The aim of this service is simply to ensure your project and the people in it are set up at the outset for the project to be a success.  Success not only in terms of project outcomes, but also a successful journey for the people involved.

Success for projects and programmes has been defined in many ways.  There are also numerous ways to measure whether “we are on track for success”, and to spot the first signs of deviation.  It has become very metricised. Talk with any Change Manager worth their salt and it will become apparent that this approach will not touch the people aspect, and the actual success or failure of a project or programme is actually all about the people.   So,

1. It follows that setting up the people for success is the most important and effective way to set the project or programme up for success. 
2. A key element of this is having the appropriate practices for the people who will be running them. 

My Setting Up For Success service analyses the project/programme, the people and the organisation to identify and define the appropriate practices before implementing them with the people of the project.  What you will get out of this service is the following:

• Documented definition of what the project/programme will achieve and how it will achieve it
• High level plan for the stages the project/programme will need to go through
• What the project/programme organisation will look like for each of the stages
• What the governance will be for the project/programme during each of the stages
• The various report contents for the above governance
• The Ways of Working for each team during each of the stages of the project/programme
• What the key practices will be for the project and how they will operate
• Empowered teams and individuals to optimally carry out their necessary activities
• Ongoing evaluation checks throughout to ensure the project/programme remains on course (optional)

Typically included in the Setting Up For Success service for projects are:

• The Project Planning Service to ensure there is a full and succinct plan, along with a plan management practice in place.
• The Risk Management Service to ensure an appropriate and practical risk management practice is in place.
• The Issue Management Service to ensure an appropriate and practical issue management practice is in place.
• My Tailored Project Governance Service to set the appropriate and practical governance for the whole project

Similarly, my Setting Up For Success service for programmes typically includes:

• Designing the Programme against the business strategy or programme mandate
• The Programme Planning Service to provide the programme with a full and succinct overall plan, along with the relevant plan management practice in place
• The Project Planning Service to ensure each project within the Programme has a succinct and full plan with the plan management practice weaved into that of the programme.
• The Risk Management Service to provide the overall programme with the appropriate and practical risk management practice, controls and information.  This practice will encompass the risk management activities required for the projects within the programme.
• Similarly, the Issue Management Service will provide for the programme and its projects.
• My Tailored Programme Governance Service to set the appropriate and practical governance for the whole programme

The other services listed in the I Can Help With section are also evaluated for appropriate inclusion.

When projects are not going right, this causes enormous amounts of stress throughout the project and beyond.  If you have a project that is not tracking to expectations or is experiencing high levels of stress, it is critical that the problem or problems are identified and remedied as soon as possible.  The longer the problem or problems persist, the worse the project is going to get, therefore you will need to act quickly and with focus. 

With my experience across 30 years:

• I am very adaptable to quickly identifying what is not running properly for the project, the people in it and the organisation the project is running in. 
• By looking across these full aspects of the project, the outcome will be the true problem or problems identified. 
• This will provide the true focus on what needs to be resolved as well as how it (or they) can be resolved.

The service will deliver a report showing what needs to be resolved as well as suggestions for what can be improved so the overall project will benefit.  These are usually linked to the project practices and the depth of the problem(s) will vary from the superficial to those that are deeper rooted.  The latter type typically takes longer to fully identify but I am very adept at getting to the root of the problem quickly and with the minimum of disruption.  It is key to differentiate between symptoms and causes, an area I am particularly skilled at.

I will document and present the findings in a straightforward and sensitive manner so as to keep objective towards the problem whilst being mindful of any subjective elements.

Typically following this service is the Fixing or Recovering Broken Projects service.

This service is typically preceded by the Identify What Is Wrong of Stressful service.

Having identified what is not running properly for the project, this service will identify, propose, define and implement the appropriate changes to the project. 

• Identifying the appropriate changes is typically the result of a gap analysis between the identified problematic aspect(s) and what a good project within your organisation would look like.
• The changes are then proposed and presented to you and the appropriate audience along with a plan for implementing.
• Once approved the changes are defined for the project and implemented to the project according to the plan. 
• Post implementation checks are performed by us to ensure the problem(s) has(have) been sufficiently addressed.

The vast majority of failing or stressful projects can be rescued through project practice amendments.  However, some require more fundamental changes, which can take longer to implement and require more backing from senior stakeholders.  I can guide you and your company through this process to ensure it is focused at all times and relevant options have been discussed and evaluated.  This will aid the decision-making process, making it as smooth as possible.

