring an experienced SC Cleared Scrum Master to join a large Central Government department on a mission critical programme. This role is remote working and aligned to a Communications and Security application and requires experience with Java/ cloud-based products as well as excellent stakeholder management.     You will be responsible for facilitating the Scrum process and ensuring that the team is working effectively: Following the Scrum Framework Strong capability and experience working closely with development teams. Ideally a background in software development or strong experience with agile methodologies. Ensure agile practices are being followed by the development teams. Deep experience and capability working with the wider scrum team members and other agile roles, such as product owners and developers to facilitate the Scrum process. Ability to resolve and project risks or concerns quickly, in order to maintain project progress. Skills needed for this role:  The ability to facilitate scrum to the larger team by ensuring the scrum framework is followed. Understands and is committed to scrum values and practices. Able to support the product owner define the value, assist the development team deliver the value, and the scrum team to achieve continuous improvement. You will support the Product Owner by helping them better understand and communicate value. You will be required to manage the backlog and re-prioritisation.

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  • Technical
    Service Now TA/ Consultant

    We're hiring an experienced, SC Cleared, ServiceNow TA/ Consultant to join a large Central Government department on a mission critical programme. This role is remote working, to start ASAP. This programme is aligned to a Communications and security application and requires experience with Java/ cloud-based products and excellent stakeholder management.You will: Undertake structured analysis of technical issues, translating this analysis into technical designs that describe a solution. Be consulted about design and provide design patterns. Identify deeper issues that need fixing. Look for opportunities to collaborate and reuse components, communicating with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Skills needed for this role: Bridging the gap between the technical and non-technical. You can speak on behalf of technical teams and facilitate relationships with indirect stakeholders.Governance. You understand how governance works and what governance is required. You can take responsibility for the assurance of parts of a service and know what risks need to be managed.  Making and guiding decisions. You can make decisions characterised by managed levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase. You can resolve technical disputes between peers and indirect stakeholders, taking into account all views and opinions.  Strategy. You can apply strategy, using patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements. You can challenge them and provide guidance.Turning business problems into technical design. You can design systems characterised by managed levels of risk, manageable business, and technical complexity and meaningful impact. You can work with well understood technology and identify appropriate patterns. Understanding the whole context. You can understand trends and practices outside your team and how these will impact your work. You can see how your work fits into the broader strategy and historical context. You can consider the patterns and interactions on a larger scale.

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  • Product & Delivery
    SC Cleared Business Analyst

    We're currently looking for an experienced SC cleared Business Analyst to join a large Central Government department on a mission critical programme in a remote role.Requirements:Active SC clearance Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to build strong working relationships Experienced in Java/ Cloud based products/ projects Write and refine technical stories Process modelling Sequencing of technical stories to avoid breaking existing flows Previous experience leading/managing teams and junior staff In this role you will need to: Manage stakeholder relationships. Work autonomously. Have a good understanding of your own work area. Advance the BA community through the sharing of best practice and mentoring others. Previous experience working in digital and technology programmes of work within an SC environment. Experience working within large organisations or Central Government departments. Skills needed for this roleAgile working. You can identify and compare the best processes or delivery methods to use, including measuring and evaluating outcomes. You know how to help the team to decide the best approach. You can help teams to manage and visualise outcomes, prioritise work and work to agreed minimum viable product (MVP), print and scope.  Business analysis. You can investigate problems and analyse options for new and existing services. You know how to provide recommendations to solutions. You can work with stakeholders to identify objectives, opportunities and potential benefits available.  Stakeholder relationship management. You know how to identify important stakeholders, tailoring communication to their needs, and work with teams to build relationships while also meeting user needs. You have the ability to take opposing views to reach consensus. You understand how to work with stakeholders and contribute to improving these relationships, using evidence to explain decisions made.  Business improvement process. You know how to analyse current services and processes, and can identify and implement opportunities to optimise these. You can help to evaluate and establish requirements using relevant techniques such as gap analysis.Business modelling. You can use a wide range of techniques to model situations confidently. You know how to gain the necessary agreement needed from subject matter experts and stakeholders, ensuring they review the results to fix any issues.Business process testing. You know how to report on system quality and collect metrics on test cases.Digital perspective. You have the ability to apply a digital understanding to your work. You can identify and implement solutions for assisted digital.  Enterprise and business architecture. You understand and can apply the current target operating model to work.  User focus. You can identify needs and engage with users or stakeholders to collate user needs evidence. You understand and can define research that fits user needs. You can use quantitative and qualitative data about users to turn user focus into outcomes.  

