Ambulance Radio Programme ARP

1
Ambulance Radio ProgrammeARP

• By
• Alan Dickinson Programme Manager
• Craig Programme Office

2
ARP Background

• Implementing Airwave Radio Service into English
  Ambulance Trusts

• 17,000 Terminals, 9000 vehicles, 5000 mobile data
  units, 33 Control Rooms
• Full Business Case May 2005
• Trust Reconfiguration 31 to 12 in 2006, to 11 in
  2007
• First go-live Essex August 2007
• Full roll-out 2009

Contract awarded to Airwave for ambulance trusts
in England valued at approx. 390 million over 13
years
3
First 18 months Real challenges

• Changing environment Trust restructure
• Team Client/Supplier Relationships
• Contract Translating into actions
• Resources DH resource freeze, Trust PMs and
  Programme and Project Boards
• Planning Programme and Project Plans
• Communication Dispersed team

4
A changing environment

• 31 Trusts merged into 11 Trusts 2007
• Technical changes to enhance resilience and
  support new Trust structure
• ARP uses old Trust boundaries, known as Service
  Areas
• 32 implementations, and multiple projects running
  in each new Trust.

North East
Cumbria
Tees, East North Yorkshire
Lancashire
West Yorkshire
Greater
South Yorkshire
Manchester
Merseyside Cheshire
Lincolnshire
East Midlands
Staffordshire
West Midlands
East Anglian
Coventry
Warwickshire
Two Shires
Hereford Worcester
Bedfordshire
Hertfordshire
Gloucestershire
Oxfordshire
Essex
London
Avon
Royal Berkshire
Wiltshire
Surrey
Kent
Hampshire
Sussex
Dorset
Isle of
West Country
Wight
5
Success of first 18 months

• Programme Planning Clear Programme Plan with
  all milestones identified
• Communication Awareness of ARP in Trusts
• Project Planning Use of standard PFD and project
  lifecycle
• Buy-in Resources from Trusts
• Surviving Starting up with minimal resources

6
Key issues. Getting

• good people
• different cultures to work together
• people to work together
• clarity of the impact of Trust reconfiguration
• people to understand they need to plan
  effectively
• people to understand the plan
• people to work to the plan

7
What would we have done differently?

• Bigger Team from the start to embed Programme
  Management earlier
• Implemented Programme Management Software (EPM)
  from the start to assist with collaborative team
  working and central communication
• Emphasis on team work more to get team moving in
  same direction
• Earlier education to ensure understanding of a
  common vision
• Ensure everyone understands their role
• Ensure everyone fully understands what is being
  delivered

8
A few things that really helped

• Skilled PMO and Implementation Team
• Not PRINCE2Much.com
• Never give up never give up never give up on
  planning
• Focusing on support elements for Trusts i.e. what
  can we proactively do to help them
• Standard lifecycle for project delivery with
  supporting documents.
• Getting project managers and implementation team
  to meeting monthly, to share experiences and
  learn

9
PMO Team not hierarchical
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PRINCE2much.com

• We love PRINCE2 but we are not in-love
• Used everywhere but only if it adds value
• Huge value in Product Based Planning which
  enables the following
• Clear project and stage planning
• Quality Review process
• Milestone Sign Off
• Risks and Issues Management
• Reporting
• Easier implementation of EPM (which in turn
  further helps all of the above)

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Reactive/Proactive balance
Skilled motivated team implementation of EPM
Planning Process Lifecycle Central Info Less
Emails Process Improvement Milestone
Management Team Events Communications Improved
understanding
Planning Process Lifecycle
Fire fighting issues Reactive Comms 100s of
emails Frustration Checking dates Info Overload
Fire fighting issues
Then
Now
Proactive
12
Standard Tailored Project Lifecycle
Ambulance Radio Programme Implementation Roadmap
for Trusts
SC1 Milestone Recommendation
SC1 Verification Confirmation
SC2 Milestone Recommendation
SC2 Verification Confirmation
RFS Milestone Recommendation
Key Milestones
MILESTONE TO SIGN OFF
RFS / RFI
Close
SC1
SC2
Stages
DEVELOPMENT Building Works, Trust Developments,
Testing
FULL ROLL OUT
FIRST 5 VEHICLES
HAND OVER CLOSE
START
PLAN
START
PLAN
STAGE 2
STAGE 1
STAGE 3
STAGE 4
STAGE 5
CLOSE
Develop Build
Define
Deliver
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Creativity Buy the book, not by the book

• Use of PRINCE2 and MSP but make them sexy
• Key is in the skills of the team
• Dont be scared of people with greater or
  different skills
• Allow people to be creative
• Think about situation. What would be great? What
  can we do to make it real?
• Listen
• Configuration of PPM to make it add value

Monthly Project Managers Forum, Milestone Radar,
Trust Project Lifecycle, Communications Plans,
Lessons Learned Events, Milestone Sign Off,
Programme Hotspots
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Successful Team
Fun!!
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PMO 10 Commandments Thou shalt

• Employ a brave and skilled Programme Manager
• Use process but focus on people
• Not talk too much PPM terminology
• Not have a management hierarchy, but sphere of
  skills
• Represent executive information colourfully and
  concisely
• Always double check before you put RED against a
  project
• Use Programme Management Technology to help
  planning and communication from the start
• Socialise, have fun, be creative, laugh lots
• Use Gucci test for all PMO products i.e.
  quality products
• Instantly lose respect for anyone that brings a
  PRINCE2 or MSP manual into any meeting of any kind