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CORPORATE MEMBERCASE STUDY

APM North West

OverviewIn 2009 Outperform UK was approached by world-leading bearings company, SKF AB, to help implement PRINCE2®. This has resulted in an ongoing programme designed to improve SKF’s project management capability and, according to the client, has led to the creation of a ‘genuine community of project management professionals’.

SKF Group is a global supplier of products, customer solutions and services in the rolling bearing, seals, mechatronics and lubrication systems business. The group has an annual turnover of 60,000m SEK (approx £6bn), with 46,000 employees across 140 sites. When SKF approached Outperform in 2009, it faced a number of challenges with its project management capability, including an outdated project management framework called Global Project Management (GPM), the general perception that the company ‘didn’t have many

projects’, and the fact that its project leaders tended to be occasional project managers – subject specialists rather than project professionals. However, the fact that the company faced increasing competition from Asia meant change was imperative.

How Outperform helpedInitially Outperform undertook a study using the portfolio, programme and project management maturity model (P3M3) to understand the project management landscape and identify priority areas for improvement. This revealed that, far from being an occasional activity, projects were taking place across SKF in very large numbers – typically 8,000+ of them a year. It also showed that most project managers were using a ‘home grown’ methodology rather than the corporate framework. However, it also uncovered characteristics of common

Project: Improving project management capability

Client: SKF Group

Completion: Continuing programme – no end date fi xed

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CORPORATE MEMBERCASE STUDY

APM North West

project management practices and a high regard to quality; and these formed the basis for the development of an improvement plan. The key activities that followed include:

Establishing the governance structures for project management.

Developing the online project management framework (GPM2) in wiki format, based on PRINCE2® and aligned with SKF business processes.

Engaging with stakeholders to help transition to the new framework.

Working with SKF’s training provider, Wenell, to design a project management academy.

Piloting portfolio management by helping the establishment of PMOs.

Achievements As a result of its partnership with Outperform, SKF now has a common framework that is regularly used by people involved in projects. In fact, the GPM2 portal is one of the most visited portals on the SKF intranet. The content of the portal has been through a number of revisions as users are able to provide feedback, ensuring a sense of ownership by the project management community. Outperform continues to work with SKF on further improvements to its project management capability, including its adoption of programme management and the implementation of APM’s FIVE Dimensions of Professionalism.

About Outperform Outperform UK Ltd has been helping organisations improve their project management capability since it was fi rst formed in 2004. For more information visit outperform.co.uk

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We chose PRINCE2®, as we wanted our framework to be based on something that is internationally recognised, that our project managers would respect and that our clients, partners and suppliers would relate to. “We now have a genuine community of project management professionals. People no longer ask ‘where is the template?’ when assigned to lead a project, which was the most common question we used to be asked in the GPMO. Instead they are discussing and considering questions such as ‘what does success look like?’, ‘who needs to be involved?’, ‘how will decisions get made?’, ‘what are the constraints?’, ‘what are the risks?’ The contrast in approach is very visible.

Johan Human, head of the global programme management offi ce (GPMO),

Association for Project Management is a company limited by guaranteeRegistered in England No:1218334Association for Project Management Ltd is a registered charity No. 290927