RADA Business is the commercial arm of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), one of the world’s most prestigious drama schools. While RADA is renowned for its actor training programs, RADA Business leverages this expertise to provide executive training aimed at enhancing leadership, communication, and presence in business executives. Through workshops and tailored programs, RADA Business helps professionals develop key skills that enable them to perform more effectively in leadership roles. Their client base spans a wide variety of industries, all seeking to harness the power of communication and presence in professional environments.

RADA Business identified the need for a robust, flexible IT platform to support its operational, sales, and marketing needs. After a period of evaluation, they chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 as the foundational technology. The platform was selected because it offers pre-built business applications with low-code customisation options, allowing RADA Business to tailor the system to their specific needs without building from scratch.

This strategy enabled the organisation to streamline its customer relationship management and marketing processes, providing a unified view of client interactions and a framework for targeted marketing campaigns.

Strategic Phases of Implementation. Over a period of two years, Pragmatic Dynamics worked closely with RADA Business to incrementally deliver a set of solutions. The project was phased by business area priority, allowing the business to derive immediate value at each step, while continuously improving and scaling the platform.

Sales and Marketing. The first phase of the project concentrated on building solutions for the sales and marketing teams. A CRM was implemented to track leads, opportunities, and client interactions, enabling the sales team to have a clear view of the sales pipeline. For the marketing team, Dynamics provided tools for campaign management, segmentation, and customer targeting. A significant benefit of this first implementation was a fully automated, detailed view of the sales pipeline and revenue forecast.

E-commerce Portal. RADA Business required a modernised and tailored e-commerce solution that would allow clients to browse and book training courses online. Microsoft Power Pages was deployed as a fully integrated portal with Dynamics, offering a user-friendly interface for clients and a backend system that synchronised bookings and payments with the CRM system. This streamlined both customer interactions and back-end fulfilment processes.

Operational Planning. RADA Business required a robust system to manage operational planning, including course scheduling, resource management, and client engagement tracking. Dynamics was customised to meet these needs, ensuring smooth operational workflows and the ability to plan resources and logistics with precision.

Finance Integration. A key part of the transformation was integrating Microsoft Dynamics with RADA Business’s finance systems. Dynamics' capabilities were customised to enable invoicing, reconcile payments, and support financial reporting. This integration reduced manual data entry and improved financial accuracy by connecting finance data to operational and sales systems.

Freelancer Support. RADA Business employs a large number of freelance trainers and facilitators. Managing contracts, schedules, and payments for freelancers can be a complex task. Pragmatic Dynamics implemented a freelancer management solution within Microsoft Dynamics, allowing RADA Business to track trainer availability, contracts, and payments in real time. The system also provides freelance trainers with access to a portal where they can view schedules and manage expenses.

Challenges and Risks. Several challenges and risks were identified throughout the implementation process. Two of the key ones were:

Change Management: Adapting to a new system can be challenging, so effective change management was essential. To support RADA Business staff through the transition, Pragmatic Dynamics provided over-the-shoulder video walkthroughs as part of the training, allowing employees to learn at their own pace. Additionally, team champions were appointed from each department to act as internal support, offering hands-on assistance and guidance to their colleagues. These champions played a crucial role in fostering smooth adoption and ensuring the new system was embraced across the organisation.

Risk of Working with a Small IT Provider: One significant risk was partnering with Pragmatic Dynamics, a smaller IT consultancy. Although their size allowed for a highly personalized service, there were concerns about long-term support and scalability. To mitigate this, Pragmatic Dynamics established back-to-back support arrangements with larger IT providers and produced comprehensive user and technical documentation. This ensured that RADA Business would always have access to support, regardless of Pragmatic’s size.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration. Effective stakeholder management was a critical element of this project’s success. Pragmatic Dynamics engaged department heads and key stakeholders from the very beginning, conducting a series of workshops to gather requirements, explore the system’s capabilities, and align expectations. These workshops ensured that each department had input into the platform’s development and customisation.

A small core team of decision-makers was formed to guide the project, making sure decisions were made efficiently without getting bogged down by large groups. Regular updates were provided to all staff to keep everyone informed about the project’s progress. This approach ensured that stakeholders were not only informed but actively involved in shaping the final solution.

Outcomes and Benefits. The two-year project resulted in a business-aligned, unified platform that provided significant benefits across the organisation:

Increased Collaboration: Sales and marketing teams now work from a unified system that provides up-to-date and accurate client data, allowing for more effective collaboration and aligned business strategies.

Streamlined Operations: The custom solutions developed for operational planning and freelancer support have simplified internal processes, leading to better resource management and more efficient operations.

Better Financial Integration: By automating invoicing and integrating financial data with sales systems, RADA Business has reduced manual data entry and increased financial transparency.

Tailored Flexibility and Future Growth: While the initial focus was on sales and marketing, the platform has been designed with scalability in mind. The system’s flexibility ensures it can grow with the business, supporting additional operational needs or new business models as RADA Business continues to evolve.

Conclusion. RADA Business’s digital transformation, enabled by Pragmatic Dynamics and Microsoft Dynamics 365, has successfully delivered a scalable, integrated platform tailored to the organisation’s specific needs. The system is well-positioned to grow alongside RADA Business, allowing for further enhancements and adaptations as the business continues to expand.