Topic: Project delivery

By Jonathan Norman
September 13th 2021

Annual Conference 2021 – Major Projects 2061: Lessons, Ambitions and Practice for the next 40 years Full Report

In October 1981 the Major Projects Association held its first seminar. This Annual Conference marks the beginning of our 40th anniversary celebrations in which we look backwards and forwards. During this event we hope to re-introduce positive major project practices which have fallen out of habit, to take a hard look at current ways of working (are they best practice or just current practice?). We will showcase members who are delivering “the future today” – bringing future practices into today’s major project delivery. We will look at the immediate future (2035) as well as forty years into the future through the lens of two case studies to help us reimagine our future and crucially, to begin to plan it.

The conference will be delivered as a physical event and we are offering one space per organisation on a first come, first served basis (additional spaces may be available closer to the time of the event). Spaces are offered at no charge (attendance is covered under your organisation’s membership fee) and include accomodation at the venue for the evening of Monday 13th September.

Please contact us for details on booking.

We are delighted to confirm Rohit Talwar as this year’s conference keynote speaker…

Rohit Talwar, CEO, Fast Future

Rohit Talwar is a global futurist, award-winning keynote speaker, author and CEO of Fast Future. His primary expertise lies in helping clients understand and shape the emerging future and develop transformational visions and strategies to deliver large scale change. He has a particular interest in how we can advance business, society and individual lives by harnessing the power of new thinking, innovation and disruptive developments in fields such as economics, construction, AI, blockchain, new materials, and the genetic sciences.

His clients include Aeroports de Paris, Andritz, Atkins, Ball Corp, BP, Danaher Corporation, DHL, Deloitte, Denver Airport, Diamond Trading Corporation (De Beers), Dubai Airport, EdF Emaar, Enel, EY, Gammon, Heathrow, Hyundai, International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, Jardines, KPMG LLP, Laing O’Rourke, Lendlease, Los Angeles Airport, Mott MacDonald, Mumbai Airport, Nakheel, PwC, Schipol Airport, Shell, Swiss Singaport (Aditya Birla Group), Tata, Thames Water, Vancouver Airport, Volkswagen UK, and numerous governments around the world.

Rohit is the co-author and lead editor of seven books – Designing Your Future; The Future of Business; Beyond Genuine Stupidity – Ensuring AI Serves Humanity; The Future Reinvented – Reimagining Life, Society and Business; A Very Human Future – Enriching Humanity in a Digitized World; Aftershocks and Opportunities – Scenaries for a Post-Pandemic Future; and The Opportunity at the Edge – Change, Challenge, and Transformation on the Path to 2025.

His latest book – Aftershocks and Opportunities 2 – Navigating the Next Horizon – will be published on September 28th and brings together contributions from over 30 future thinkers from around the world. The book explores critical ideas, possibilities, and scenarios for how the political, economic, societal, technological, and business landscape could play out in the coming years.

By Jonathan Norman
February 11th 2021

Productivity – The Performance Lifecycle Full Report

The 2008 financial crisis was followed by a decade of stagnant growth in productivity in the developed world. This productivity crisis was creating a serious value for money challenge for major and mega projects even before COVID-19 made such an enormous dent in government and corporate finances.

Productivity is a measure of the effectiveness of the use of resources.This seemingly straightforward concept can be difficult to apply to major projects. The simplest productivity measure of all, the volume of a product generated for every unity (e.g. labour and capital) is vital insight for improving a manufacturing process but may be less useful for a major programme trying to create different types of value and deliver a strategic outcome for its sponsors.

This conceptual difficulty has not stopped sectors such as construction targeting ever increasing standardisation and the adoption of manufacturing style production systems as the route to productivity growth – with limited success. Others have homed in on the quality of front end planning as the great enabler, leaving open the question of how high performance is to be maintained as the project moves through the lifecycle.

To cast light on this challenge, in 2018 the Association for Project Management carried out a review of published evidence on the links betweeen project management and productivity. This suggested some alternative or complementary avenues including; developing measures of productivity linked to outcomes; focusing in on practices and behaviours associated wih better productivity and linking these to macro-level outcoms; a better understanding of top-down and bottom-up process for managing innovation, and building capabilities to manage the risk and opportunity that are inevitable in complex major projects.

Through a series of discussions and case studies, this seminar will explore:

  • Different ways to define and measure productivity in major projects and programmes.
  • Opportunities at different stages of the lifecycle to stimulate and maintain improved productivity.
  • Key enablers – e.g. behaviours, practices and competencies.
  • Balancing innovation and getting the basics right in the search for productivity gains.
By Jonathan Norman
February 11th 2021

Productivity – The Performance Lifecycle Highlight Report

The 2008 financial crisis was followed by a decade of stagnant growth in productivity in the developed world. This productivity crisis was creating a serious value for money challenge for major and mega projects even before COVID-19 made such an enormous dent in government and corporate finances.

