Understand the foundations
Microsoft infrastructure, networks, configuration management and service dependencies. Establish what exists, who owns it and what a proposed change puts at risk.
INDEPENDENT THINKING. PRACTICAL DELIVERY.
Understand the complexity.
Take control of change.
Technology, portfolio and AI consulting for leaders facing difficult delivery and investment decisions.
We are Oak Leaf, founded by James Parry. We help leaders regain control of delivery, recover programmes and make technology work for their organisation.
TECHNOLOGY · PORTFOLIO · RECOVERY · AIRooted in experience. Focused on outcomes.
30 yearsTechnology & delivery experience
Executive to engineeringCommercial judgement. Technical depth.
Complex environmentsPublic sector · Defence · Financial services
01 / SERVICES
Start with the problem.
Find the right support.
A portfolio nobody can see clearly. A programme losing confidence. An estate with unknown dependencies. An AI investment without a clear purpose. Six connected services bring technical understanding and delivery leadership to those decisions.
01INVESTMENT & DELIVERY
Digital Portfolio & Delivery Assurance
See what the organisation can deliver, where investment is exposed and which decisions need attention.
Explore service: Digital Portfolio & Delivery Assurance02RECOVERY & CONTROL
Programme Recovery & Intervention
Establish the delivery reality, rebuild a workable plan and restore clear ownership when confidence has fallen.
Explore service: Programme Recovery & Intervention03TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES
Technology Discovery & Transformation
Understand the estate, its owners and dependencies before committing to migration, consolidation or platform change.
Explore service: Technology Discovery & Transformation04AI DIRECTION
AI Readiness & Strategy
Identify where AI could improve real work, what needs to be ready and which controls belong in the plan.
Explore service: AI Readiness & Strategy05APPLIED AI
AI Enablement & Agentic Workflow Design
Design and test assistants, agents and AI-supported workflows with defined tasks, review points and human ownership.
Explore service: AI Enablement & Agentic Workflow Design06LEADERSHIP & JUDGEMENT
Executive Technology Advisory
Independent, technically informed advice on delivery health, technology risk, investment and organisational capability.
Explore service: Executive Technology AdvisorySupporting delivery specialisms
Programme management and service transitionWeb design, migration, configuration and hostingTECHNICAL DETAIL. EXECUTIVE CONSEQUENCES.
From the estate
to the investment decision.
James’s experience connects the technology an organisation runs with the services it provides and the change it can realistically deliver.
Connect the moving parts
Programme plans, financial controls, supplier commitments and operational readiness. Bring the technical work and business decisions into the same view.
Challenge the next step
Portfolio prioritisation, executive assurance and AI readiness. Test whether the plan is credible and whether the organisation has the information and capacity to act.
02 / SELECTED WORK
Real challenges.
Practical impact.
Selected experience in programme recovery, portfolio stabilisation, delivery leadership and configuration management. See how James has approached unclear ownership, weakened delivery confidence and the operational detail behind technology change.
Rebuilding an offboarding programme with little to start from.
Programme reconstruction, team leadership and a repaired client relationship, followed by completion in approximately five months and around £400,000 under budget.
Sopra Steria / SSCL · During James’s Sopra Steria / SSCL workRead case study: Sopra Steria / SSCL
Bringing an overextended portfolio back under control.
A common view of priorities, ownership and delivery across technology, HR, finance and organisational change.
Helping Hands · 2024Read case study: Helping HandsGiving complex delivery a workable structure.
Stronger governance, credible roadmaps and delivery leadership across demanding public and private sector assignments.
Sopra Steria · 2021 to 2024Read case study: Sopra Steria
Better service information for controlled technology change.
Strengthening configuration records, service dependency visibility and change assurance in a global banking environment.
Deutsche Bank · 2009 to 2013Read case study: Deutsche BankProfessional experience described by James Parry. Company names and logos identify the organisations involved; they do not imply endorsement.
RECENT WEBSITE PROJECT
STFC AP
MI Education at Stratford Town Football Club
View the live website (opens in a new tab)A complete website migration and a more professional online presence.
A complete migration, content update and platform configuration for an alternative provision website. Clear information for schools and families, a professional finish and a delighted customer.
Read the STFC AP projectExplore website servicesPRACTICAL AI
Understand the tools.
Understand the work.
AI extends James’s technical and delivery practice. The focus is a useful change to a real process, with someone accountable for the result.
Applied to delivery
James uses AI-enabled analysis and synthesis for reporting, delivery patterns, risk visibility and executive communication. The judgement behind the recommendation remains human.
Explore AI readinessHands-on experimentation
His practical work spans cloud AI, local/private language models, agentic workflows and AI-assisted development. That experience helps frame sensible questions about data access, tool selection and review.
Explore AI enablementFrom prototype to delivery
Website development and platform configuration provide a practical application of modern tools alongside established engineering disciplines. Scope, checks and handover still matter.
Website delivery and migration03 / HOW I WORK
Understand first.
Then make progress.
A focused review, a recovery intervention or interim leadership. The scope follows the problem, with clear responsibilities and practical outputs.
- 01
Establish the facts
Understand the commitments, constraints and risks. Listen to the people doing the work and test the evidence.
- 02
Agree the priorities
Make the trade-offs explicit. Define what needs to change, who owns it and which decisions need leadership.
- 03
Put control into practice
Work with your teams to establish a credible plan, useful governance and a clear view of progress.
04 / THE PERSON BEHIND OAK LEAF
About James
Technical depth.
Experienced leadership.
James brings 30 years of experience across technology, operations and delivery. His career spans hands-on infrastructure and technical consultancy through to leading complex programmes, portfolios and delivery teams.
James began in hands-on technical consultancy and enterprise training at Gateway, designing and implementing Microsoft and network infrastructure with customer engineering teams. Infrastructure migration in policing and configuration management at Deutsche Bank built his understanding of live services, dependency risk and the consequences of poorly controlled change.
His later work at Trustmarque and Sopra Steria covered infrastructure modernisation, secure government and defence transformation, service transitions and programme recovery. At Helping Hands, he stabilised a portfolio spanning technology, HR, finance and organisational change. His Serco role combines digital programme leadership with portfolio oversight, executive reporting and coaching a team of five.
James has led teams of up to ten project and programme professionals and has mentored others for more than a decade. He works with engineers, service owners, commercial teams and senior leaders to make responsibilities clear and decisions practical. His approach draws on PRINCE2, Agile and service management without imposing more process than the situation needs.
Professional development includes PRINCE2 Practitioner, AgilePM Practitioner / DSDM, ITIL v3 and ITIL 4, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, MAPM and a CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership (Distinction). His technical qualification history includes Microsoft MCSE and Cisco CCNA and CCNP. His Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship / MBA pathway at Nottingham Trent University is ongoing.
View James’s professional background (opens in a new tab)YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
Good work starts
with a conversation.
Tell me what needs to change, where delivery is under pressure, or which decision needs a clearer view.