Session Two

Seminars

1. Multi-Enterprise Delivery Management though Earned Value London Underground is reaping the benefits of efficient project management….

LUL has faced criticism for the inefficiency of its services, but its latest impressive IT tactics look set to bring enviable long-term results.

A few statistics go a long way to help understand the enormity of London Underground’s predicament: 

• 3 million passengers daily
• 275 stations covering 253 route miles
• Up to 500 trains running simultaneously
• 12,000 operational staff
• New Oyster Card initiative as well as electricity, radio, PA and CCTV systems……..

Complicating matters, LUL’s infrastructure is multifaceted, and requires coordination with a selection of PFIs and PPPs, to maintain and upgrade the network.  The introduction of the PPPs in 1999 prompted the initial change in programme management. 

Project management was not new to LUL – Primavera’s software was originally implemented in the mid 1990s, for the Jubilee Line extension, the largest project undertaken by LUL in the 1990s. This was a major success, as the progress of the whole programme of work was better understood using a common structure and centralised database. 

Under the PPP contracts, the companies agreed to emulate LUL’s Primavera format.  Mark Zehnder, Director of LUL’s Programme Assurance Office, explained, “all that was needed was a common language with standard project lifecycle phasing.  Coordination is based on communication and if we could provide the added value of communicating project information as a common language across all organisations, the Infracos would be compelled to buy into the new system.”   To meet this need, LUL designed and commissioned a further piece of bespoke software, coupling Primavera with other vital components.  Hence, the Masters Project Database (MPD) was born! 

This efficient, carefully thought through approach has brought innumerable benefits.  The deployment has enabled a uniformed working practice, thus ensuring continually high standards of best practice principles

2. Leadership in a Projects Driven business

Siemens – “Delivering What We Promise”
Siemens Business Services are one of the top providers worldwide of outsourcing and IT services.  A cornerstone of their reputation is the consistent delivery of successful and profitable projects and programmes that return benefits to their Customers.

Within the remit of a global corporate initiative sponsored by their Munich HQ, Siemens Business Services UK has embarked on an innovative programme to improve and advance the project and programme management performance of its large business portfolio.

Novare Consulting Ltd
Siemens Business Services selected Novare Consulting as their partner of choice in advising on all aspects of this programme. Novare Consulting have a strong track-record in developing bespoke project and programme management frameworks, and embedding them within organisations by integrating cultural change together with process improvements.

PMlife@SBS
Siemens Business Services have embarked on a programme known as ‘PMlife@SBS’. Working together, the team of Siemens specialists and Novare Consulting designed the programme to focus on the development of a ‘project culture’.

The programme has delivered an integrated set of project management best practice components to Siemens’ Customer-facing sales and delivery operations. 

These components – which embody Siemens doctrine of: ‘Delivering What We Promise’ – include: a Code of Practice for project and programme management, a project management Career Development Framework and a unique portfolio of internal training. 

Siemens created the ‘PMlife@SBS’ name - which now labels new project and programme processes, tools and techniques – in order to capture the attention of the organisation and symbolise the challenge of continuous improvement.

Leadership & Attitude
The PMlife@SBS programme is driven by the ethos that ‘attitudes and behaviour drive performance’. It ensures that current and newly recruited Siemens managers have a Customer- and commercial-orientation towards their decision-making and behaviour.  Their project performance is subsequently assessed, developed and rewarded in-line with the PM Career Development Framework. 

Fundamental to the PMlife@SBS approach is the belief that consistent and robust project governance and sponsorship is a key driver and accelerant for best practice deployment, cultural change and the attainment of increased bottom-line performance.

The Presentation
The presentation will give delegates a further insight into the approach taken by Siemens and Novare Consulting towards building a new high-performance framework for project and programme management within a large-scale and complex IT services business.

3. How BT saved over £200k on their PRINCE2 Training! 

This is a joint presentation by BT Global Solutions and ILX Divisions – Keyskills and Mindscope

Speakers:
Chris Scoggins - BT Global Solutions
Cyril Caulkin - ILX Group

The purpose of the presentation is to share with delegates how BT is achieving what it believes is best value and best practice in implementing PRINCE2 using a blended learning approach. This is based on a unique partnership between BT Global Solutions and ILX Group.

The traditional method of training staff by using a series of standard instructor led 5 day courses has been broken. Delegates learning PRINCE2 now divide their time between self managed Computer Based Training with an instructor led consolidation day, and later, attending a shorter tailored and focussed instructor led course to complete their learning. 

This approach enables delegates to gain PRINCE2 Foundation level knowledge and accreditation using the computer based learning media, and PRINCE2 Practitioner level knowledge and accreditation at the instructor led event.   

The original instructor led event delivered well but non BT instructors were not able to blend the method with real life situations found in BT, or answer delegates’ questions in context. Coupled with this was the significant number of prospective candidates who would require training to Practitioner level.