Productivity is a measure of the effectiveness of the use of resources.This seemingly straightforward concept can be difficult to apply to major projects. The simplest productivity measure of all, the volume of a product generated for every unity (e.g. labour and capital) is vital insight for improving a manufacturing process but may be less useful for a major programme trying to create different types of value and deliver a strategic outcome for its sponsors.

This conceptual difficulty has not stopped sectors such as construction targeting ever increasing standardisation and the adoption of manufacturing style production systems as the route to productivity growth – with limited success. Others have homed in on the quality of front end planning as the great enabler, leaving open the question of how high performance is to be maintained as the project moves through the lifecycle.

To cast light on this challenge, in 2018 the Association for Project Management carried out a review of published evidence on the links betweeen project management and productivity. This suggested some alternative or complementary avenues including; developing measures of productivity linked to outcomes; focusing in on practices and behaviours associated wih better productivity and linking these to macro-level outcoms; a better understanding of top-down and bottom-up process for managing innovation, and building capabilities to manage the risk and opportunity that are inevitable in complex major projects.

Through a series of discussions and case studies, this seminar will explore:

  • Different ways to define and measure productivity in major projects and programmes.
  • Opportunities at different stages of the lifecycle to stimulate and maintain improved productivity.
  • Key enablers – e.g. behaviours, practices and competencies.
  • Balancing innovation and getting the basics right in the search for productivity gains.
By Manon Bradley
April 25th 2019

The Urgent and Unforeseen Projects Handbook

These ‘Ten Tenets’, tailored for crisis and emergency scenarios, are designed to act as a guide to successful project initiation and execution for hard-pressed professionals on these exceptionally challenging projects. The  handbook also signposts readers to further information and case studies.

By Jonathan Norman
January 24th 2019

Tools and Techniques v Critical Thinking Highlight Report

Agile, Waterfall, Prince 2, MSP (to name but a few) are very useful tools. However, when tools are applied without thought or analysis they can make project delivery less effective rather than more. Perhaps it is in the interests of consultancies and membership bodies to sell these tools but are they creating a longer term problem which tools and techniques cannot solve? This debate will be an opportunity to discuss how we might enhance what we teach our project professionals to ensure they are properly equipped for the job.

By Jonathan Norman
November 8th 2018

Managing Urgent and Emergency Response Projects Full Report

Over the last decade Project Management methodology has focussed on creating a controlled environment (the UK Government’s best practice methodology PRINCE2 is named with that singular focus) and, although it is generally accepted that programmes are ambiguous by nature, practitioners seek to create order and certainty through structure and process. Crisis planning is a well-established discipline, but this expertise is scarce and responses to most crisis are immediate, reactive rather than planned, so experienced practitioners cannot always be mobilised. Existing contingency plans and knowledge may not translate easily to the pace of a situation. Established processes for successful delivery can be neglected by even the most experienced P3 delivery organisation when faced with an urgent situation. These emergency and disaster response situations are categorised by the very nature of the instability the create, the problem itself is not defined and the solutions required range from the immediate tactical requirements (such as Life Safety and Asset Protection) to the later stage solutions for Recovery and Re-build. Best practice communication and stakeholder protocols usually deployed may not be effective, scheduling, cost and control processes and operations will develop in an unstable environment, where Risk is difficult to demonstrate and margin for error and iteration is restricted by unfolding events. So, what happens when an organisation which may well be steeped in PM practices finds they have to respond in an emergency situation? Where all sides of the PM triangle (Time, Cost, Quality) are at large and changing, where best practice structure seems impossible to implement given the speed at which the environment is evolving. This seminar uses case studies of a variety of different organisations Local Authority, Transportation and Humanitarian facing emergency and urgent situations and how they successfully employed P3 management strategies; the challenges they faced; and the things that happened that nobody could have expected or planned for and why being able react is more effective than trying to predict. This seminar is directed at practitioners and owners looking to learn from previous experiences from both client and project management organisation describing what happens during an emergency response projects, what processes and behaviours are necessary in order to triage the urgent situation, stabilise the environment and begin recovery, adding value at a time of crisis.

