A prominent NSW council with a large capital projects portfolio needed to improve its delivery capability. Here’s how PM-Partners helped to transform project management practices, lift performance and optimise results.

Highlights

• With a multi-million dollar project portfolio to deliver, Camden Council needed to uplift its delivery performance.
• A new EPMO and project delivery framework were key to creating consistency and success.
• The Executive Team now has full visibility of portfolio performance.

Customer background

Camden Council is one of Sydney’s fastest growing councils. It was embarking on a large, multi-million dollar capital projects programme which would require much greater focus on how projects were delivered and reported.

The challenge

Camden’s Executive Leadership Group had realised that with the large value of projects in ‘the pipeline’, the organisation needed to significantly lift its delivery capability. Many projects have direct community impact, making successful delivery paramount.

Previous reviews had revealed a need to:

• Define and communicate roles, responsibility and accountability for each stage of the project lifecycle.
• Review and standardise current procedures, tools and templates to ensure they reflect best practice project management.
• Develop standardised reporting for cost, schedule and risk.
• Provide an assurance function for project management activity.

How PM-Partners helped

PM-Partners was engaged to work collaboratively with Camden Council to better understand the gap between current state project management practices and good practice. Based on this, PM-Partners:

• Designed and established a suitable PMO function and structure.
• Designed and built a fit-for-purpose Project Management Framework that could be used by all departments.
• Developed a governance model and risk management guidelines.
• Supported pilots of the newly developed Framework.
• Provided ongoing consulting, change management and mentoring services.
• Designed a change management approach to ensure the new ways of working were accepted.
• Provided ongoing consulting, coaching and mentoring services to the new PMO team members and other staff.

Outcomes delivered

As a consequence of this engagement, the Executive Team now has full visibility of the project portfolio across the entire organisation.

The Project Management Framework was developed and put into immediate use. In addition, the entire project community now has easy online access to all standard documentation, process and support material.

Crucially, the project has also given the client the ability to prioritise funding and resources at a portfolio level (both intra-directorate and cross directorate).

The client is now applying continuous improvement to the framework and tools the PM-Partners’ team developed. Projects are being delivered more efficiently, consistently and successfully.

Not happy with your project delivery framework and tools? Contact the team at PM-Partners or call us on 1300 70 13 14 today.