In order to overcome both problems BT contracted with ILX Group to train 3 BT instructors to facilitate their instructor led events. The contract also includes ongoing support for the BT instructors re any changes in the PRINCE2 method or accreditation/examination context.   

The presentation will explore this blended learning approach to implementing a significant programme of PRINCE2 training across a large organisation and providing flexibility and ‘Best Value’ in a new and innovative learning culture.

4. Latest news from OGC: best practice portfolio and plans for the future

5. Making change happen – the challenge of cultural change

A commonly held view of universities is one of ivory towers separated from the ‘real world’ of business.  With changes made by governments over the last two decades this view is no longer appropriate.  Many universities accept that they exist within a competitive environment, where the future can be as uncertain for them as for any other organisation.

Consequently, the smart universities are recognising the need for change aligned with a clear strategic view of their value in today’s and tomorrow’s world.  Phrases like ‘unique selling proposition’ and ‘value added’ are as relevant to universities as they are to commercial organisations.

Sheffield Hallam University is one university embracing the opportunity to determine its own success.  Over the last two years, the Vice-chancellor Diana Green has been championing a major change initiative to make Sheffield Hallam stand out from the rest.

In this session Toni Frascina, Business Improvement Manager at Sheffield Hallam University, discusses cultural change and the challenges the University has overcome to deliver the Vice-Chancellor’s vision. 
Toni will be accompanied by Christopher Worsley, CEO of CITI Group, who will support the discussion with examples of how other CITI clients have succeeded.

Birds of a Feather Sessions

1. Changing behaviour in the way we do projects

Can we achieve behaviour change through projects?
We often set up projects to achieve organisational or even societal change. Experience shows projects are unsuccessful at stimulating external change unless the new behaviours are first demonstrated within the projects themselves. Projects have to be the flagship for demonstrating behaviour change. So within any wider change initiative, there is a need to understand, benchmark and manage the project culture. The OGC Maturity Models help organisations to assess the diversity and repeatability of their project culture. They now encompass the enterprise portfolio, programmes and projects. Which parts are relevant to you?

Should we take a programme approach?
If we want to make changes to a culture we may find the tools from programme management are more appropriate, including:

• Managing the blueprint of the “brave new world”,
• Influencing stakeholders,
• Organising activities outside projects that reinforce the effectiveness of project deliverables.

Integrated, iterative and measured change
We need to:

• Assess our current culture
• Benchmark and measure our capability
• Identify the most effective measures to change that culture
• Encourage those associated with the initiative to demonstrate “new world” behaviours
• Iterate in a controlled and cost effective manner.

What you will learn
At this discussion session, we will explore:

• A simple test to help you decide if you should adopt a programme approach to changing your organisation
• How to assess your project culture
• The pros & cons of central standards vs. diversity
• Scaled down capability maturity benchmarking
• How you can integrate your training, standards, review, reward and leadership style in order to encourage people to “do different”
• When to stop

2. Vendor Management – Delivering Projects through Partners, Risky Territory.

New partnerships are not developed to cause angst but to deliver significant business benefits.  However they have potential for generating considerable conflict.  Not only is this uncomfortable for those involved, but the profound effect on benefit delivery is inevitable.
This session explores the major points of failure and provides best practice guidelines on how to make partnerships work for you.

Partnership management is not business as usual.  Things have changed.  For success the over-riding theme is confidence in relationship and good expectation management.  This is true whether this is the senior IT team managing the expectations of HQ, the project manager or senior business analyst interacting with the business to ensure appropriate and agreed functionality or business analysts working alongside outsourcer team members.

Senior teams are responsible for being proactive in developing an environment that will enable people to be successful in their new roles.
Managing vendors requires new competencies, new ways of thinking and new ways of working, this session will provide you with frameworks for success and point out what does and does not work.

3. Tracking and maintaining ongoing training needs for project managers

Overview
In order to create an effective project management capability within an organisation, it is important to recognise the need for a structured method of project management coupled with strong interpersonal skills of project managers.

We recognise that many of you have already successfully put in place training programmes to provide the structural and technical sides of project management. This has been a significant investment of time and money, but has created the risk that staff feel able and qualified to run projects, when there is still more to learn. The role of Project Manager is a sophisticated management role, requiring a mix of skills. These skills include technical skills – planning, risk management, negotiation etc, and interpersonal or ‘soft’ skills – communication, motivating and marketing and presentation skills.

If I come to this session what will I learn?
Developing and committing to a training programme that addresses all of these needs is a significant undertaking. This session will give you an opportunity to share insights and learn from others how best to approach the construction of a project management development path within your organisation.

Discussion will centre upon key questions including: What are the real challenges of project management, and what skills are needed to be successful? Do these skills have differing levels of importance through the project lifecycle? What are the challenges of developing these skills and how do we overcome them?

