We provide expert independent advice and specialist solutions across a broad range of IT and business change project and programme management. The following examples illustrate some of the recent project consulting and assurance services that have helped our clients' projects to succeed.

Large UK-based Charity - Project Health Check

Our client was undertaking a politically sensitive and high profile change initiative which incorporated the biggest and most complex systems implementation project in its history. It was working with multiple-third-parties but did not have a clear or consistent view of how the project was performing overall and was concerned that timescales were slipping.

Reporting to the Chief Executive and Board of Trustees we utilised our 10 Disciplines of Project Success framework to provide a quick yet thorough assessment of the project's performance and clarity on the challenges it was facing in the run-up to a particularly significant milestone.

We identified the key project issues and provided practical recommendations to help not only meet the next key milestone but to ensure a much stronger and more robust project structure as it neared its conclusion. For example, we highlighted tensions and inconsistencies in the way that third-parties were being managed and incentivised. Our recommendations led to much greater clarity around providers' roles and responsibilities, in turn de-risking aspects of the implementation, generating savings to our client through quicker and more responsive delivery and - crucially - providing visibility and control of key dates.

We have been invited to perform a further Project Health Check later in the project lifecycle.

Multi-national manufacturing company - Project Rescue & Recovery

Having suffered several years of underperformance this manufacturer of industrial and building services equipment recognised that the only way to return to profitability was to change its operating model. It embarked upon a programme aiming to deliver process improvements, supply chain efficiencies and accelerated product development.

Frustrated by lack of progress and vagueness around the status of key deliverables, the Managing Director asked us to instil structure and discipline to the programme environment. Budget was limited and swift, expert intervention was a critical success factor of our engagement.

Our PM-Flex methodology enabled us to quickly pinpoint the reasons for sluggish and unfocussed programme delivery. We delivered hard-hitting findings with sensitivity and pragmatism leading to a complete redefinition of the programme environment, revised governance arrangements and a re-focussed programme plan.

Within 2 weeks of our programme re-initiation, major milestones that had been dragging on for the previous 8 months were being delivered as per our revised plan.

We continue to support our client with programme delivery advice.

International Education Services Provider - PMO Performance Review

This recognized leader in international education had seen a proliferation of projects across both functional areas and geographies. Although a PMO had been established for a number of years, there was concern from the management board that projects were being inconsistently approved and operated. Alignment and visibility of projects appeared patchy leading to an increasing loss of confidence in the PMO.

An internal audit report highlighted the need for a more expert review of the PMO to establish the root causes of these perceived failings and to recommend a recovery plan.

We worked with PMO staff, business unit leaders and project managers to identify areas of weakness and frustration across the portfolio. Our PMO-Performance Pyramid framework enabled us to quickly structure our findings and provide evidence-based recommendations to re-position the PMO.

Our review provided a fresh, expert perspective: by implementing our performance action plan, the PMO re-invigorated project governance arrangements, supported the standardisation of an appropriate project management regime across the portfolio and became more focussed on risk management across high-impact projects and programmes.

From questioning the value of the PMO prior to our intervention, the management board approved additional investment and re-located it to a more visible location on the back of our findings.   

A large NHS Foundation Trust - Project Assurance

We were invited to review the key change programmes within a large and complex project portfolio and provide recommended action plans across and within those projects. The client is now implementing the action plans to reduce the risk of project failure including enhanced benefits realisation tracking, clearer success criteria and improved resource management controls.

Our 10 Disciplines of Project Success framework facilitated rapid identification of key project issues. For example, a service migration project from one outsourcing partner to another was considered a success because it met the required timelines. We helped uncover a degradation of customer service through, for example, high call abandonment rates and change-requests which directly affected the timescales and budgeted costs of proposed service enhancements.

These findings are now driving improvements in benefits realisation tracking and governance standards across the project management environment.