I will first turn to a summary of the successes we have had since the introduction of the Project Management Framework. Since we introduced the project management framework we have experienced better control of projects. We have managed risks much better. For each project we go through a process of identifying risks and working out how they should be controlled. Problems have been identified earlier and therefore much easier to resolve. Also our financial performance on projects has been much better. There have been less budget blow outs. Quality has been built into project outputs – there has been greater collaboration between the project team and the project owners on what fit for purpose actually means. And that is partly because of the improved information flow between the different stakeholders and a better understanding of their respective roles. So we have reduced project creep. Project creep now is seen in a negative light and avoided. If there really is a need to add functionality to a particular project it is seen as a separate exercise, requiring separate justification.

There are some lessons we have learnt, particularly from our early experiences. The first one is getting the scale of project management in proportion to the size and impact of a project. The mistake we made was using the project management framework to its full extent on every project and for some projects that was a sledgehammer cracking a nut. So adapting the project management framework to fit the particular characteristics of a project is quite important. We’ve also learnt to monitor milestones better. And to take deliberate action once we realised that a milestone will not be met rather than just hoping that you’ll catch up at some later stage in the project.

Some of the projects board got into micro-managing the project. The micro-management tasks are for the project manager and his/her team, not the board. So having a clear understanding of the respective roles of the project board and the project manager is something that has been refined with experience. And the other lesson is to kill-off projects or significantly modify projects if it is clear that they will not deliver. This is a very important role for the project board. Project managers can often fall in love with what they are doing and it is very hard for them to let go. But project boards are a step removed and should be in a position to stop projects if that is what is really necessary. It is not easy to admit failure.