What have we done?

...in managing projects

Successfully managed eighteen major projects, mostly international and cross-functional including...

• a £multi-M system which revolutionised the way that Pharmaceutical stability studies are planned and executed
• a Laboratory Information Management System tailored for an R&D environment
• a security system for managing access to database applications
• two cultural change projects for the Association for Project Management
• an Estates & Facilities process, data and systems revamp for a University
• an implementation of Solvency II for an Insurance Managing Agent

...in justifying projects

Aided management investment decision making in the selection of...

• a portfolio management system in the private sector
• multi-£m public sector projects

...in improving project management

Helped to improve projects, project management, and the project environment in a number of organisations by...

• producing a simple project prioritisation mechanism for a rapidly expanding company
• advising on project selection and governance to one of the largest plcs
• detailing an approach to risk provisioning to aid the assessment of contingency by a public sector organisation
• giving 'hands-on' assistance in defining benefits to major programmes
• helping to quantify the benefits of quality management for a market leading global organisation
• securing funding for a public sector organisation by producing business cases that satisfied cross-departmental (including Treasury) criteria
• exemplifying best practice in producing a business case for a private sector client
• exemplifying best practice in producing two business cases for an academic sector client
• piloting a tool to manage business cases in a way that is more 'benefits-centric' and ensures linkage to strategy, etc.
• running an OJEU process combined with a Conference Room Pilot
• describing a strategy and detailing plans for assurance of mission critical activity within a public sector organisation
• defining and implementing project management in a growing company where the need had not previously been recognised
• facilitating introduction of a new project management system by advising on the implementation of estimation methods
• facilitating the embedding of a benefits led approach for an academic body
• assisting in the creation of a project office
• leading OGC Gateway^TM Reviews (High Risk Review Team Leader)
• leading delegated OGC Gateway^TM Reviews for government departments
• conducting project inspections in a public sector organisation
• conducting independent reviews in a transport organisation
• leading reviews of highly sensitive, multi-£m projects
• reviewing and assisting with a programme to implement consistent project management across a large multi-national company
• developing and implementing processes for project management in an R&D organisation, doubling project success rate
• overcoming strong opposition to implement a scoring system for projects across a large and diverse organisation
• implementing quality management in a research division to accelerate project delivery
• ensuring project managers followed best practice by direct contact and through a campaign involving Project Manager Forums, presentations, email, websites, etc., coordinated with messages through their management structures
• providing mentoring in a rapidly expanding company

...in telling others

Advocated good project management practice in all its many aspects through presentations including...

• "Five Times Round" to a Crnafield MSc course.
• "What the Reviewer Saw" to a University of Hertford MSc course.
• "Business Case Preparation including Best Practice for Options Appraisal and Benefits" to the APM East of England Branch.
• "Sponsorship ... or maybe the lack of it" to a PMI (Project Management Institute) event and to the APM East of England Branch.
• "Project Management" to a branch of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
• "Barriers to Sponsorship" to the APM Conference
• "Policy-driven Projects - Ensuring Beneficial Outcomes" to a public sector conference in Manchester. View video extract
• "Estimation" to APM (Association for Project Management) Branches and Chapters, to PMI events, to a surveying company and to an information technology company
• "Project Management Mythology" to the APM East of England Branch
• "The Project Assassin's Guide" in various formats for, amongst others ...
  • the APM Corporate Forum
  • various APM Branches and Chapters
  • a joint APM/CMI event
  • two software houses
  • a Meeting Professionals International conference
  • a biotechnology company
  • a bank
  • a large pharmaceutical company
  • a railway company
  • the BPPM exhibition and seminars in London
  • an academic Project Management course
  • local authorities
  • ... and as articles in Project Manager Today
• "Project management in the IT Industry & 'Management Projects'" to a Cambridge University MPhil course
• "The Project Environment and Lifecycle" (four times so far) as part of the University College London / APM course introducing project management
• "Delivering Value in a Cost-Conscious Environment" to the event "IT Project Management for Pharmaceutical R&D"
• "Integrating Benefits Management with Project Management, Quality Management, and Business Change Management" to a Cranfield "Benefits Management Master Class"
• "Focusing IS Spend" to the Cranfield "IT Directors Forum"
• "How IT Plans Projects" to the Pharmaceutical Industry Project Management Group
• "Implementing Benefits Management" to the APM, London Branch

... by writing "Invisible Men of Project Management" for Project Manager Today, "Sponsor is Key to Project Success" for the APM Year Book and "The State of Project Sponsorship" for Project magazine and for its "Critical Path" column

... by contributing to the APM publication "Sponsoring Change"

... and by leading "Introduction to Project Management" courses for the University of Essex (Southend) and by conducting project management workshops for a professional association, a trade organisation and a pharmaceutical company