Frequently Asked Questions

OMDDMS® was co-created by Austin Merrett, Founder of Oliver Swift Ltd, following decades of leading architecture and operating model transformation programmes across major organisations including Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, Virgin Money, NHS Digital, EDF Nuclear New Build, and Smurfit Kappa.

When you train with Oliver Swift, you are learning directly from the person who co-created the standard.

OMDDMS® is the independent global standard - the methodology, certification framework, and accrediting body. Oliver Swift Ltd is an Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) founded by the co-creator of OMDDMS®, making it the only training provider with direct authorship of the standard.

Oliver Swift also offers operating model transformation consultancy and advisory services beyond training.

Oliver Swift's co-creator has delivered operating model transformation across financial services (retail and commercial banking, insurance, wealth management, credit cards), healthcare and government (NHS Digital, public sector programmes), nuclear and energy (EDF Nuclear New Build, Hinkley Point C, safety-critical regulated environments), and manufacturing and global operations.

OMDDMS® was specifically designed to be sector-agnostic and fully scalable across these environments.

Yes. OMDDMS® is the established global standard for operating model transformation, currently on Version 4. This reflects ongoing development from real-world implementations rather than academic theory.

Certification is awarded by OMDDMS Ltd as the independent accrediting body, and credentials can be verified through the OMDDMS® Certification Register.

The Foundation course is designed for professionals who direct, govern, or deliver business and IT change - including business architects, change managers, programme and portfolio managers, enterprise architects, business analysts, and senior leaders accountable for transformation.

No prior knowledge of OMDDMS® is required. The course is built for specialists and non-specialists alike.

The Practitioner course is designed for professionals who have completed the Foundation course and want to apply OMDDMS® with confidence in live transformation environments. It develops the ability to assess operating model maturity, quickly evaluate transformation activities, understand the full implications of change, and direct activities with reduced risk.

It is particularly valuable for transformation leads, senior business architects, and consultants managing complex programmes.

Oliver Swift offers three delivery formats:

• Public Virtual - delegates from any location join scheduled online cohorts.
• Public Classroom - held in London and Edinburgh for face-to-face instruction and networking.
• Private Company Training - delivered virtually, at the client's site, or at an off-site location for organisations building internal capability.

The Foundation and Practitioner courses are each 2 days. The Combined course covers both in 4 days.

All courses include the OMDDMS® method (OMDDM - a seven-phase method with defined steps, inputs, and outputs), governance structures, operating model practice organisational design, case study exercises, and a suite of production-ready artefacts with worked examples. Each course is delivered by an OMDDMS® Accredited Training Instructor (ATI).

Yes. To become OMDDMS® certified you must complete the course and pass the associated examination. Exam vouchers are provided by your training provider during or shortly after the course.

Certification is awarded by OMDDMS Ltd as the independent accrediting body. Once certified, your credentials can be displayed by use of a digital badge and certificate, and verified on the OMDDMS® Certification Register.

OMDDMS® certification is awarded for the version of the standard examined, with no time expiry on that certification.

When new versions of OMDDMS® or additional elective modules are released, certified professionals can choose to sit the updated examination and maintain currency with the latest version of the standard.

Yes. Oliver Swift offers dedicated private training for organisations that want to build internal OMDDMS® capability across a team or department. Private training can be delivered virtually, at your premises, or at an off-site location.

This is particularly suitable for FTSE 250 companies, government departments, financial services firms, and large regulated organisations looking to establish a consistent operating model transformation methodology across their change function.

The business case is straightforward: transformation failure is extraordinarily expensive. Organisations that lack a repeatable operating model transformation method waste significant budget, management time, and opportunity on programmes that do not deliver.

OMDDMS® certification gives your change team a common language, a proven method, and production-ready artefacts that reduce the risk of failure, shorten delivery timelines, and make outcomes more predictable. For organisations running multiple concurrent transformation programmes, the compounding return on a standardised approach is substantial.

OMDDMS® was developed with significant input from complex regulated environments including financial services, nuclear new build, and government. The standard includes governance structures and risk management disciplines specifically designed to support operating model transformations in environments where regulatory compliance, safety-critical operations, and audit trails are mandatory requirements.

