Improving Project Management Capability & Performance for Fenland District Council
Fenland District Council’s Requirement
Fenland DC has the typical range of services for which a district council is responsible. While these are not as extensive as county or unitary councils, they have some significant projects to control. In the past they have tried, with limited success, to implement PRINCE2. Key to Fenland’s approach was the development of their own PRINCE2-based project management method, The Fenland Way. This was developed in-house, based on PRINCE2, but concentrated on the critical elements of project management. This was adopted as the basis for managing all projects within the council. The need then was to propagate the messages in The Fenland Way through the council’s staff, in a cost-effective manner, through training and dissemination. A further requirement was to establish a development of The Fenland Way once the key elements of project management had been taken up.
WPM’s Involvement
Fenland DC selected WPM to perform the initial training because of its flexibility in tailoring PRINCE2-based courses to meet the needs of clients. WPM was also chosen because of the extensive experience it has in training for the public sector.
WPM Delivered
A senior management course that incorporated the messages and emphasis of The Fenland Way against a PRINCE2 background. An executive briefing for the Corporate Management Team that explained how The Fenland Way was the start of the PRINCE2 journey. A potential future handbook which was warmly received. Formal PRINCE2 training on public courses for the key project management champions within the authority.
Benefits
By working to the same standard across all projects, irrespective of the service that commissioned it, Fenland DC will be able to:
- Have a base level of consistency of control
- Share lessons learned and apply them across all service’s projects
- Ensure that all staff use the same project language
Above all, Fenland DC will deliver service improvements as effectively as possible as required by The Audit Commission.
Additional Professional Services Delivered
Since delivering the training WPM has provided an example handbook for consideration by Fenland DC as the next incarnation of The Fenland Way .
Future Plans
Collaboration with nearby councils and WPM in the production of a common approach to managing projects, documented in a handbook, and with associated training shared to provide economies of scale and easier logistics.
Summary
By continuously improving the way it manages its projects, Fenland DC aims to provide measurable benefits in terms of better control over service improvements with attendant cost-savings and improved staff morale. By working with an organisation that not only understands programme and project management, but also the particular needs of Local Government, Fenland DC will be well placed to ensure it achieves its objectives and a higher CPA rating when next assessed.
