Improving project delivery in the UK

Tim Banfield

Tim Banfield

• Internationally recognised expert in the leadership of complex projects

and programmes

• 30 years working at the heart of the UK Government

• Head of the UK Government Project Delivery profession

• Leading role in the Association for Project Management and International

Centre for Complex Project Management

• Author of over 100 peer reviewed reports and thought pieces

• Proven track record of diagnosis of complex problems and provision of

viable solutions

About Nichols

Nichols is a unique, independent company of strategic transformation

and change specialists. We provide advice on large iconic programmes and complex

mega projects for government and private sector clients alike.

For over 43 years we have brought clients’ vision to reality, and delivered work

in a wide range of areas, including regeneration, transport, decommissioning, energy

and technology.

Our original and unrivalled expertise and our depth of experience enables us to

provide an unparalleled service, developing and delivering some of the largest

programmes in the UK and across the globe.

As an independent, leading consultancy with industry authority, we have the

imagination and capability to fulfil all complex programme and project

management needs.

Key messages

1. Successful projects change lives for the better.

2. People deliver projects by making consistently good judgements.

Agenda

1. The opportunity

2. The problem

3. Complicating factors

4. Developing people

5. Making good decisions

1. The opportunity

Projects deliver change

Perspectives on success

Components of requirements

BenefitsAchievement of strategic aims

Value added to society

Realisation of policy

OutcomesThe impact of outputs

The extent to which the outputs are used

OutputsProject performance

Examples measures

Sustainability

Satisfies needs

Economic effects

Social benefits

Stakeholder satisfaction

Relevance

Take-up

Stakeholder acceptability

Time

Cost

Quality

Scope

Safety

Source: Project Initiation Routemap

Effectiveness vs efficiency

Outcome

Relationships Change

TimeCost

Effective projects

TimeCost

Quality

Efficient projects

2. The Problem

The situation in 2010

“A project that starts poorly never improves”*

Before 2010, two thirds of UK Government projects failed. The Major

Projects Review 2010 highlighted:

• A lack of central oversight

• No understanding of the scale of the undertaking such as the

number, size or complexity of Government projects

• Little accountability or responsibility for underperformance

• Little collaboration between the departments and the centre

• Lack of effective senior project leadership capability

• Previous performance no longer acceptable

* Getting a Grip: how to improve major project execution and control in government (Lord Browne)

Diversity of the UK Government portfolio

Infrastructure

Crossrail

Geological Disposal Facility Programme

HS2

Olympic Park

Sellafield

Information Technology

Columbus (Aspire Replacement

Programme)

Crime Change Programme

Nursing Technology Fund

NHS Mail

Defence Equipment

Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment

Programme

Airseeker

Queen Elizabeth Carriers

Chinook

Transformation

Universal Credit

HMCTS reform

Electoral Registration Transformation

Programme

3. Complicating factors

Transformation is different from traditional project delivery and

takes time

Aspects of delivery complexity

• Strategic importance

• Deliverers and influencers

• Requirements and benefit articulation

• Stability of overall context

• Financial impact and value for money

• Execution complexity (including

technology)

• Interfaces and relationships

• Range of disciplines and

skills

• Dependencies

• Extent of change

• Organisational capability,

performance to date

• Interconnectedness

The shape of the Government project portfolio

15

Bridging the gap

Policy developmentImplementation

planningImplementation delivery

Public

commitment

Policy

experts

Delivery

experts

Public

commitment

Policy

Future model

Announcement of

policy intent

Current model

Policy

experts

Delivery

experts

Implementation delivery

Implementation

Policy development

Challenges to good initiation

The delivery world is continuing to change

New ways of working

Agile

Collaboration

Global business model

New technologies

Cloud

Digital transformation

Advanced analytics

Big data

New people

Gen Y

Millennials

4. Developing people

Four levels of people engagement

Why people matter

What the profession covers

Project leadership development

Delivered through:

Orchestrating Major Projects – Key Senior Influencers

Major Projects Leadership Academy – Senior Responsible Owners and Project Directors

Project Leadership Programme – New Project Leaders

Competency Domain Description

Leadership of Self Distinguishing the self-knowledge to allow a leader to know how to maximise their

leadership impact on the project.