Who should attend?
This session is designed for senior managers who have an interest in creating or advising upon the learning and development environment necessary to allow project staff to cultivate the interpersonal skills required for successful project management.

This is a thought provoking session, where managers are encouraged to review and challenge each others understanding of what is required for successful project management, and identify for themselves follow on actions that they can take back into the workplace.

4. Delivering value for money from your change programmes

Why do so many initiatives fail to deliver value for money? 
What can be done to improve our return on investment?

In this interactive session you will learn some of the real reasons why change investment so often fails to deliver expected results and some practical guidance about how to improve practices in your organisation

The following topics will be covered:-

1. Why do change programmes fail to deliver value for money?
2. What is the change lifecycle?
3. What things can we do to improve current practices?
4. How can we make this a reality?

5. Why do Benefits Management?

“Benefits Management” has finally come of age and organisations are starting to pay it the attention it deserves and resource Benefits Management and the Business Change Manager role effectively.  Without effective Benefits Management, change programmes are in danger of delivering outputs only, ignoring outcomes and key business change activities including the winning of hearts and minds.

Benefits Management is often seen as a measurement activity linked to business cases, viewed as something you do post delivery (or not at all), as a necessary evil to justify the money spent, rather than the key driver behind the business change.

In order to get the most value out of Benefits Management, organisations need to mature beyond benefits measurement and embrace the business change drivers inherent in benefits management.  Many presentations / training courses cover "what is benefits management? or "how to do it", focussing on the tools and techniques but they don't dig into the value add that good Benefits Management, driven by "business as usual" managers can give an organisation.

A clear understanding of the benefits of any change will drive programme scope, stakeholder management strategies and more effective communications.  It will lead to more effective organisation structures, plans being driven by benefits delivery and requests for change which consider impact on benefits and “business as usual” as well as the impact on delivery timescales and costs.

This session gives users the chance to share how Benefits Management has been implemented and added value within their organisations and learn from others’ experiences.  Other users may have experienced difficulty in “selling” the value of benefits management within their organisations and can take away valuable arguments and experiences.

6. Qualitative and quantitative methods for risk management

A recent search uncovered 109 commercially available tools to help with the management of risk! How do you decide which one is appropriate for your project and your organisation? Do you have a standard way of analysing risk across all projects?

Before choosing a risk management tool, it is important to understand and define the methods that are appropriate for projects within your organisation.

Qualitative risk analysis is a rapid and cost-effective way of establishing priorities for risk mitigation and should be applied throughout the project. Various techniques will be discussed such as Probability and Impact Matrix, Risk Categorisation, Urgency Assessment, Data Quality Assessment and Failure Mode Effect Analysis.

The Quantitative risk analysis process analyses the risk in order to apply a numeric rating to those risks, and may involve the use of simulation techniques (such as Monte Carlo) to further quantify possible outcomes. Various techniques will be discussed including data gathering, estimating, expert judgement, etc.

We will show how a multi-national IT organisation applies a range of these techniques to their major projects, and how they determine a monetary value for the Risk Budget.

Finally, the pro’s and con’s of the various techniques will be reviewed so that participants may consider the options available to their organisation or project.

7.“Overdue, over-budget, over and over again” The Economist 2005 – Could PRINCE2 have helped?

PRINCE2TM is a structured approach to Project Management. It is recommended by Office of Government (OGC) as the de-facto standard for all public sector projects.

PRINCE2 is a multi scaled set of processes that can apply to both small and large scale projects in any environment and in any industry. The key is how these principles are applied to ‘our organisation’ and the projects within it.

Organisations spend considerable amount of money training staff in PRINCE2 methodology. A large number of these (99% at Foundation and about 80% at Practitioner) obtain the required qualification. Unfortunately when these “qualified staff” return to their workplace, there is poor or no infrastructure in place for them to apply their newly found knowledge.

Additionally, senior managers who are part of strategic decision making process in projects have not had the necessary training. They are, therefore not empowered to support the management of projects.

In order to maximise the resources of the trained staff and the key features of a structured approach to project management, organisations need to make PRINCE2 work for them rather than be a slave to PRINCE2.

What we would like to discuss during the “Birds of a Feather” session is how PRINCE2 can be implemented in our organisation. While remaining loyal to the PRINCE2 methodology, we need to tailor PRINCE2 to suit established organisations whose decision may not align with those implied with PRINCE2.

Key areas of discussion to include:

• How decisions are made in organisation to instigate projects?
  
• Who and how are the key decision makers identified?
  
• Are the key personnel trained in project management – do they need training?
  
• Do the key personnel need a formal qualification?
  
• How is Project Manager identified?
  
• Creation of in-house templates and training guide on their usage
  
• Which elements of PRINCE2 are essential and which ones can we do without?
  
• Essential areas of governance in projects
  

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