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Digital Transformation
public sector consultancy

​Implementing a Public Sector Digital Transformation is no easy task. With a multitude of issues to tackle, digital transformations need to be thoroughly researched, strategically planned and driven by motivational leadership. The UK Government claims to be one of the most digitally advanced in the world. They’ve developed GOV.UK and opened its code, allowing it to be replicated by other governments. The Government Digital Service (GDS) is leading digital transformation and local authorities are also expanding digitally with a variety of initiatives. From Oxford City Council using chatbots to Aylesbury Vale District Council using AI for responsive web chats. But, there’s still a long road ahead in optimising services for the wider public. Reaching the public at large means creating a service that works for everyone. Not only does it need to be functional and accessible, but also secure and sustainable, with an excellent user experience. When a digital transformation takes place within government, it faces a unique set of problems with long-term consequences for failures.​ So it’s important to ensure you tackle these 5 challenges in order to achieve success…​1. Future Proof FunctionalityFunctionality is key. There are around 1 billion individual transactions a year with central government departments, rising nearer to 1.5 billion when other organisations such as local government are accounted for. For successful transactions you’ll need to start by looking at user workflows for the full lifecycle of transactions and the functionality that supports these transactions. How does this currently work (if at all) and where do you need real change?You should identify the right technologies that will work with any existing systems or consider a complete upgrade. This is an area for careful consideration as some government departments have legacy contracts or software licensing that will need to be reviewed. Many new tech options are cloud reliant and some government business-critical systems can prohibit software in a third-party or cloud environment.This is where research plays a huge part. If you’re unclear on the technologies you need, then you will need to review your current situation with the help of a qualified professional or an expert consultant. Any new technologies you implement should be fully connected, sustainable for future improvements and offer opportunities for automation.​2. Establishing TrustBeyond large scale project management considerations, the government also needs to consider inclusivity. In 2011, around 150 million calls a year to government were self-reported as avoidable. This strain on government systems and employees is costly but there needs to be an understanding of why the public are calling, rather than using a digital alternative.The public sector supports many vulnerable groups of society and these people will fall into core demographics for utilising government services. In 2018, there were still 5.3 million adults in the UK who were digitally excluded because of a lack of internet access, or low levels of digital literacy. These people need to be catered for.This means using innovative thinking and a user-focused approach to improving services by implementing the skills of User Researchers, User Experience Designers and Customer Experience Leads. Transformations need to establish trust, promote security and put users at ease by making information clear and easily accessible.​3. Demographic ResearchTo establish a successful transformation, you should consider not just what the government objectives are, but also who your users are and what they need.Research will give you a clear understanding of who your core demographics are and their drivers in using a particular service. The needs of the elderly accessing healthcare are in direct opposition to a 30-something searching for local business support.Whilst some functionality can be replicated to suit a variety of needs, not all services are purely transactional and require in-depth understanding of end users. What are their painpoints? What problems can you solve for them? Adopt a data first approach. The government has a huge amount of data at its fingertips. With the right analysts you can gain a unique understanding of the demographics who will utilise your services and their online behaviours. This allows you to design effective workflows, creating positive outcomes and speeding up processes.​4. People and CultureOne of the biggest impacts on whether a digital transformation is successful, is culture change. Transformations involve a fundamental change to current ways of working. Existing employees will need to adapt, and in some cases you will see prominent skill gaps with a need to upskill.Having the right leaders in place will be crucial to managing culture change and shifting mindsets. Project leaders need to manage employee expectations and their development, as well as motivate them through cultural changes.Make no mistake, people are going to be the foundation of your project. You will almost certainly need to employ either interim staff or permanent employees, as you’ll need fresh, innovative thinking and defined specialist skills. Having an effective team, made up of industry experts enables you to deliver substantial change quickly.With contractors, you can progress projects at higher speed and they can also upskill your existing employees. Bringing in new, permanent employees gives you the reassurance that changes can be maintained and continually optimised.​5. Cost-effective ProcurementAccording to Deloitte Digital, 79% of government organisations find procurement to be a challenging area to manage in their transition to digital. Many consulting services can be incredibly expensive and you’re not always guaranteed the right results.There are several government platforms to help you find accredited and trusted suppliers, including G-Cloud and the Digital Outcomes Specialists frameworks from the Digital Marketplace , both of which Hanover are listed on.When it comes to procurement, there’s lots to think about. You’ll need to look at any rules and regulations for your department and if you have any existing legacy contracts. Before you engage with a supplier, identify your objectives and the problems you are looking to solve.Any decent consultancy service should be able to offer you a free advisory discussion. Because how can a supplier claim to help you if they don’t have a clear understanding of your project? If you’re undertaking a digital transformation, find a service that can be flexible and can scale according to your needs. This should also include flexibility when it comes to budget, and rather than going with a supplier offering set packages, instead look for a service that can be tailored to your needs.Need help with your digital transformation? Undertaking digital transformations, whether small or large scale can be daunting. With a solid brief, clear objectives and the right support in place you can set yourself up for success. The initial stages are the most important to ensure the process is cost-effective and that timelines will be met.Find out more about our services and how we can support your digital transformation goals

