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10 | 11TH - 17TH DECEMBER 2015 | UTILITY WEEK Interview is working through: participants ready, mar- ket ready, systems ready, MOSL ready, and digital ready. Each has its own set of mile- stones that must be reached on time to keep the complex programme on schedule. How- ever, although Jeffs is following the plan, with targets being met almost to the day, he emphasises that it is flexible. "Do we slavishly follow the plan? No we don't. The plan is there to inform what we do and keep us under control. If we spot there is an area of the plan that can be improved, we'll improve it." The workstream overview does not present a flawless picture of the progress of MOSL and the market's prepa- rations – there are a number of amber blobs and the odd splash of red against the targets, but Jeffs isn't flustered by these alerts. "We're not worried that we have ambers on here because we know where they come from," he says as he flicks through the document. "We know exactly where we're at and that gives us an overall comfort. "We're not kidding ourselves by saying it's all green, but when I say I'm confident I mean we know all of that and what we're doing about it." The "digital ready" workstream element of the plan is one of those dotted with amber and red, but Jeffs says this is an example of the plan's fluidity, calling it a "nice to have" and saying it has been "allowed to sit in the background at a slower pace". Almost six months into his tenure, one thing that hasn't been slow is the development of MOSL itself. From an organisation formed out of necessity in Febru- ary – aer the previous organisation tasked with pro- curing the central IT system was deemed to be a public body and therefore hamstrung in its ability to move as swily as the programme required – MOSL is almost at full strength and settling into its new home. Jeffs takes a moment to stress the work done by the founding water companies and the team at Open Water Markets Limited (OWML) to get MOSL up and running and keep everything moving. "Most important is the contribution of the founder organisations. They were crucial to setting us up." He adds that the work of UU chief executive Steve Mogford, Northumbrian Water chief executive Heidi Mottram, and Anglian Water chief execu- tive Peter Simpson has taken MOSL "from a twinkle in their eyes to where it is today" in its plush new office which, says Jeffs, is an important reflection of the kind of organisation MOSL wants to be. It's certainly a far cry from the "dull and dingy" space that preceded the recent refurbishment. "We wanted to create a fresh, MOSL-ised space and bring the teams together," says Jeffs. These teams include those directly employed by MOSL, the secondees from the industry, and the contractors from the likes of IT pro- vider CGI and systems tester SQS, and unifying them is all part of generating a tireless work ethic. That is vital, Jeffs adds. "It is important to get the branding and MOSL colours through because it gives us an identity. There is lots of complexity and risk in the programme so having everyone in one place, as one team, will get us through the pinch points." Even the mantra "every day is a delivery day" forms part of a relentless stream of reminders of the time pres- sures that MOSL and the industry face. "This is not a programme where I can afford to let us have easy days. It's about getting stuff done," says Jeffs, who has proved to be an expert at crisis manage- ment and delivering when under pressure (see box, right). "We're acutely aware of the number of days." With a countdown featuring in every board meeting – it is 479 days until 1 April as Utility Week goes to press – there is that sense of persistent pressure on MOSL, and that is some- thing the chief exec passes on to his team. "A lot of work gets done on projects at the back end, but we can't afford to do that. It's about getting everybody working sustainably hard. It's the constant drumbeat of 'don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today'." A large chunk of the MOSL team's effort is being directed at what is widely recognised will be a problem come market opening: data quality. The English incumbents have been working on the quality and completeness of their data for more than 18 months, and many have been to Scotland to speak directly with participants north of the border about the best ways to deal with, and find solutions to, the prob- lem. MOSL is heavily involved in these talks and finding a solution that will ensure customers get acceptable ser- vice when the non-domestic market opens. That is very much the nub of what Jeffs believes is needed – not zero issues, but a way to work around the issues that are inevitably going to arise. It's essential to ensure "customers don't get le behind" he says. As for the next few months, thoughts are turning to the post go-live world. There will be a focus on working out the protocols and regulations necessary to protect customers when disputes arise between the incoming and outgoing retailers. And with the Treasury's announcement about domes- tic competition – which will be a much bigger challenge because of the size of the market – focusing on the next steps and delivering to a tight timetable is likely to be front and centre in Jeffs' and MOSL's plans. Aer all, for MOSL, "every day is a delivery day". Jeffs is a keynote speaker at the Utility Week Water Con- sumer Conference on 20 January 2016 at the Birmingham City Centre Holiday Inn. See www.uw-watercustomer.net "It's the constant drumbeat of 'don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today'." Life and times of Jeffs MOSL Chief executive, June 2015 - present TiDi (Think it! Do it!) Director, July 2003 - present (12 years 6 months) His own company that specialises in "taking charge of underperforming businesses to deliver rapid results and unlock growth". Roberts Jackson Solicitors Chief operating officer, September - November 2014 First Utility Chief operating officer, June 2009 - September 2011 Appointed to recover and grow the business aer an aborted attempt to enter the retail energy supply market – taking it to 21st place in the Virgin/Sunday Times Fast Track list of fast-growing 100 companies in the UK. LGC forensics Operations director, October 2008 - April 2009 Appointed to recover service, retain customers and stabilise the business aer a period of rapid growth. OGC Buying Solutions Director, utilities: November 2007 - May 2008 Appointed to improve energy-buying performance to avoid customer churn. United Utilities General manager (gas connections), January - November 2007 Appointed to turn round the business and remove the threat of enforcement action by the industry regulator. National Grid Transition manager (director), July 1989 - July 2003 British Gas through to National Grid, aer it merged with Lattice Group to create National Grid Transco plc in October 2002. BG Group Regulatory planning and analysis manager, February 1997 - October 2000 British Gas IT consultant, project manager, and strategic business analyst, July 1989 - February 1997