8 April 2023 1

Nuclear Professionalism in Project ExecutionIan MarrHead of Project FunctionsSellafield Ltd

Sellafield is the largest and most complex nuclear site in Europe (1)

• Located in the County of Cumbria,

North West England

• Nuclear build started at Sellafield in the

late 1940’s

• Initially a military programme –

Windscale piles and associated

extraction plants

• Location of Calder Hall – The world’s

first commercial scale Nuclear Power

Station (1956-2003)

Calder Hall Sellafield

Risley

Sellafield is the largest and most complex nuclear site in Europe (2)

250 active facilities on 1 ½ sq. miles/

700 acres / 6 sq.Km

Operations include

- Decommissioning

- Nuclear fuel reprocessing

- Nuclear waste management

- Construction and delivery of

major projects

Total annual budget £1.6bn

Employs over 9,000

Capital project spends - £670m

• Supply Chain spends - £737m

Sellafield Project Improvement Strategy

“Do the Right Project”

o Strategic managemento Programme Management

“Do the Project Right”

o Right Processo Right People

Right Process and Right People

Right People:

• Organisation• Role, Responsibility,

Accountability, Authority• Leadership• Training• Development• Succession planning• Reward and Recognition• Project management

“community spirit”

Strategy

Programme

Project

Right People

Right People - Project Complexity Assessment

Financial Technical Delivery Risk Time Commercial Design Construction Commissioning Business Interfaces

Complexity Level

Consequences

5

4

3

2

1

£350M+ TRL 1/2 Internationally split

Very High

Fast Track

High Commercial

Risk

Highly Complex

Novel Design

Complex & Novel

Construction

High Nuclear Hazard

International International

£170-350M

TRL 3/4 Major geographical

split

Medium to High

Regulatory Deadline

High Commercial

Risk

Medium Complex

Novel Design

Complex or Novel

Construction

Medium Nuclear Hazard

National National

£70-170M

TRL 5/6 Geographical split

MediumSite

Business Drivers

Medium Commercial

Risk

Medium Complex

Design with Novel

Aspects

Some Complex or

Novel Construction

Low Nuclear Hazard

Site Local Community

£30-70M TRL 7/8 Medium supply chain

Low to Medium

Directorate Drivers

Low to Medium

Commercial Risk

Simple but Novel

Design

Task No Nuclear Safety

Directorate Site

Up to £30M

TRL 9 Small supply chain

Low Low Constraint

Low to Medium

Commercial Risk

Proven Design

Single Discipline

Standard Equipment

Building Directorate

Right People – Project Managers Career Path

ExecutiveProject

Manager

Senior ProjectManager Level II

(SPMII)

Senior Project ManagerLevel I (SPM1)

Project Manager Level II (PMII)

Project Manager Level I (PMI)

Project Assistant

Project Management RolesType of Project(s) / Programme(s)

Level 5

• Level 5 complexity• Greater than £350M

Level 4

• Level 4 complexity• Up to £350M project lifetime cost

Level 2

• Level 2 complexity• Up to £70M project lifetime cost

Supervised Tasks

Training Availability

• Other external leadership course(s)

• Other external leadership course(s)• Cranfield University Leadership course• SL Leadership/People skills courses• Simulation (I & II)

• APM Level D Course• Introductory APM Course

Instructor led & E-Learning• PM Fundamentals• Health & Safety• Simulation• Business Basics• PM People Skills• Commercial• Leadership

Level 3

• Level 3 complexity• Up to £170M project lifetime cost

Level 1

• Level 1 complexity• Up to £30M project lifetime cost

Right People - Leadership

o Journey To Excellenceo Nuclear Professionalismo Connection Conversationso Excellence Plan

o Leadership Modelo Set the standardo Commit to the standardo Hold self and others to account

o “Leading Projects to Success” training

Right People - Coaching

• Over 60 Peer Assist Events run• Coached over 1500 project team members• Average potential schedule savings of 34% • Potential cost savings of £245m (22%)• 4 projects killed with a saving of £629M• Project delivery teams now beginning to pull these

improvements and build them into their performance plans

Tell me and I will forget;Tell me and I will forget;Show me and I will remember;Show me and I will remember;

Involve me and I will understandInvolve me and I will understand!!

Right People - APM Higher Apprenticeship

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Phase 1 Phase 2

Diploma in Project Management (APM)

Foundation Degree Project Management & Controls (Nuclear)

Various placements across project delivery organisation within Sellafield Ltd 6 x 6 month placements plus 1 x 12 month placement

Right People - APM Support and Accreditation

• APM accreditation of the Sellafield PM Career Path• Special Interest Group’s established in company• APM Level D mandatory for whole PM community• RPP mandatory for Project Managers above specified level• Sponsorship of APM award• Attendance at APM conferences• Seconded PM graduate trainees into APM• Introduced APM Higher Apprenticeship

“Developing a community of Project Managers who are actively supported by the APM”

Right People - Achievements to Date

• Site organisation of 9,000 people projectised• 25 Project Mangers approaching RPP• 146 Project Managers completed PM Career Path 1• 20 Project Managers completed PM Career Path 2• 19 employees undertaking project management MSc at

Manchester University• 9 employees undertaking Foundation degree in project

management and controls at UCLAN• 11 graduates completed 4 year training scheme• 10 people commenced APM Higher Apprenticeship scheme