You may have a problematic project to deliver or have just had some problematic projects or that you are not happy with the way previous projects have gone.  My Whole Project Delivery service is the best way to ensure that this next project is set up and run smoothly, with low stress and successful outcomes.  I will try to transfer as much of my relevant experiences and skills to you and your team as possible.  This will both deliver this project properly and prepare you and your teams for running future projects in a similar manner. 

• From inception I will start from what is usually just desires and some theoretical information.  With this I will formulate and formally document what the project will deliver and how it will deliver it.
• I will quickly and efficiently work through the initiation stage with the appropriate practices being identified and defined to support the outcome of the Project Planning service.  This will set the standard for running this project through to successful conclusion.
• Once the initiation is complete, I will help get the teams mobilised and quickly get the ways of working embedded throughout the project organisation.  The relevant practices will be put into action, evaluated and any tweaks made so the project can settle into its running tempo.
• As the teams progress towards their end products, I will start early preparations with the business for taking on the changes can begin so they are kept in the loop from an early stage.
• As issues arise, the reactionary part of the issues management practice will ensure everyone knows what they need to do in order for the issues to be worked through to acceptable resolution, quickly, efficiently and without fuss [better word needed].
• I will present to the project board at the agreed intervals, highlighting the agreed information and helping and guiding with any decisions they are required to make.
• I will lead the teams through their successful production of acceptable deliverables right the way through to acceptance into business operations.
• Once all deliverables are complete, I will formally close the project, run the final lessons learned exercise, and issue a project closure report reflecting how the project did.

When you just want the entire programme to be delivered from start to finish in a low stress and successful manner, I have just the comprehensive service to suit.  My Whole Programme Delivery service is what you need.  The earlier this service can be engaged for your programme, the more assured you can be that the programme will be up and running in the most appropriate and practical manner. 

If you have completed the Identify phase, then I would need to review the outputs against what the programme is mandated to deliver.  This is usually a short activity as I focus on what is appropriate for moving into the fuller definition phase.

If the Identify phase has not been completed, I can lead the small team to ensure the programme mandate is fully represented in the Identify phase outputs.

The Definition phase is where I can deliver real value for the programme.  This is where a lot of programmes get stuck, either in producing too much irrelevant information or not producing enough information.   I focus on two aspects for the outputs of the Definition phase:

1. Appropriate information for gaining the approval to move forward, and
2. Appropriate definition to enable the delivering projects and work streams to specifically target their deliverables

Mobilising the programme after gaining the relevant approval, is where I can get the whole programme team to form and move forward together.  I do this by defining and embedding the relevant practices for the projects and work streams.  For example, setting up a transparent, appropriate and practical governance cycle early on prevents many of the bad habits starting and taking hold within the programme.  This will keep the enthusiasm, that is usually present at the start of such ventures, high throughout the programme.

I then drive the programme to settle into its own rhythm of production against the programme plan, keeping the relevant control practices running smoothly to ensure no issue escalates into a crisis.

We ensure the business is fully aware of and prepared for taking on board the changes the programme will be producing through new and improved capabilities.  Keeping an eye on the expected benefits these capabilities will deliver through improved business outcomes.

As the programme portfolio starts delivering the changes into the business, mine and the board’s focus will start to move towards the benefits realisation and the relevant triggers that will bring about the benefits.  The board is always kept fully informed to ensure it is always in control of what the programme is producing into the business, as well as the expected benefits for the business.

Finally, the programme will be formally closed, lessons learned exercises and outputs collated, and the final closure report will be produced and issued to the board.

The focus of this service is to provide the right level of help and guidance to the project or programme team to ensure that:

1. it has the best configuration appropriate to the project or programme
2. all stresses are removed or minimised for the duration of the project or programme
3. everyone is clear on the objectives and their part in achieving them
4. the project or programme settles into a calm and efficient way of working

As to the flow of the service:

• This service starts with the senior stakeholders and works down through the hierarchy, identifying what each should be doing and helping them carry out the appropriate activities.
• I will produce regular reports on our findings of how the project or programme is running and where the areas are that require the most help next. 
• If the project or programme has already started, my first report will highlight any areas for concentration of our support.  Accompanying the reports will be a plan of our forthcoming activities, showing the concentrated effort where it is needed, alongside other activity monitoring.
• Any remedial areas identified would very likely benefit from some of my specific project and programme services.  These can be considered and put into practice quickly and effectively.
• Through focusing our efforts this way, I always deliver the best value to ensure the project or programme and the teams around them benefit the most.
• Depending on the amount of remediation or adjustment required, I may have to temporarily become quite front and central in the project or programme for a period.  As changes take hold and improvements come through, we will then move back into more of a monitoring, advisory and mentoring position.

