A mid-point review of Sydney Trains’ Rail Operations Centre programme revealed a number of critical challenges. Find out how PM-Partners turned the programme around to successfully deliver a major component of Sydney’s future transport strategy.

Highlights

• The Rail Operations Centre was a ‘must deliver’ $276m transformation programme for Sydney Trains.
• After identifying critical challenges, a mid-point review performed by PM-Partners diagnosed root causes and recommended recovering solutions.
• PM-Partners re-planned the programme, uplifted the PMO and led the delivery campaign to a successful conclusion.

Customer background

Sydney Trains operates one of the largest metropolitan rail systems in the world with a workforce of 11,000 and an annual patronage of 293 million passenger journeys. The Rail Operations Centre (ROC) was a complex $276m programme to establish an integrated, co-located and state-of-the-art operations centre at a new facility in Green Square, Sydney. It was essential to Sydney’s future transport strategy.

The challenge

In 2016, PM-Partners was invited to perform a mid-point health review of the ROC programme. This investigation showed that a major intervention was essential in order to deliver the required programme outcomes within budget.

How PM-Partners helped

PM-Partners was engaged to get the programme back on track and steer it to success. This included staffing and managing the PMO and leading the business change aspects of this major transformation. To this end, the team:

• Appointed a senior programme director to re-focus the programme and deliver it.
• Rebuilt, staffed and uplifted the programme PMO.
• Performed a programme ‘reset’, led by a senior advisory consultant working with a handpicked client team.
• Revised the programme organisation and appointed new leaders into key roles.
• Uplifted management and technical delivery methods.
• Renewed organisation change management leadership and focus.

Outcomes delivered

In 2019, ROC was successfully delivered into service on time, within budget and to business case expectations.

ROC unified three lines of business operations and PM-Partners managed the profound business change associated with this, including co-locating approximately 600 personnel working across multiple shifts.

The ROC programme delivered an essential platform underpinning Sydney Trains’ future business strategy.

PM-Partners continues to partner with Sydney Trains on new initiatives, leveraging the capabilities, strengths and commitment demonstrated throughout the ROC programme.

Is your major business transformation programme in trouble? PM-Partners can help you understand the issues, tackle the root causes, get things back on track and ensure delivery success. Contact the team at PM-Partners or call us on 1300 70 13 14 today.