Latest news and ideas

At a recent Opencast event in Newcastle, we brought together voices from the Ministry of Justice, The Recruitment Junction and our own People team for an open, panel-led discussion. The session was designed to explore a complex challenge: how organisations can move beyond stigma and policy barriers to open up more employment opportunities for people with convictions, while staying grounded in the realities businesses face.

Accessibility in legacy services is often deprioritised in favour of future redesigns. In this blog, Adam Liptrot, Senior Consultant and Accessibility Specialist at Opencast, explores why that approach falls short, and why making meaningful improvements today is essential for the people who rely on these systems every day.

In this blog, Linzi Shearer, Head of Capability Development at Opencast, explores how AI is reshaping software engineering and what that means for capability, quality, and accountability. From shifting skill demands to the growing importance of judgement and validation, Linzi sets out why strong engineering fundamentals matter more than ever in an AI-enabled world.

In this blog, Darren Horobets-Farley, Senior Agile Delivery Manager, explores the evolving role of the Delivery Manager in an increasingly AI-driven world. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more deeply embedded in software delivery, many traditional delivery tasks are increasingly being supported and enhanced through automation and AI. Darren explores what this shift means for Delivery Managers, where AI can genuinely add value, and why human leadership, judgement, communication and trust remain essential to successful delivery teams.   

In this blog, Luke Ryan, Client Relationship Director at Opencast, shares practical guidance for consultants stepping into new public sector engagements where information is incomplete, context is sparse, and objectives are still forming. From stakeholder mapping to RAID logs, Luke outlines the tools needed to reduce ambiguity, build credibility, and demonstrate value from day one.

An efficient Product Manager will dedicate a lot of time to understanding the motivations of stakeholders and what good looks like to them. This engagement ensures that stakeholders feel heard and involved. It builds trust and gives them confidence that you understand what it takes to get things right.   But what happens when this engagement isn’t effectively completed or when internal stakeholders – your own team – aren’t heard? In this OpenPerspectives blog, Simon Hales, Senior Product Manager at Opencast, shares his perspectives on the challenge.

What happens when education, industry, and creativity come together in practice? In this blog, Vanessa Waters explores Opencast’s work with Daydream Believers and NHS Scotland, and how this collaboration is creating learning experiences that feel connected to the real world. Through the Caring Innovators NHS Challenge, young people navigate meaningful healthcare challenges, developing ideas and solutions that reach beyond the classroom. Alongside pupils, teachers are part of the journey too, building the confidence and tools to guide exploration that matters. At the heart of the work is Opencast’s first community partnership with Daydream Believers, bringing education and industry closer together to make learning more immersive, relevant and grounded — where the future of work meets the realities of today, and imagination finds a practical path into action.

In this OpenPerspectives article, Umit Ekinoglu, Senior DevOps Consultant at Opencast, explores how agentic AI can accelerate the modernisation of legacy monolithic systems, helping teams move from insight to Kubernetes‑ready services more quickly and with greater confidence.

In this blog, Ciara Slack, People Development Manager at Opencast, reflects on what it really takes to succeed as a Business Analyst, and why the skills that matter most might not be the ones you'd expect.