The aim of the service is not just to ensure the success of the project or programme, but also to enable your people to better know what and how to run the appropriate and practical practices in future projects or programmes.

Planning a project and drawing up the resultant project plan documentation can be quite a difficult process.  The project plan is typically seen as the one, key control that shows the project team have understood what the project is to achieve, have thoroughly thought through what they need to do in order to deliver the project, can accurately and clearly track progress through the project and can demonstrate these to different audiences.

For my Project Planning service, I start at the project goals and scope to understand what the project needs to deliver.  If there are approaches the project must take, these are evaluated against the deliverables.  I then work with the project teams to break the project deliverables down into constituent parts and then ensure the constituent parts are equally understood by all so that together, they will produce the deliverables, without any gaps.  This is repeated until there is a sufficient set of defined parts.  These are assigned to producers along with any appropriate reviewers and approvers.  I work with each of the people with responsibilities towards the parts to achieve an order and initial estimates for durations.

Before drawing up the project plan, I will consult with any PMO or standards office for any appropriate templates or definitions.  Depending on their viability, I will agree with the relevant people what the project plan will consist of.  The initial plan is then drawn up.  This is worked through all the relevant people involved in the project to ensure estimates and representations are as accurate as required for this stage in the project.  This will be the base for all project progress tracking and reporting.

To build up the appropriate and practical representations of the project plan, I will work with the senior stakeholders for the upwards reporting desires.  Time and available tools will then determine whether the representations can be automated or will require manual intervention.  Reporting frequencies will be evaluated against what can be practically reproduced for progress reporting and an appropriate schedule will be derived.

The plan management practice will then be produced and implemented across the project with the relevant people.  I will monitor this practice for the early stages of the project to ensure its compliance and effectiveness.

This service will deliver:

1. Project plan for scheduling work and tracking progress
2. Project Board level view of the schedule with key milestones
3. Resource schedule
4. Project Product definitions
5. Plan Maintenance Practice

As programmes typically include a number of projects in its portfolio to produce deliverables towards the programme’s goals, the Programme Planning service acts at a higher level than project planning.  The service uses a top-down approach to ensure all of the projects and work streams in the programme’s portfolio are fully visible, with clarity on how their deliverables contribute in a timely manner for the programme.

Before going into this stage, however, the Programme Planning service evaluates the programme’s portfolio as a check that the most appropriate and practical delivery structure is employed.  This may result in the programme’s portfolio being changed.  This is done by reviewing the portfolio against the programme definition and blueprint (if one exists).

There are then two key elements to the programme planning:

1. What the programme level plan needs to include and show
2. What is required to manage and maintain the programme plan, in line with the portfolio projects’ and work streams’ plans

The propagation of information from the lower-level project and work stream plans into the programme plan is a key part of this latter item.  The more automated this can be, the better.  However, despite the best efforts of many in the project and programme management tools arena, very few have been chosen for the end presentation of the programme plan.  In fact, in our 20 years with programmes, precisely zero is the number we have encountered.  No matter how good the tools may be for the project management type plans, nothing has hit the mark for presenting the complexities that can be faced where the programme plan is concerned.  Therefore, be prepared for some manual intervention at this level.  Not to worry though, as we have plenty of experience here working through the various levels that have been defined and rolled up etc.

The key to having an appropriate and practical programme plan is the information it actually needs to include and present.  By working closely with the senior stakeholders of the programme, we can quickly get the definition and content of the programme plan agreed and drawn up.  Following this, working with the relevant PMs, PMOs etc in the programme and organisation, we can put in place the means for the proliferation of information from the lower plans into the programme plan.  The resulting plan will then be used as the key tool for demonstrating progress to the key stakeholders throughout the programme.

In summary, the outputs from this service are:

• Verified (potentially changed) programme portfolio of projects and work streams.
• Top level programme plan
• Programme Plan management practice