Project PYRAMID - enhancing PPM capability at TFL
- OverviewRead more
Lack of sufficient Programme and Project Management (PPM) capability was recognised as a key strategic risk to Transport for London (TfL) in the delivery of its £12bn, 5-Year Investment Programme. TfL had a strong reliance on external resources to fill project management positions across the organisation, preventing both knowledge retention and the growth of permanent staff into key PPM roles. To help maximize capability development within their internal project management community, we conducted a benchmarking review with TfL of PPM capability enhancement across the public and private sectors. While demonstrating TfL's capability challenge was far from unique, we were able to use lessons from the exercise to lead the design and implementation of their PPM competency framework and online Development Tool. Used together these tools enable TfL to fully assess the skills and capability of their PPM community and provide tangible career opportunities to all community members.
- Our client's challengeRead more
Lack of sufficient programme and project management (PPM) capability was recognised as a key strategic risk to Transport for London (TfL) in the delivery of its £12bn, 5-Year Investment Programme. This risk was reflected in TfL's reliance on external resources to fill project management positions across the organisation – a barrier to growing permanent staff into key PPM roles, and also to knowledge retention as external supporters moved on. TfL was thus seeking to maximise the capability development of its internal project management community to deliver the Investment Programme.
- Our responseRead more
To start the process Moorhouse and TfL together conducted a benchmarking review of PPM capability enhancement across the public and private sectors as well as academic institutions.
Taking on board lessons from the exercise, TfL formed a focused project team to implement an online PPM capability assessment framework, in parallel with a new suite of PPM training and development opportunities – thus providing targeted capability enhancement to TfL's internal project management staff at all levels.
Working with the client team, Moorhouse led the design and implementation of the PPM competency framework and online Development Tool that would be used to assess the skills and capability of TfL's PPM community. The framework, which brought together recognised standards from both the Association for Project Management (APM) and International Project Management Association (IPMA), was integrated with an online skills management system. This presented users with targeted training and development to bridge identified skills gaps across the different dimensions of the PPM framework.
- The value to our clientRead more
By aligning both the competency framework and training programme to recognised professional bodies, the project has been able to provide tangible career development opportunities to members of TfL's PPM community. Meanwhile, the management information provided by the online system enables effective assessment of current PPM capability across the organisation and targeted planning of future training and development. It also provides a platform for improved resource planning and knowledge sharing.
TfL's new PPM capability development programme was launched with the aim of realising the following short to medium term benefits:
- Continued mitigation of strategic risks
- Enhanced capability across the PPM community
- Clarity of priority capability needs across departments and projects
- Increased proportion of staff with PPM qualifications and membership
- Enhanced sense of PPM community and knowledge sharing
- Recognised PPM career path in TfL
Longer-term benefits include:
- Managed retention levels and improved attraction for project management professionals;
Reduced reliance on external resources to fill PPM roles.
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