We provide project coaching, mentoring, training and advice focused on one or more of the following areas
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Project Sponsorship
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Project Planning
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Project Governance
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Methodology
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Business Cases
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Benefits Management
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Culture
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Team Structure and Skills
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Change Management
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Lean
Read more about our approach to each below or contact us to arrange a free initial consultation
Project Sponsorship
Sponsorship is the most important role in any project. Sponsors set the vision, have passion for the project, clear roadblocks and are accountable for success.
The project Sponsor is that person who owns the project. They are the reason for the project, need to have passion for the project and are accountable for its success.
We work with your organisation to ensure the Sponsor has the skills to support the Project Manager and Team to deliver the project and the benefits.
Advice
We provide the Sponsor with advice as needed. This can be for a specific project or on sponsorship in general.
Mentoring
Mentoring involves regular sessions with the Sponsor, Project Manager, Project Management Office and is not aimed at a specific project.
Coaching
Regular sessions with the Sponsor and selected members of the Project Team.
This is more hands-on and is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific project.
We spend time understanding the project and making formal assessment before coaching commences.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Types of Sponsorship
Setting a project up for success
Team development
Project vision
Roles and responsibilities
Planning Kick Off Meetings
Understanding issues and managing risk
Aligning decision making with your culture
Understanding project methodologies and how they work
Project Planning
Having a project plan is great, knowing how to execute it is greater
How to apply the 10 PMBoK project knowledge areas.
Advice
We provide the Project Manager with advice as needed. This can be for a specific project or on project planning in general.
Mentoring
Regular sessions with the selected members of the Project Team and/or Project Management Office.
Based on an understanding of your project management experience we conduct sessions on selected PMBoK areas.
Coaching
Regular sessions with selected members of the Project Team and aimed at a specific project.
Typically sessions are as needed on topics as required – see training.
This is more hands-on and is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific project.
Before coaching can commence we spend time understanding the project and how well each PMBoK area is being applied.
Training
Formal training covering a range of PMBoK topics including:
Integration with stakeholders, resources etc.
Scope control and management
Schedule and resource management
Cost control and analysis
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Resource Management and Teams
Communications
Risk Management
Procurement
Stakeholder Management
Project Governance
Governance is an opportunity to provide guidance, share experiences and learn. It ensures that the project is on track and will deliver benefits
Learn about the role of steering committees, executive reporting, project accountability, decision making, risk control etc.
It is critical that any governance team understand their role and are active in the project.
Advice
We provide the Sponsor, Project Manager and Governance Team with advice as needed.
This can be for a specific Project or on governance in general.
Mentoring
Regular sessions typically with the Steering Committee, Sponsor, Project Manager, and selected members of the Project Team and Project Management Office.
Coaching
Regular sessions with the Sponsor and various groups e.g. Steering Committee, Project Management Office.
Mentoring can involve attending various Steering Committees, reviewing status reports etc.
This is more hands-on and aimed at improving Governance and decision making outcomes for a specific project.
Before coaching can commence we spend time understanding the project governance model.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Policies and Regulations
Processes and Procedures
Roles and Responsibilities
Meetings and Reporting
Decision Making
Methodology
You do not need to choose one over the other, it is more important to select the best part of each that can bring about project success
Understanding which mix of methodologies (e.g. Waterfall and Agile) best suits the project and your organisation.
Advice
For this focus area we recommend mentoring, coaching or training is undertaken before we can confidently provide advice.
It is critical for us to understand your organisation before offering advice.
We provide advice to all project stakeholders (e.g. Senior Managers, Sponsors, Project Managers, Team Members), normally on, but not restricted to, a specific project.
Mentoring
Mentoring involves regular sessions with the Senior Management, Sponsor and selected members of the Project Team or Project Management Office.
Mentoring requires an understanding of your organisation and how to apply the selected methodology based on a number of factors including:
Type of project
Resources
Project history
Organisation structure
Culture
Coaching
Coaching involves regular sessions with the Senior Management, Sponsors and selected members of the Project Team or Project Management Office.
This is more hands-on and is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific project.
Coaching requires an understanding of the project, your organisation and how to apply the selected methodology to the project.
Training
As each organisation is different we find it far more beneficial to create a customised training program for your organisation to understand how to implement the selected methodology.
Training is based on the 10 PMBoK areas and applies to any methodology including Agile and Waterfall.
This involves a pre-training session and then delivering training as needed.
Business Cases
The Business Case is used to justify and guide the Project
The Business Case sets out the reason why the Project was undertaken in the first place.
We work with you to ensure that the Project is aligned to the Business Case so that it will deliver the benefits required.
Advice
We provide the Sponsor and Project Manager with advice as needed. This can be for a specific project or on Business Cases in general.
This can include attending Gateway Reviews, advice on the Business Case, setting up benefits planning
etc.
Mentoring
Regular sessions with the Sponsor and selected members of the Project Management Office.
Mentoring concentrates on adopting a portfolio approach to align Business Cases and projects.
Coaching
Regular sessions with the Sponsor, Project Manager and Project Management Office.
This is more hands-on and is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific Business Case and ensuring the Business Case still stacks up.
This includes providing techniques to track and manage costs and benefits.
Before coaching can commence we spend time reviewing the Business Case.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Creating a Portfolio to manage: Resources, Risk, Costs, Benefits etc.
