Perfecting practice

Philip Carr, Principal at Moorhouse, was named one of 2008's Top 10 outstanding project professionals by Project Magazine when he was voted winner of the 'practitioner' category.

In an interview with Project Magazine, Philip Carr talks about how the art of aspiring to perfection is to be an expert in a number of project fields.

Project management (PM) specialist Philip Carr is a firm believer that programme and project management (PPM) is a profession in its own right, and not a set of competencies that can be left to a generalist.  Philip tells: “Team leadership, risk management, planning and control, financials – a great PPM practitioner is an expert in each.  Of course, the real art of success is in realising that you don’t use all of what you know in every situation - each client project has a different set of issues unique to a particular environment – but you use your innate pragmatism to choose the tools and techniques that will deliver a result for them.”

Philip has ten years experience as a consultant; the last four with award winning PPM firm Moorhouse Consulting.  In fact, he is a founder member of the company that started from scratch in 2004 and has grown to a turnover of over £7M in just four years, winning the title of Top-Consultant’s ‘Fastest Growing Firms’ in 2007.

Philip got his first taste of PPM whilst working for Rolls Royce in the 1990s.  One of his first roles was as a project manager in the management office for a programme responsible for developing the new engine for the next generation of nuclear submarine for BAE Systems.  Philip was well and truly hooked: “It was a great introduction to the core PPM processes and a good test of my ability to solve problems – a skill that would prove vital in my career as a consultant going forward.” 

Philip went on to work for consulting firms SchlumbergerSema and Hedra PLC, gaining a deep knowledge and understanding of best practice PPM processes and, importantly, experience in helping clients like Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) implement these internally to enhance their own capabilities.

In 2004, Philip got a call from his friend Dom Moorhouse, who had the idea of building a specialist programme management firm that would champion PPM standards in order to support public sector leaders seeking to enhance this capability.  The idea immediately appealed to Philip: “I was ready for the challenge. Promoting PPM as a profession was something close to my heart, I couldn’t think of one other UK consulting firm that specialised in PPM, plus I really believed in Dom’s ability to make it happen.”  It was a dramatic first year – “I had a new house, wife, baby and business in our first twelve months – its not something I’d recommend all at once!” – but word about their excellent client work soon got about, and national awards for their ‘Spearmint’ PPM project with Transport for London helped make their mark.  Today, with a growing client list including Department for Transport, the NHS and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, plus a team of forty full time consultants working at the heart of the UK’s major change programmes, Philip and the Moorhouse team are fast cementing their reputation as the PPM specialists.  Philip continues: “We are pushing the boundaries of what great PPM is and driving thinking forward in this important area.  Aside from pure consulting delivery, we are also passionate about connecting practitioners and sharing experiences and best ways of working.  That can only be good for our profession.” 

In the future, Philip is looking forward to the day when PPM has its own official governing body.   “Some PMs might say industry standards are currently somewhat fragmented, what with the APM, the Project Management Institute (PMI), the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Prince 2 – but I believe it’s important to study them all,” Philip says.  “After all, if you are serious about your profession you study all the processes, tools and techniques so you know what is out there.  However, the sooner an official Chartered Institute of Project Management is announced the better – it will help clarify which qualifications are needed to gain certain professional status as a PM, plus having PPM recognised as a profession in it’s own right will be of benefit to all.”

© 2008. Moorhouse Consulting Ltd

If you would like to talk to us call on the number below. Alternatively, click on the consultants email address, provide us with your details and we will call you back. We look forward to speaking to you. Contact: Email: Tel: Phil Carr philipcarr@moorhouseconsulting.com +44 (0) 20 3004 4482