Leadership of Major Projects Distinguishing those attributes of leadership which are most germane to major

projects (‘temporary organisations’), compared to the leadership of ongoing

operations.

Commercial Leadership The competency to provide commercial leadership and exert effective control over

the ‘extended delivery team’ across organisational boundaries.

Technical Leadership The competency of appropriately applying the principles, disciplines and tools to

programme and project management to support the leadership of the project.

Project Delivery Career Pathways

PMO Director 1

PMO Director 1 Continued

5. Making good decisions

Transformation programmes need different aptitudes

Features What they mean for capital programmes What is different for transformation

Setup Clear, ‘engineered’ design signed off before

execution.

Clear vision of the outcomes and benefits but avoid

detailed solutions in the early phases. More iterative

approach, testing and learning from experience.

Leadership Maximising a defined network’s delivery of very

specific products.

Maximising a ‘loose’ network to work towards a common

aspiration.

Stakeholders Engaging stakeholders to support a defined,

detailed plan.

Engaging stakeholders as we develop ‘the what and the

why’ of the transformation.

Budgets &

Plans

Making external comparisons to ensure

commercial and funding goals can be reached.

Avoid detailed plans too early, before sufficient scoping

and experimentation and network engagement has

happened.

Risk

management

Structured management of a detailed risk

register that covers all elements of the

programme, linked to management of the

contingency.

Focus on the big issues that are likely to run through

implementation, e.g. customer behaviour, partner or

supplier support, delivery pace requirements.

Commercial

strategy

Procurement frequently in one big-bang

transaction, following a clear commercial

strategy.

Able to adopt a more experimental, incremental

approach to commercial resourcing.

Resources Reliance on very specific technical skills.

Programme management capability is crucial to

success.

Reliance on a broad skillset, including transformational

leadership, organisation design, digital leadership (not

‘doing’), communications, tailored governance and

review.

Strategic prioritisation

What is the landscape (number, characteristics, status and level of aggregation of each project) of the

department’s current projects portfolio?

How does the projects portfolio, and each individual project, align with and support the delivery of the

department’s strategic objectives?

What is the through-life cost, funding, and resourcing profile of the department’s projects portfolio?

What are the constraints to delivering the department’s projects portfolio, and what are we doing to address

these constraints?

What are the interdependencies within the department’s projects portfolio, and how are we managing the impact

of these interdependencies?

What are the major risks against the department’s projects, at both the project and cumulative portfolio level,

and how are we managing these risks?

What is the department’s future pipeline of projects, and how will those projects be integrated into the portfolio?

What is the department’s prioritisation of projects, and how have we prioritised these projects?

How effective is the existing governance structure for both individual projects and the portfolio as a whole, and

what mechanisms exist for ongoing review and management of the portfolio?

Does the department have a culture that encourages openness about issues facing both individual projects and

the portfolio as a whole, and action on the basis of any concerns?

The role of the Senior Responsible Owner

Accountability and responsibility

Project leaders were not empowered to get the job done:

• Complex accountability structures

• Unclear lines of responsibility

Accountability has been clarified with formal letters of appointment, explaining:

• The role

• Accountability

• Tenure

With a full understanding of remit, SROs will be able to have more rigorous

discussions with decision makers

A holistic view of success

Weak signals

• Contractor relationships

• Team health

• Staff turnover

• Skills/post gaps

• Earned Value Management

• Time and cost performance

against plan

• Risk profile/contingency

• Delivery of outcomes and

benefits against plans

• Performance of dependent

projects

• Volatility of funding

• Contractor financial stability

• Changes in external risks

• Progressing without approvals

• Outcomes of independent reviews

• Length of time since last

independent review

• Acting on advice

• Compliance with the integrated

assurance plan

Performance People

Review and

scrutiny

External

factors

Ethics

• What priorities does this decision support or work against?

• Does it reflect the values of the organisations and decision-makers?

• What are the consequences for each stakeholder?

• What qualms would the decision-makers have about public disclosure?

• What is the positive/negative symbolic potential if the decision is

understood/misunderstood?

• How would my children look back on this?

I would be delighted to discuss further

Tim Banfield

tim.banfield@nichols.uk.com

+44 (0) 7730 814057

www.nicholsgroup.co.uk