pmo and assurance: skills funding agency
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Gary Perkins and Caitlin Davidson, at the APM PMO SIG conference Assurance and its relationship with the PMO on 5th March 2014.TRANSCRIPT
Welcome
PMO & Assurance
Wednesday 5 March 2014
Presented by: Gary Perkins & Caitlin Davidson
Introduction &Agenda
01
Caitlin Davidson: PMO PSO Manager
Gary Perkins: PMO Assurance Manager
Introduction
● Background
● PMO Function
● Assurance Approach
● Challenges (Existing and New)
● Discussion and Questions
Agenda
Background
02
● Established in 2009 following the demise of the Learning & Skills Council, and prior to that theFurther Education Funding Council;
● Partner organisation of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS);
● Agency role is to fund and promote adult further education (FE) and skills training in England,
including Traineeships and Apprenticeships, in a way that supports economic growth.
Skills Funding Agency
Skills Funding Agency
● Deliver £4.1 billion of skills training through contracts with over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations and employers;
● Within the Skills Funding Agency, there are two customer-facing services:
National Apprenticeship Service, and;
National Careers Service;
● Host the Information Authority.
● Responsible for delivery of IT Programmes and Projects within the Skills Funding Agency;
● Annual delivery value circa £60M;
● Typically around 6 Programmes and 30 Projects at any point in time;
● Internal team circa 90;
● Main development supplier Capgemini.
Programme Delivery
● Increasingly delivering sector-wide public-facing systems
Programme Delivery
● PMO Team comprises 8 in the Central PMOfunction which delivers:
Portfolio Management
Programme & Project Management QMS
Guidance & Training
Assurance
Central Support Functions
● Typically 15 Project Support Officers whoare embedded within Programmes & Projects;
● This is NOT a corporate function within the Agency.
Programme Management Office
PMO Function
03
● Portfolio Management;
● Developing and Maintaining our Quality Management System;
● Training & Support;
● Assurance;
● Central Support Function;
● Programme and Project Support.
PMO Functions
● Manages portfolio of Programmes and Projects;
● Manages ICT Moratorium Process;
● Ensures the strategic alignment of Projects;
● Supports business case development;
● Services Corporate Governance Boards.
Portfolio Management
● Based on MSP and PRINCE2;
● Guidance, templates and checklists;
● Reviewed on an annual cycle;
● Amended to reflect ‘learning from experience’;
● Branded as the ‘Programme Delivery Governance Framework’;
● Available from the Programme Delivery PMO Knowledge Store Teamsite.
Quality Management System
Quality Management System
Templates
Guidance
Best Practice
Delivery Models
Delivery Models
Checklists
● Drop-in sessions and mentoring;
● Briefings and Masterclasses;
● Information Notes and Newsletters;
● Available to Programme and Project Managers;
● Available to SROs and Project Executives.
Training & Support
Assurance● Focus on Governance and Controls;
● Varied range of approaches;
● Internal team of 3 supplemented by additionalresource as required;
● Internal Assurance for Director of Programme Delivery;
● Increasingly External Assurance for SROs;
● Assurance Function subject to bi-annual Internal Audit,reviewing standards and application.
● Consolidating Programme and Project information;
● Supporting Corporate Governance Boards;
● Supporting the financial investment process;
● Managing and supporting the new Programme & Project Management Tool.
Central Support Functions
● Project Support Officers (PSOs);
● Centrally managed service;
● Flexible supply chain;
● Standard approach;
● Supporting the Assurance function.
Programme and Project Support
Assurance Approach
04
Internal Assurance● For Director of Programme Delivery;
● Focus on assuring that standards defined in theProgramme Delivery PMO QMS are applied;
● Greater reliance on process driven assurance:Gated Reviews
Monthly Operational Reviews
Checklists.
● Healthchecks and Post-Project Reviews;
● Supported by embedded PSOs.
External Assurance
● Increasingly working more closely with SROs;
● Raising the Profile of the SRO Role;
● SRO Support Initiative. This includes:Initial BriefingsTraining (APM PPM Sponsorship)Established NetworkSRO Guidance & Support TeamsiteRegular Newsletter; ‘SRO Brief’.
● Offering Independent Assurance directly to SROs;
● Formal Executive Sponsorship.
.
Role of the SRO and
Governance
is Currently a Hot Topic
SRO Guidance & Support
External Assurance
● Starting to utilise the MPA Integrated Assurance and Approvals (IAA) approach;
● Developing IAA Strategies & Plans for all majorProgramme Delivery Programmes;
● Developing Assurance Statements for minorProgramme Delivery Programmes.
.
External Assurance
● Fully engage with MPA OGC Gateway Review process via BIS Departmental Assurance
Co-ordinator;
● RPAs completed and returned for EVERY Programme and Project within the Programme Delivery Portfolio;
● 45 OGC Gateway Reviews conducted in last 5 years;
● Approach now welcomed and trusted by (most) SROs.
.
External Assurance
● Independent Programme and Project Healthchecksconducted by:
PMO Assurance Team
Broader Programme Delivery Team
Independent Contractors
Atkins – PMO Supply Partner;
● Governance Board Reviews and Assessments;
● Process Spot-checks (internal and external).
.
Challenges
05
As Johnny Nash observed…….
There are More Questions than Answers
Existing Challenges●● Not a Corporate PMO;
● Lack of separation between Guidance & Supportand Assurance roles;
● Lack of clarity around escalation of issues;
● Conflict of interest when working with SROs;
● Credibility and independence.
It can sometimes feel like this………
…….though we have made progress.
●● Reducing headcount from 1,357 to 925;
● Significant changes to organisation structure;
● Loss of many experienced staff;
● Uncertainty about the new role, scale andlocation of the PMO moving forward.
New Challenges
Organisational Restructure
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New Challenges
Changing Supplier Model● Currently one tier 1 supplier (Capgemini);
● Currently re-letting this contract for October 2014;
● In line with Government policy, multiple contracts will be let to SMEs;
● Moving towards cloud based hosting;
● Significant implications for PMO functions.
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New Challenges
Changing Development Approaches
● Currently largely Waterfall;
● Move towards Agile in line with Government Digital Strategy;
● Currently developing skills within Programme Delivery and the Agency;
● What is the impact on the PMO and Assurance?
Discussion & Questions
06
● Benefits of a PMO in supporting organisational change?
● Impact of multi-supplier model on a PMO?
● What does Agile mean to a PMO?