Project Leadership Programme

Programme Information

“the best piece of learning in my

civil service career to date”.

Rob CarolanDeputy Programme DirectorBorder Force, Home Office

Project Leadership Programme 2

The Project Leadership Programme (PLP)

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) successfully

partners with Cranfield University School of Management,

PA Consulting Group and The Project Academy (TPA) as a

consortium to deliver the PLP. The vision is to develop

project leadership skills across the public sector and create

a new elite cadre of senior project leaders.

The programme is designed to

enhance project leadership

skills. It addresses the

requirement to build excellent

project leadership capacity at

the level below major projects.

It is a truly blended programme

which is delivered over a

twelve month period, with the

majority of the input being

delivered in the first six months

as shown in the programme

schematic.

Four residential modules are attended at Cranfield, plus specialist electives, a 360 and a series of 1:1

coaching sessions delivered by PA Consulting and TPA. The programme looks at Change,

Mindfulness, Commercial Project Delivery, Agile Working, Business Cases and more from a

leadership perspective. The delivery style is interactive and experiential with practical tools and ideas

throughout. Two formal marked assignments are completed as part of the successful pass criteria.

“We have been truly impressed with thestandard of participants on the PLP andare delighted to see so many of themuse the programme to help boost their

future career”

Mike BourneProgramme Director

“I have found that I have been able to significantly increase my capacity by not taking on unnecessaryresponsibility. This has allowed me to engage with more senior stakeholders, focus on more forward thinking

challenges and improve my authenticity and resilience as a project leader. My 360 feedback helped me tounderstand the development journey”:

‘Jim has moved into a more complex emergent programme environment (DCH) with a new set ofstakeholders. He has been very effective at shaping the new environment, and building trust with his

stakeholders, which demonstrates more sophisticated programme leadership; I have seen an increased levelof confidence, more mature and broader thinking to look across the entire programme for impact and

opportunities for transformation.’

Jim Monk, Programme Head, NHS Digital and PLP participant

Project Leadership Programme 3

Mike Bourne

Professor of BusinessPerformance andAcademic Director

Kim Turnbull James

Professor of Leadershipand Change

Stephen Carver

Senior Lecturer inProject and Programme

Management

Jutta Tobias

Senior Lecturer inMindfulness at Cranfield

David Denyer

Professor of Leadershipand Organisational

Change

Elmar Kutsch

Senior Lecturer in RiskManagement

Lara Taylorson

Senior consultant andDirector at the Project

Academy

Tony Wood

Partner at PA Consultingand Transformation

Expert

Meet Some of the Delivery Team

“As a Head of Profession for ProjectDelivery, the PLP has emphasized the

importance of my role as a champion for theprofession in government and the vital role Iplay in supporting the really valuable people

who are able to deliver some of our mostcomplex projects. The parallel coaching has

been excellent, supporting my learningthrough the course and has allowed me to

have open and honest conversations which Ithink have given me a growing confidence inboth my technical and leadership capability.Lastly the PLP was fun, I think this is reallyimportant; the atmosphere for learning hasbeen great and allowed us to get the most

out of the course. I think for me it’s remindedme however long you've been managing

projects or leading teams, there is still scopefor learning and the onus is on us to make

this learning happen.”

Kerry Cooke (PLP Participant)Deputy Director Business Improvement

PLP is based on three key leadership

competencies: leadership of self, commercial

leadership and technical project leadership. The

key benefits to participants are:

• Improved knowledge to rise to the

challenge of project leadership,

understanding how their personal

contribution can make a real difference to

the chance of success or failure of a

project

• Integration of the tools, techniques and

methods of project leadership to lead their

team, and engage internal and external

stakeholders to foster a culture of

responsibility and successful delivery,

challenging upwards with new confidence

• Development of working relationships and

strong internal networks, with both public

sector and external experts, and the wider

PLP and Major Project Leadership

Academy (MPLA) communities

Project Leadership Programme 4

Departments That Have Already Participated in PLP Include:

© Cranfield University

How to Apply

Project leaders are selected to attend the

programme by their departments and they must

have the endorsement of the Head of their Project

Profession. To be eligible, applicants must be

Senior Responsible Owners or Project Directors of

a non-GMPP Project, work-stream leads on a

GMPP Project accountable for a crucial element of

project delivery, senior leaders in the departmental

centre of excellence/portfolio team or other project

delivery professionals who the departmental Head

of Profession wishes to nominate as part of the

talent management process.

The programme will cost a maximum of £7166.67 +

VAT (£8,600 incl. VAT). Specific terms and

conditions apply, details of which are available from

the IPA or Cranfield.

The programme has been accredited by the

Association of Project Management (APM) and

successful completion may enable participants to

progress towards APM Registered Project

Professional (RPP) status.

For more information please contact: Maggie

Bridge, PLP Co-ordinator at Cranfield

Tel: +44 (0)1234 754498

Email: m.bridge@cranfield.ac.uk.

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