Aligning Business Cases with project deliverables
Project and Initiative methodology to rank and prioritise projects
Benefits and Cost reporting
Benefits Management
The sole purpose of a project is to deliver financial and non-financial benefits
The purpose of a project is to deliver benefits. Without proper benefits management it is difficult to prove that the project was worthwhile.
We work with your organisation on how to identify, track and manage benefits. Benefits can be measurable or assessable. Key to this is to identify when intervention is required to ensure benefits are on track to be delivered. Benefits management normally goes on long after a project has been completed.
Advice
We provide the Sponsor, Change Manager and Project Manager with advice as needed. This can be for a specific project or on Benefits Management in general.
Mentoring
Typically regular sessions with the Sponsor, Change Manager, Project Manager and Project Management Office and is not aimed at a specific project.
Coaching
Typically regular sessions with the Sponsor, Project and Change Managers.
This is more hands-on and is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific Project or Business Case.
Coaching includes how to establish and use a Benefits Management Plan using data and statistics to track benefits (measurable and assessable) and identify trends.
The coaching includes how to create a Benefits Map to understand the factors that impact a benefit and how to make adjustments.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Creating Benefits Management Plan
Different types of benefits and how to define them
Establishing SMART Benefits
How to assess benefits
Aligning to KPIs
Creating Baselines
Creating Targets
Culture
Culture, or the way we work, plays a critical part in project success
An organisation’s culture is unique and influences every aspect of a project. We work with your organisation to understand these influences and how they can be harnessed to improve project outcomes.
Understanding, assessing and leveraging your organisation’s culture can mean the difference between success and failure.
Advice
We provide the Sponsor, Project and Change Manager with advice as needed.
This can be for a specific project or on cultural impacts in general.
It is critical we understand your organisation’s culture before offering advice.
Mentoring
Regular sessions with the Sponsor, Project and Chance Managers and selected members of the Project Team and/or Project Management Office and is not aimed at a specific project.
Coaching
Regular sessions with the Sponsor, Project and Chance Managers and selected members of the Project Team and/or Project Management Office.
Typically sessions targeted at a specific project on topics as required – see training.
This is more hands-on and coaching is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific project.
Before coaching can commence we spend time understanding the organisation, culture, history and the specific project.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Defining your culture from a project perspective
Impact on culture on projects
Creating a working culture
Alignment to your values
Your culture’s basis assumptions
Leveraging culture
Leadership
External forces
Team Structure & Skills
Often we talk about the team bus – who is on the bus? Do they all need to be there? Do they want to be there? How can they contribute? etc.
Having the right team with the right skills and the right direction leads to the right outcome.
The Project Manager needs to have the leadership and people skills required to galvanise a team to deliver results.
Advice
We work with the Project Manager and/or Project Management Office to provide advice on all aspects of team management and development.
We also have a number of team building exercises and activities that help in team development.
Mentoring
Regular sessions with the Project Manager and/or selected members of the Project Management Office.
Coaching
Regular sessions with the Project Manager and/or selected members of the Project Management Office.
This is more hands-on and coaching is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific project.
Before coaching can commence we spend time understanding the skills and resources required by the Project, Project Team’s skill level and your organisation’s culture.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Type of Teams structure
Phases of Team development – Forming, Storming Norming and Performing
Learning Styles
Skills Matrix
Project induction; on-boarding and off-boarding
Managing consultants
Managing outsourced and off-shore providers
Project Performance Reviews
Team development
Change Management
Change Management is about increasing usage and adoption of changes
We work with your organisation to fully define and understand change. This clarity helps to engage the stakeholders necessary to make the change and ensure that expectations are fully aligned.
A successful Change Management Strategy and Program increases usage and adoption, which is essential to deliver benefits.
Advice
We provide the Sponsor, Project and Change Manager with advice as needed.
This can be for a specific project or on Change Management in general.
It is critical we understand your organisation’s culture before offering Change Management advice and recommend formal training before seeking advice.
Mentoring
Regular sessions with Change and Project Managers, the Sponsor and selected members of the Project Team and/or Project Management Office.
The extent of mentoring will depend on the skills and experience of your Change Manager and are sometimes targeted at bridging any gap between the Change and Project Managers.
Coaching
Regular sessions with the Change Manager and can include the Sponsor and Project Manager and selected members of the Project Team and Project Office.
Typically sessions are as needed on topics as required – see training.
This is more hands-on and coaching is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific project.
Before coaching can commence we spend time understanding the project and your organisation’s culture.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Creating a Change Management Plan
Change Management Strategies
Benefits Management
Defining Usage and Adoption, including Baselines
Change Management Tools and Methodologies (Including ADKAR)
Communication Styles
Defining Change (Technology, Process, Behaviors and Physiological)
Lean
Lean is an attitude, a way of thinking and that attitude can be used to run a project more efficiently and deliver a better result
There are many aspects of the Lean continual improvement methodology that can be applied to projects.
We work with your organisation to apply the most appropriate aspects of Lean to improve project performance.
Advice
We provide the Project Manager and/or Project Management Office with advice as needed.
This can be for a specific Project or on improving project efficiency in general.
Mentoring
Regular sessions with the Project Team or Project Management Office and is not aimed at a specific project.
Coaching
Regular sessions with the Project Manager, Project Team or Project Management Office.
Typically sessions are as needed on topics as required – see training.
This is more hands-on and coaching is aimed at improving outcomes for a specific project.
Training
Formal training covering a range of topics including:
Facilitation
Learning styles
Employee engagement
Leadership behaviours
Standard work and process/business improvements
Effective team meetings
