The Challenge
The University conducts large, challenging projects of all types, including business process improvement, IT and construction projects. The internal capability to manage and deliver these projects was far from the level required to achieve successful outcomes, in terms of staff capability, methodology and standards. There also existed a “silo” culture, which the University wanted to challenge and address by using multi- departmental projects as a vehicle to get the silos working together.
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How EQuest Consulting Met the Challenge
We set about familiaristing ourselves with the University’s culture and its capability levels in Project Management and Business Analysis. This was achieved through a series of structured interviews and facilitated workshops with University staff.
It was agreed that a comprehensive mentoring program was required to give Project Managers and Business Analysts individual teaching and guidance from experienced EQuest Consulting mentors. Training alone was insufficient, because it would not provide the regular and intense guidance required to develop solid skills. Mentoring would enable the mentees to acquire knowledge and experience in real project situations, with an experienced person at hand to show the way.
Before beginning any mentoring, it was necessary to put in place frameworks to provide Project Management and Business Analysis process and a knowledge base. This would provide structure to projects and enable mentoring to be conducted on a consistent foundation. We developed basic, tailored frameworks of the project lifecycle and the PMBOK project management process, with templates and supporting guides that included clear explanation. A comprehensive mentoring schedule was created that covered the frameworks, structured into a series of two hour sessions.
EQuest Consulting set up a Project Management Office to own and maintain the frameworks and to coordinate the mentoring program across the University. An EQuest Consultant spent three months setting up the PMO prior to the University hiring a permanent PMO Manager who then took on its operation.
A number of Project Managers and Business Analysts were given permanent positions in the PMO and undertook the mentoring program first. Others were seconded from various departments into the PMO to do the same. All mentoring was based on real projects that the mentees had been allocated to deliver.
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The Benefits
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A marked increase in the confidence levels of Project Managers and Business Analysts receiving mentoring, enabling them to work on their projects with authority and assurance and to deliver to realistic expectations which they are able to set.
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A capability in Project Managers and Business Analysts to take on projects outside of their original departments, due to the consistent basis of their skills development on the frameworks, which are a University standard.
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Coordinating the mentoring from the PMO provided consistency and established it as the centre of excellence for Project Management and Business Analysis, a successful foundation that can now be built upon to continually improve capability.
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