Transform
digital transformation projects

​‘Digital transformation’ is fast becoming a buzzword of 2019. To fully leverage business opportunities, companies are now incorporating a mix of digital technologies and culture changes in order to accelerate business growth in a strategic and prioritized way.Many companies are either in the full flow of a digital transformation, have road mapped their transformation journey and are ready to kick start delivery, or are only now starting to think about embarking on their own transformation. 63% of UK businesses said they have a formal digital transformation strategy.Conversations I have had with C-suite professionals and leaders about their journey and transformation seem to echo similar thoughts, feelings and in some cases, misconceptions. I’ve highlighted some of these below to shed some light on the myths around digital transformation, which will hopefully allow you to get well on your way to achieving a true digital transformation.​Myth 1: Digital transformation means better technologyThe most common myth or misconception is that digital transformation is solely focused on technology. Technology upgrades will support or drive digital transformation but the objectives may be for entirely different reasons including culture change, customer experience or leveraging business opportunities.Part of this myth is that if a company upgrades its technology, then the transformation is successfully complete. Whilst technology is vital to the transformation, it doesn’t complete it. You’ll need to look at your business processes, policies and the willingness to adopt this transformation by employees within the organisation.One of the most challenging aspects of any transformation is adopting change. Undergoing a digital transformation will have a significant impact on employees and buy-in is crucial. Research by agency Organic, reveals that 62% of staff felt that the biggest barrier to digital transformation is not having a clear leadership mandate.The survey of digital and marketing professionals found that 58% agree that managers are among the most valuable stakeholders in digital transformation projects; the same percentage say this for heads of departments, while 57% single out directors.​​Myth 2: Digital transformation only matters to tech and software companiesYour company doesn’t need to be a hot tech startup in order to embark on a digital transformation journey. The number of UK businesses with formal digital transformation strategies has more than doubled over the past 12 months, according to a survey by Daisy Group.There are companies across a variety of industries who are undertaking a transformation journey and they have enjoyed significant benefits from doing so. We are seeing more recruitment requirements from traditional companies now taking on digital transformation projects including shipping, legal, banking, finance and insurance. These long-standing industries are now being targeted as areas for development by startups and so established leaders are looking at ways to digitally transform their services in order to maintain a competitive advantage.​​Myth #3: Digital transformation can waitTechnology is changing at an increasing speed, so if you need to start a digital transformation project then you can’t afford to delay. The longer you wait the harder it could get. Also, while you continue your business as usual, is one or more of your competitors digitally transforming? And will this transformation mean they take a portion of your customers? What impact will this have on your business?Every day I speak with organisations who are on their journey and work with me to support them in identifying and attracting the best talent in the market to complete the next piece of their digital transformation. Having the right employees to drive digital transformation can make or break your project.With new processes and new technologies you will find a need for new employee skills. In a recent survey of digital professionals by Econsultancy, more than 50% of respondents highlighted the challenge of finding employees with the right transformation skills. 25% characterised sourcing talent as a ‘major challenge’.​​Things to think aboutIf you decide to undertake a digital transformation project then make sure you have a clear objective and strategy. What are your priorities and what has brought about this need for transformation?Technology – Consequence of technology changes or a need which becomes pressingCustomer – Needs of your customers, threat of competitors or changes to industry/marketEcosystem – Changes in economy, ecosystem, regulations or geopoliticsSociety – Innovations with a profound impact on society​The types of technologies you need will depend entirely on what your digital transformation project is looking to achieve. Will you need to update your CRM? Add on an automated email platform? Or find ways to better support your customers?Think about how you will update processes, activities and campaign models. Finally, do you have the employee infrastructure to support your project?We’ve found that contractors can be an incredible resource for digital transformation projects. They offer vast technical experience, flexibility and can fill short-term skill needs. They can even train your current employees and help with adoption of new technologies and processes.If you’re looking to hire for your digital transformation, we can support you with tech and digital professionals to ensure your project succeeds.​Need help with your Public sector transformation? Click here!Private sector transformation? Click here!