The method ensures that regulatory implications of operating model change are assessed systematically before decisions are implemented.

Yes. OMDDMS® has been applied across public sector and government transformation programmes including the Scottish Government, the Danish MoD, and the Australian Government. The standard is sector-agnostic and scalable, meaning the method applies equally to government departments, arm's-length bodies, and regulated public services as it does to private sector organisations.

The governance structures within OMDDMS® align well with the oversight and accountability frameworks typical in the public sector.

OMDDM - the Operating Model Design and Delivery Method - consists of seven phases (phases 1 through 6 plus continuous governance in phase 7). Each phase has a defined objective, outcome, set of inputs, prescribed steps, and outputs.

The method covers operating model assessment, design, transition planning, delivery, and management, ensuring the operating model is consistently aligned with the organisation's strategic goals and objectives throughout the transformation lifecycle.

Both the Foundation and Practitioner courses provide access to a suite of production-ready artefacts with worked examples. These are the actual tools used in live operating model transformation programmes, not theoretical templates.

Artefacts cover the full transformation lifecycle, including design documentation, governance reporting, maturity assessment tools, and delivery frameworks, enabling certified practitioners to begin applying the method immediately on return to their organisation.

OMDDMS® gives business architects and enterprise architects a structured method specifically for the operating model layer of transformation, an area where most architecture frameworks provide limited guidance.

Certified architects can use OMDDMS® to establish a common language across transformation stakeholders, systematically assess operating model maturity, structure design decisions, and ensure architectural changes are implemented with appropriate governance and reduced delivery risk.

Yes. OMDDMS® is specifically designed to support both internal capability building and the enhancement of consulting practices. For independent consultants and boutique consultancies, OMDDMS® certification provides a credible, globally-recognised methodology that can be offered to clients as a structured approach to operating model transformation and differentiating your practice from competitors offering generic change management or architecture advice.

Oliver Swift public classroom courses are held in London and Edinburgh, providing face-to-face instruction and networking opportunities with delegates from a range of organisations and sectors.

Virtual public courses are available to professionals based anywhere in the world via scheduled online cohorts.

You can book directly through the Oliver Swift website at oliverswift.co.uk, view the full course schedule, and reserve your place via the booking form.

Alternatively, you can book a 30-minute discovery call with the Oliver Swift training team to discuss which course pathway is most appropriate for your role, experience, and organisation's transformation context.

OMDDMS® certification represents formal professional development in operating model transformation. CPD accreditation is currently being confirmed - this page will be updated once the accreditation is in place.

In the meantime, if your professional membership body recognises structured learning and examinations for CPD purposes - as most bodies covering architecture, change management, programme management, and business analysis do - the Foundation and Practitioner certifications would typically qualify. We recommend confirming with your specific professional body.

For organisations looking to train multiple team members, Oliver Swift's private company training option is the most cost-effective route. A dedicated cohort removes the need to wait for scheduled public dates, allows the training to be contextualised to your organisation's transformation environment, and can be delivered at a location of your choosing.

Contact Oliver Swift directly to discuss group pricing and availability.

Public courses - available both virtually and in-person - place your delegates in a cohort with professionals from other organisations, providing cross-sector learning and networking.

Private company training is a dedicated programme exclusively for your organisation. It offers greater flexibility in scheduling and location, can be contextualised to your specific operating model challenges, and is the preferred route for organisations building a consistent internal transformation capability across a team.

OMDDMS® is a living standard, currently on Version 4, and is updated continuously based on real-world implementation experience rather than academic revision cycles. The co-creator led major operating model transformation programmes before developing OMDDMS®, and the standard reflects lessons learned across financial services, government, nuclear, and manufacturing environments.

When you train with Oliver Swift, you receive the latest version of the standard.

Once certified, you can verify and display your OMDDMS® credentials through Acclaim and the OMDDMS® Certification Register. You will be equipped with the method, artefacts, and common language to apply OMDDMS® immediately in your organisation or consulting practice.

As the standard evolves, you will have the opportunity to certify against new versions and elective modules, keeping your credentials current with the latest thinking in operating model transformation.