Flexible programme and project management at NCSL
- OverviewRead more
The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) undertakes a wide range of programmes and projects. Moorhouse were engaged to improve delivery capability and value for money on all projects in just three months. We developed a programme and project management (PPM) approach that included templates, progress reports, dashboards, website and a Programme and Project Management Unit (PPMU), which we integrated with existing NCSL processes. Our consultants mentored managers to develop their PPM capabilities. Our solution introduced delivery capability where previous attempts failed, increased clarity and focus on goals, and improved cross-function and cross-government agency working.
- Our client's challengeRead more
NCSL undertakes a wide range of programmes and projects, so was keen to improve its delivery capability and to demonstrate clear value for money on all projects. An earlier internal initiative to achieve this had met with mixed success and NCSL appointed Moorhouse to help bring about the required changes in just three months.
- Our responseRead more
We led a combined client-consultant team to create and deliver this project comprising two work strands.
The first work strand developed the programme and project management (PPM) approach, including guidance on its configuration, integration with NCSL processes, templates, progress reporting and dashboards, a self-service web site, and an NCSL Centre of Excellence - known as the Programme and Project Management Unit (PPMU) to support and sustain PPM.
A parallel strand was the provision of Moorhouse consultants to act as mentors – experienced programme and project managers who worked closely with NCSL staff to help develop their PPM capabilities as well as to build credibility for the project.
Both these strands were woven into activities to explicitly achieve the behavioural change needed to make the new capabilities 'stick'.
- The value to our clientRead more
The joint client-consultant team ensured that NCSL owned the solution from the start. The embedded PPM approach:
- Addressed the College's strategic delivery risk
- Introduced delivery capability
- Introduced best practice delivery capability , earning commendation from the College's parent department
- Provided a pragmatic, flexible solution adaptable to the scale and complexity of individual projects
- Facilitated joint working with a variety of public and private sector organisations
- Brought rigour and consistency enabling a common view across the entire portfolio
- Supported NCSL in the OGC Gateway process
- Gave greater confidence and capability in the use of PPM techniques
- Increased clarity and focus on project goals
- Substantially improved the robustness, clarity and consistency of reporting, giving senior management a clearer view of the entire portfolio
- Improved working across NCSL functions and a greater ability to co-ordinate programmes across government agencies
- Gave deeper understanding of roles, particularly between project board members and project managers, leading to more responsibility delegated from senior management to project managers.
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