Trials and Tribulations of Introducing a Corporate Approach to Project Management within Cheshire Co

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Trials and Tribulations of Introducing a
Corporate Approach to Project Management within
Cheshire County Council

• Mark Harwood Business Change Best Practice
  Manager.
• Wednesday 15th March, 2006

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• Projects and Programmes An Historical View
• There is nothing more difficult to handle, more
  doubtful of success, or more dangerous to carry
  through than initiating a project. The innovator
  makes enemies of those who profited under the old
  regime, and has only the half hearted support of
  those who might benefit under the new order.
• Nicoli Machiavilli. The Prince. 1533

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Presentation Objectives

• By the end of this presentation you will
• Know where we are with regard to implementing a
  corporate approach to project management in
  Cheshire - what has driven us here what we have
  done and what we plan to do next.
• Know what PREACH is
• Be able to ask any questions that you may have.

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• Project Support to Waste, TLC, Childrens Centres,
  Crewe Rail Gateway
• Design and implementation of Prince2 strategy for
  CCC
• 15 years organisational development and
  consultancy experience in public and private
  sector around project management
• Got married, moved house, changed jobs, renovated
  a house, wife had a baby daughter - all in space
  of two years- poor planning or good project
  management?!!

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Cheshire County Council

• 670,000 people living in 294.000 households
• Net Budget 650 million
• Capital Budget 94 million
• 21000 employees across four directorates Policy
  and Performance Adult Services Childrens
  Services Environment.
• 51 Members. Conservative administration of 1 at
  last May 2005 election

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PM in Cheshire The Drivers

• Cheshire County Councils Loss Excellent CPA
  Rating Organisational commitment to regain this
  and demonstrate continuous improvement
• Executive Board agreed
• The need to adopt Programme and Project
  Management approaches more widely and more
  consistently, and to develop the necessary
  skills.

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What has been done so far- Prior to my
appointment in September 2004

• Action Learning set established Senior Managers
  tasked with identifying WHERE Cheshire is with
  regards to PM
• Through a series of interviews with key
  stakeholders attempted to find the answers.

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Action Learning Set Their Findings

• No corporate definition of project and No
  corporate approach to developing PM expertise
• Reluctance to share PM expertise between service
  areas and Directorates The SILO effect
• Project Managers usually do it on top of their
  day job
• Good at strategies but have difficulty in
  developing these into projects.

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Action Learning Sets ideas for future
development of PM

• Grow PM over time
• Evolutionary, not revolutionary
• Develop a Project Office
• Adopt a standard methodology
• Produce a toolkit of processes/procedures
• Adopt collaboration and reporting tools
• Enhance training opportunities

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Chief Executive- Jeremy Taylor

• Right people with the right skills at the right
  time at the right places.

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• Talk to the people currently involved in some of
  the big projects
• Waste Management Extra Care Housing TLC
• From these talks identify
• - Awareness of the Projects
• - What support and training the Project
  needs?
• - What do people delivering the project
  need? - Do they have it?
• - If there is a Gap offer support to
  close it.

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The Cheshire reality?!
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First Steps in Cheshire

• Series of structured Interviews with Project
  Managers/ Sponsors
• Use Project Analysis checklist and Skills
  Analysis checklist to assess current position a
  Health Check for Projects.

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The Big Three A Health Check

• Extra Care Housing
• Sound methodology using P2
• Experienced project team (Schools PFI)
• Concern that Social Services staff not close
  enough to it. No further action required.
• TLC
• Support required pilot P2.
• Need to
• more robust project brief
• undertake stakeholder analysis
• Training Programme for TLC staff and project
  boards January 2005
• Risk Log creation
• identify Best Practice orgs and undertake
  strategic visits

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The Big Three A Health Check

• Waste
• Support required pilot P2.
• Need to
• more robust project brief
• undertake stakeholder analysis
• Training Programme for Project team and Project
  Boards June 2006
• Risk Log creation
• identify Best Practice orgs and undertake
  strategic visits

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The value of PRINCE2 to these projects

• Senior managers now walking the talk
• Making decisions that have to be made
• Project Board meetings one hour maximum
• Impact on smaller and medium sized projects
• Prince -Lite

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Next Steps

• Prince 2 Awareness Raising for CCC Senior
  Management
• Pilot Prince 2 Foundation Courses ran for one
  year- 130 staff Prince 2 Foundation passes
• Existing 1 day course dove-tailed into
  Prince-lite
• Roll out Guidance Manual
• Establish a Project Support group

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• Terms Of Reference PREACH Aims
• Efficient and effective communication between
  Project Managers and team members across Cheshire
  County Council and our partner organisations
• A collection arena in which all employees and
  interested parties in project management can
  gather to inform, engage, join up, share,
  reflect and propose best practice.
• A positive development forum for the embedding of
  Project Management practice and principles in
  Cheshire County Council and our partner
  organisations.

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• Objectives
• To critically evaluate existing and proposed
  project management practices in CCC
• To develop and exchange new processes, ideas,
  tips for success, and best practice
• To disseminate information and developments with
  regards to projects and project management within
  the County Council
• To promote the sharing of best practice from
  within and outside the county concerning project
  management principles and practices
• To feedback information and intelligence from
  other organisations concerning their approaches
  and journeys through project management
  organisational maturity

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• Regular PREACH Seminars
• Corporate Training for Projects
• Working collaboratively with other Authorities
• Launch of the Virtual Project Office
• http//www/PREACH/home.htm

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Project Management in Cheshire The Future

• Establish a Corporate Programme/Project office
• Introduce Programme Management
• Break down the service silos
• Introduce collaborative reporting tools

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Conclusions

• Keep it simple!
• Get People to do the Basics
• Focus on the Essentials
• Win Friends Influence People
• Maturity takes time Organisational Development

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Contact Details

• Mark Harwood
• Business Change and Best Practice Manager
• Performance Improvement Unit
• Cheshire County Council
• Telephone [phone]
• mark.harwood_at_cheshire.gov.uk