Software Assurance

> 70% ERP Projects miss business goals

We review software projects and transformation programmes before they become expensive mistakes, ensuring what you buy works for your teams, your customers, and your P&L.

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Trusted across FTSE-listed pharma, Tier 1 UK banks, and Major Insurers.

ERP: Gartner (2024). Data migrations: Gartner (cited Data Center Knowledge, 2023). AI pilots: IDC/Lenovo CIO Playbook (2025).

What exposure looks like

Poorly designed and implemented systems cost far more than the headline figures - across core systems, analytics, and AI. Adjust the dials to see how exposure scales before you commit.

£500,000

25% of programme budget at risk

Programme budget Total planned programme spend, including software, implementation, integration, and related delivery costs. Every exposure figure in this calculator is worked out as a percentage of this budget. £2M
Programme length How long the programme is scheduled to run. Programmes of 12 months or less add no duration exposure. Each additional full year adds 10 percentage points of programme budget (for example, 18 months adds 5 points, 24 months adds 10 points). 18 mo
Vendors / integrations The number of external vendors or major integrations in the programme. Exposure starts at 15% of programme budget with none. Each vendor or integration adds 5 percentage points (for example, one vendor gives 20% of budget). 1
Show exposure breakdown ▼
Programme budget £2,000,000
Programme complexity exposure (20%) The share of estimated risk from delivery complexity: coordination between teams, governance, and realising value. Calculated as 15% of programme budget with no third parties, plus 5 percentage points for each vendor or major integration. (Auto-calculated) £400,000
Duration exposure (5%) The share of estimated risk from programme length. No duration exposure for programmes up to 12 months. Each additional full year adds 10 percentage points of programme budget. Shown separately from complexity exposure so you can see both factors. (Auto-calculated) £100,000
Total modelled exposure £500,000
Discuss your exposure

Illustrative estimate only - not financial, legal, or procurement advice. Based on conservative industry-style benchmark bands; actual exposure depends on scope, sector, and delivery maturity. Industry data for large IT programmes also shows significant tail risk on multi-year delivery - outcomes can exceed these bands.

What We Do

We help at three moments: before you sign, while you deliver, and when your data estate needs a reset.

  1. Software Procurement + Assurance

    Before you commit

    Most expensive software failures start with requirements and data problems nobody validated before signature.

  2. Software Implementation

    During delivery

    Independent governance from mobilisation through adoption - so delivery stays tied to outcomes that survive go-live.

  3. Data Agility + Culture Workshops

    When your data estate lags

    Workshops that equip leaders to treat data as a strategic asset - governance, agility, and decisions that outlast any single system.

The 'MO' of 'MP'

Our unique Modus Operandi significantly reduces your software procurement and implementation risk - for core systems and AI programmes alike. Here's how.

Entity-relationship diagram illustrating data architecture before vendor commitment

Data architecture before commitment

We are specialists in relational data. Before any vendor approaches a contract, we draw and generate the entity-relationship diagrams needed to meet your requirements. That work forces the right conversations with the people who actually understand the software, not the sales team. This unique and rigorous approach provides the early warning system required to save our clients from spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on systems that were never going to meet their requirements. The advent of AI agents has made this methodology even more important, not less.

Draw the data model before you draw up the contract.
Software solution being stress-tested against proprietary requirements

We stress-test the software

In addition to your own unique needs, we apply our proprietary system agnostic requirements framework that we have spent over a decade building and refining. These requirements apply to all software, no matter the industry or jurisdiction. Without meaning to be overly crass, most projects fall short of the standards required here - which only materialise far later down the line after too much political and financial capital has been spent. Our methodology ensures you buy quality software that reduces rather than increases friction, is future proofed (AI ready), stops 'flashy demos' from going unchecked, and that you have covered all critical bases. We love using software and have used some of the most modern tools around - so we know what good looks like and exactly what to watch out for.

A polished demo proves nothing.
Vendor gap analysis documentation for procurement negotiation

We hold vendors accountable

If a vendor cannot deliver to your requirements, or to ours, we provide your procurement function with a detailed gap analysis and the technical details they need to negotiate from a strong, evidence-backed position. The commercial leverage that typically creates more than covers our fee. Furthermore, with your permission we will publish reviews of our experience with the software, meaning that vendors have potential PR consideration to consider - both positive and negative - increasing the chances of taking your concerns seriously.

Documented gaps give procurement evidence, not opinion.
Contract terms being reviewed against technical and commercial commitments

We stress-test your contract

The technical work is only half the protection. We review commercials and contractual terms with the same discipline, to ensure you are protected from any unexpected surprises. Common pitfalls are surfaced and addressed before you sign.

You are bound by the page, not the pitch.
Project governance and stakeholder reporting for software assurance engagements

Expert project management

Software assurance needs more than technical judgement; it needs delivery discipline. Our team is trained to APMP standards and provides clear governance and reporting to key stakeholders, so progress, risk, and decisions are visible throughout the engagement.

Assurance without visibility is just advice.
Simplified systems driving productivity and shareholder value

We focus on simplicity

The company is called Modern Productivity for a reason. We provide software assurance because we know that when data and systems actually work, their benefits compound and turn businesses into productivity powerhouses. We have seen this happen, because we help make it happen. That is why we are always doing everything we can to simplify and remove friction and inertia. The best way to win over users is to reduce their effort. Less complexity = less friction = more output = more efficiency = better value for shareholders.

The licence is cheap. Complexity is what compounds the cost.
Working across agile businesses and large enterprises to stay close to the market

Beyond institutional practice

We are not removed from how software is bought and used in the real economy. We still work regularly with small to medium businesses which keeps our perspective current. That proximity keeps our skills sharp in a way that purely institutional practices struggle to match. We are a small, lean, organisation constantly monitoring the market - ensuring our advice to you stays fresh. Put more simply, we are not the big four and proud of it.

The market moves faster than the boardroom.

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