By Jonathan Norman
November 8th 2018

Managing Urgent and Emergency Response Projects Highlight Report

Over the last decade Project Management methodology has focussed on creating a controlled environment (the UK Government’s best practice methodology PRINCE2 is named with that singular focus) and, although it is generally accepted that programmes are ambiguous by nature, practitioners seek to create order and certainty through structure and process. Crisis planning is a well-established discipline, but this expertise is scarce and responses to most crisis are immediate, reactive rather than planned, so experienced practitioners cannot always be mobilised. Existing contingency plans and knowledge may not translate easily to the pace of a situation. Established processes for successful delivery can be neglected by even the most experienced P3 delivery organisation when faced with an urgent situation. These emergency and disaster response situations are categorised by the very nature of the instability the create, the problem itself is not defined and the solutions required range from the immediate tactical requirements (such as Life Safety and Asset Protection) to the later stage solutions for Recovery and Re-build. Best practice communication and stakeholder protocols usually deployed may not be effective, scheduling, cost and control processes and operations will develop in an unstable environment, where Risk is difficult to demonstrate and margin for error and iteration is restricted by unfolding events. So, what happens when an organisation which may well be steeped in PM practices finds they have to respond in an emergency situation? Where all sides of the PM triangle (Time, Cost, Quality) are at large and changing, where best practice structure seems impossible to implement given the speed at which the environment is evolving. This seminar uses case studies of a variety of different organisations Local Authority, Transportation and Humanitarian facing emergency and urgent situations and how they successfully employed P3 management strategies; the challenges they faced; and the things that happened that nobody could have expected or planned for and why being able react is more effective than trying to predict. This seminar is directed at practitioners and owners looking to learn from previous experiences from both client and project management organisation describing what happens during an emergency response projects, what processes and behaviours are necessary in order to triage the urgent situation, stabilise the environment and begin recovery, adding value at a time of crisis.

By Jonathan Norman
June 29th 2016

Initiating and delivering Major Digital Projects Full Report

Many major projects include the realisation of a physical asset and its subsequent benefits, major digital projects are transformational but often do not engender a physical change, though they are “game changers” for the organisations that undertake them. Whether they are driven by a leader’s vision, regulatory constraints or the necessity to adapt, they modify existing business models and behaviours and drive profound transformations within organisations.

Major Digital projects:

• require new skill sets – in delivery and in embedding their outcomes in daily operations
• they must take account of the impacts on their host organisations and the way they interact with their entire ecosystem
• introduce new and more agile delivery approaches that challenge the traditional approaches to the management and governance of projects, in particular from a budget and a risk management perspective
• support the gathering of a massive amount of complex data that requires appropriate insight to enhance organisational planning.

The objective of this seminar is to explore both the initiation and delivery of a variety of Major Digital Projects to identify key lessons that can be applied from the digital world to the more traditional project arena and inform those who have responsibility for major digital projects.

Insight to both challenges and opportunities from clients and suppliers in the public and private sectors will be provided, including: the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme, Transport for London Revenue Collection, Smart Metering, Digital Technologies to improve Asset Data, BBC digital services and Automating London Underground.

By Jonathan Norman
June 29th 2016

Initiating and delivering Major Digital Projects Highlight Report

Many major projects include the realisation of a physical asset and its subsequent benefits, major digital projects are transformational but often do not engender a physical change, though they are “game changers” for the organisations that undertake them. Whether they are driven by a leader’s vision, regulatory constraints or the necessity to adapt, they modify existing business models and behaviours and drive profound transformations within organisations.

Major Digital projects:

• require new skill sets – in delivery and in embedding their outcomes in daily operations
• they must take account of the impacts on their host organisations and the way they interact with their entire ecosystem
• introduce new and more agile delivery approaches that challenge the traditional approaches to the management and governance of projects, in particular from a budget and a risk management perspective
• support the gathering of a massive amount of complex data that requires appropriate insight to enhance organisational planning.

The objective of this seminar is to explore both the initiation and delivery of a variety of Major Digital Projects to identify key lessons that can be applied from the digital world to the more traditional project arena and inform those who have responsibility for major digital projects.

Insight to both challenges and opportunities from clients and suppliers in the public and private sectors will be provided, including: the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme, Transport for London Revenue Collection, Smart Metering, Digital Technologies to improve Asset Data, BBC digital services and Automating London Underground.

By Jonathan Norman
June 29th 2016

Initiating and delivering Major Digital Projects Short Report

Many major projects include the realisation of a physical asset and its subsequent benefits, major digital projects are transformational but often do not engender a physical change, though they are “game changers” for the organisations that undertake them. Whether they are driven by a leader’s vision, regulatory constraints or the necessity to adapt, they modify existing business models and behaviours and drive profound transformations within organisations.

Major Digital projects:

• require new skill sets – in delivery and in embedding their outcomes in daily operations
• they must take account of the impacts on their host organisations and the way they interact with their entire ecosystem
• introduce new and more agile delivery approaches that challenge the traditional approaches to the management and governance of projects, in particular from a budget and a risk management perspective
• support the gathering of a massive amount of complex data that requires appropriate insight to enhance organisational planning.

The objective of this seminar is to explore both the initiation and delivery of a variety of Major Digital Projects to identify key lessons that can be applied from the digital world to the more traditional project arena and inform those who have responsibility for major digital projects.

Insight to both challenges and opportunities from clients and suppliers in the public and private sectors will be provided, including: the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme, Transport for London Revenue Collection, Smart Metering, Digital Technologies to improve Asset Data, BBC digital services and Automating London Underground.