Last Wednesday, the Miller Research team came together in person for our Business Development Day, held at our office on a farm near Abergavenny. As always, it was a valuable opportunity to step away from day-to-day work, spend time together in the barn and reflect on how we can continue to develop as a business.

We began by sharing updates and outlining key priorities, ensuring a clear understanding of where we are as a business and where our focus lies in the months ahead.

A central theme throughout the day was reflection. Research Analysts Cameron Shields and Lili Thomas presented findings from an Internal Review of our processes, drawing on interviews and a company-wide survey which explored strengths and weaknesses of our work. This opened a wider conversation about how our current approaches are working in practice, and where there are opportunities to refine and strengthen them.

Collaboration and teamwork remained a strong focus. In a Team Roles session led by Senior Consultant Hannah Rigley, we completed an exercise that explored individual strengths and working preferences, reflecting on how different approaches can complement one another. Drawing on one framework’s nine roles, spanning action, people and thought-oriented approaches, we considered how playing to these strengths can support collaboration and strengthen delivery across projects.

These themes continued into a session on project management processes, led by Senior Consultant Sean Heron. Through short pitches and group discussion, we explored effective practices and identified improvements, agreeing several approaches to take forward and embed within our internal processes.

In the afternoon, we paused for a shared lunch of homemade salads and breads, alongside a team bake-off featuring a range of cakes, cookies and brownies. As a predominantly remote team, this provided a great opportunity to connect in person and continue conversations from the day in a more informal setting. Congratulations to Consultant Susannah Lynn for her winning entry of chocolate and apricot cookies!

Following lunch, our attention turned to longer-term alignment. Business Manager Samantha Link introduced Hoshin Kanri, a strategic planning approach focused on aligning long-term priorities with day-to-day activity. This prompted discussion on how we can better connect our broader goals with how we deliver our day-to-day work in practice.

We closed the day by reflecting on key actions and identifying areas for further thought, ensuring that the ideas discussed continue to shape our work in the months ahead. We then made the most of the office’s beautiful location by heading on a walk along the Offa’s Dyke path to the local pub.

Bringing the team together in person created space for thoughtful discussion, fresh perspectives and stronger alignment. As with all our team days, it was an opportunity both to reflect on where we are and also to consider how we continue to evolve, strengthening our approach, our collaboration and the way we work together as a team.

Looking ahead, we look forward to building on these discussions and continuing to develop a consistent, thoughtful and collaborative approach across our work.