Digital Services Operating Model Review at Leading UK University​

A leading UK University approached Enfuse Group to understand, access and deliver recommendations on the target operating model for their digital services department.

Highlights

• Uncovered the real blockers holding the Digital Services function back - from decentralised roles to unclear accountability.
• Designed a future-ready operating model built for clarity, consistency, and digital ambition.
• Delivered a clear, prioritised roadmap to modernise capabilities and accelerate transformation.
• Secured exec alignment and organisation-wide clarity, creating the mandate to move fast and deliver with confidence.

Background

A leading UK Uni is looking to revolutionise the way their digital services function operates within the university. Enfuse were approached to access how the department is functioning currently, what their ambitions are in the short, medium and long term and give recommendations on how to get there.

The Challenge

• The University’s Digital Services (DS) function is focused largely on ‘keeping the lights on’, with many typical IT roles and teams decentralised and sitting in other University departments. ​
• The University aspires to be a digital leader in the future which will place notable demands on DS. Enfuse Group were engaged to assess the current DS operating model and to help determine if it is appropriate for current and future strategic needs.​​

The Enfuse Approach

Enfuse deployed two consultants to engage with the department leadership to do the following:

1. Ran an IT Assessment with DCIO & Deputy Director of Digital Business Performance​​
2. Interviewed members of DS Senior Leadership Team to establish what works well and identify areas of improvement ​​
3. Interviewed senior stakeholders from the wider university to understand their perspectives on DS and to identify any IT roles that exist in their areas (outside of DS)​​
4. Reviewed the current org structure and background information on DS​ & DS ways of working.​
5. Compared University’s DS function with other University technology functions for insights into how well DS is setup for success ​​

Impact

The review provided the University with a clear, evidence-based view of how Digital Services needed to evolve to support its strategic ambition to become a sector-leading digital institution. Key outcomes included:

• A proposed redesigned Digital Services operating model, addressing long-standing decentralisation issues by clarifying accountability, consolidating fragmented IT roles, and strengthening core capabilities across DS.
• A prioritised set of strategic and operational recommendations, giving the DS team a clear blueprint of how DS should evolve. These included:

• establishing a centralised technology governance model

• defining service ownership and accountability

• creating a unified portfolio, programme, and project delivery capability

• introducing clearer architectural standards and integration principles

• improving incident, problem, and change management maturity

• uplifting skills and restructuring teams to better support future digital initiatives

• Executive approval of the target structure, with proposals taken through the appropriate governance committees to seek approval for programme mobilisation.

• Greater cross-university alignment, as interviews with senior stakeholders surfaced hidden IT activity, clarified responsibilities, and enabled a more integrated and efficient approach to delivering digital services.

• A clear high-level roadmap for capability uplift, outlining pragmatic short-term improvements as well as longer-term changes needed to achieve a digitally mature, future-ready operating model.

• Stronger foundations for digital investment, giving DS the confidence that upcoming transformation initiatives will be supported by the right people, processes, and governance.

Collectively, this work created the strategic clarity and organisational mandate required to modernise Digital Services, improve service quality, and realise the University’s long-term strategic digital ambitions.

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