A PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK THAT HAS WORKED FOR THE ABS

1

• A PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
• THAT HAS WORKED FOR THE ABS
• Dennis
  Trewin
• Australian Bureau of
  Statistics

2
OUTLINE OF TALK

• Reasons for needing a Project Management
• Framework
• Illustration of ABS Project Management Framework
• Key Learnings successes and lessons learnt
• Case Study Business Statistics Innovation
  Program (BSIP)

3
KEY MESSAGES

• You should have an agreed Project Management
• Framework to ensure consistent, effective
• management of projects (and training programs)
• It doesnt have to be the ABS Framework
• Project Management software project is available
• (eg Microsoft Project)

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WHY DID THE ABS IMPLEMENT A PROJECT MANAGEMENT
FRAMEWORK?

• Too many projects running over time and over
• budget
• Project scope creep
• Project management responsibility not clear
• Too much emphasis on outputs rather than
• outcomes (particularly IT projects)
• Insufficient emphasis on risks
• Not a universal approach to project management

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KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

• Project Planning
• Project Administration
• Management of Risk
• Management of Issues
• Management of Change
• Project Quality
• Project Governance
• Project Financial Management
• It is not rocket science!

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PROJECT PLANNING

• Sets out the business case
• Clearly defines project outcomes and links with
• project outputs
• Project initiation

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MANAGEMENT OF RISK

• Should identify significant risks
• Develop Risk Mitigation Strategies
• Decide whether to adopt Risk Mitigation
• Strategy or take the risk
• Contingency Plans

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MANAGEMENT OF ISSUES

• Issues crop up all the time. All issues need to
  be
• recorded because you cant deal with them all
• immediately (may be a pattern)
• As issues are processed they become tasks, risks
• or are dropped as no longer an issue

9
MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE

• Must be planned for
• Not always welcome identify people affected
• by change and ensure that you have a plan to
• address their needs

10
PROJECT QUALITY

• For each output, define how you are going to
• assess the output as fit for purpose

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PROJECT GOVERNANCE

• Establish milestones/and manageable project
  phases
• Set up governance arrangements
• Define the roles and responsibility of all
• stakeholders
• Key roles
• - project manager
• - project owner (usually Chair of Project
  Board)
• Be prepared to make hard decisions that may
• curtail original project plans

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PROJECT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Need an itemised budget (project component x
• expenditure category)
• Track all expenditure on the project
• Analyse significant variations to
  plannedexpenditure

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FACILITIES AVAILABLE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
FRAMEWORK

• Software Package (Lotus Notes)
• Templates (eg Issues Management, Risk Management)
• Guides
• Best practice examples
• Support arrangements
• Supported by classroom training and on-line
  training
• package

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SUCCESSES

• ABS has experienced
• Better control of projects at all levels
• Increased identification and control of project
  risks
• More effective use of corporate finances (eg
  projects
• meeting budget targets)
• Quality built into project outputs fit for
  purpose
• Improved information flows between stakeholders
• Earlier identification and resolution of problems
• Clearer project scope reduced scope creep

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LESSONS

• Getting the scale of the project management in
• proportion to the size and impact of the project
• Better monitoring of milestones (and remedial
• action when milestones are not being met)
• Project Boards not micro-managing
• Killing off projects that wont deliver (or
  making
• major amendments)

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BUSINESS STATISTICS INNOVATION PROGRAM (BSIP)
OUTCOMES SOUGHT

• Improved efficiency/productivity
• Methodological and technological improvement
• (exploiting new data sources (eg taxation) and
• new technologies)
• Improved data quality
• Improved management of business respondents
• Capacity to respond to emerging needs
• Stronger statistical leadership
• Enhanced opportunities for staff

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HOW?

• Consulted broadly with staff at the exploratory
  stage
• not just managers
• Exploited available technology
• Restructured to provide greater functional
• specialisation and economies of scale
• Exploited new administrative data sources
• Introduced greater consistency of statistical
• methods across collections
• Reskilled staff
• Good project management

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INVOLVEMENT OF STAFF

• Commenced with a Strategic Scenarios discussion
• Regular briefings of staff and unions about
  proposals
• Issued draft proposals for comment which were
• modified based on feedback
• Eventual model incorporated some compromise
• (win/win)
• Extensive use of consultative forums
• Allowed some space for staff driven change by
• setting outcome expectations
• Strong, visible, consistent commitment from
  senior staff

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STAFF REACTION

• Very sceptical at first
• Concern about job tenure and work availability
• Concern about forced redundancy
• Concern about need for skill development
• During early transition, reluctant commitment
• Some distrust that the new model would work and
• that others could do their old job well
• Over time, growing commitment and trust
• After 3 years, most staff committed and looking
• for ways to leverage the opportunity

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BSIP GOVERNANCE

• Program Management Board
• - included an outside expert
• - met monthly for first 18 months, then
  quarterly
• - focussed mainly on outcomes realisation
• - regularly reviewed progress in related
  clusters of work
• - took a particular interest in methodological
  and
• technological developments
• Implementation Coordination Team
• - Secretariat to the Program Board
• - Monitored milestone planning
• - Acted as an intelligence gatherer and problem
• solving unit

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BSIP GOVERNANCE

• Line Managers
• - responsible for transition planning and
• implementation
• - set milestone targets and managed processes
• - very significant staff communication and
• guidance role
• - attended Program Board discussion of their
• work areas

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MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS

• Resource/productivity savings have been achieved
• Aimed to reduce from 1,029 staff to 895
  staff
• Outcome appears to be about 856 staff
• Saving of 173 staff years or about 17
• Program costs stayed within budget
• Organisational change has been completed
• Business continuity maintained
• Improved cost and quality data available
• Improved methodologies and technologies

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LESSONS LEARNED

• Need to be clear and focussed at the start about
  the
• outcomes being sought
• Implementation strategies need to be tightly
  related
• Keep the amount of change manageable (for
  example,
• we delayed work on editing re-engineering even
• though it was/is one of our main priorities)

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LESSONS LEARNED

• Good governance arrangements critical
• Importance of regular, open, realistic
  communication
• with staff at all times
• Need for management solidarity regarding
  objectives
• and progress
• Get skills development processes in place early