Reflections on a Successful Flight

On the 23/24^th October under a clear azure sky at the Airbus A380 Superjumbo facility in Toulouse South West France, the ‘Making Projects Fly Conference’ had an impressive take-off.

Airbus in Partnership with eVa in the UK provided the 100 delegates from across the Airbus Group and outside industry with a world class line up giving variety, depth, insight and entertainment all rolled into one effortless cohesive package topped off with a VIP tour of the A380 Final Assembly Line.

Didier Evrard, Senior Vice President and Head of the A350XWB Programme was the special VIP guest for the dinner on the first evening. He gave fascinating insights into his time working in Airbus and, following the creation of the Centre of Competence for Project and Programme Management, the significant increase in the maturity of Project Management practices and sustainable cultural change. This was a key enabler in the successful on time Certification of the A350-900 Aircraft.

The speaker line up over the two days was of an exceptionally high standard offering valuable insights, learning and new perspectives from the diverse world of project management. The expeditions of Amundsen, the ITER Fusion Project and the UK Major Projects Leadership Academy, topped off with Jack Pinter and his Agile Blues Band, were just some of the acts in this “entertainingly serious and memorable event.”

One delegate summed up the experience saying “Kurt Lewin said ‘There is Nothing More Practical than A Good Theory.’ The Making Projects Fly conference gave us theory, practice, inspiration and fun … I lapped up every minute!”

In a post-event survey delegates and sponsors alike were effusive in their praise with record breaking numbers describing speaker-led presentations as excellent in communicating and facilitating learning. In response to the killer question “Considering direct costs and the value of your time in attending “Making Projects Fly” to what extent did it provide a return on your investment?” [Eventroi] The answer was a resounding good and very good!

Steve Wake’s own presentation “Project Budgets and Portfolio Benefits – the Holy Grail” summarised many of the conference themes as he drew on Phil Driver’s prize-winning handbook “Validating Strategies – Linking Projects and Results to Uses and Benefits.” [See review in the November issue of Project Magazine]

As with any networking event of this type, great friendships and relationships were formed and video and audio captured by our good friends from PM Channel as part of a rich learning legacy to be made available via a growing digital archive.

Since Toulouse Steve has continued to busy himself with a mix of important APM business coupled with attendance at various premier UK conferences and events such as APM Awards, PMI Synergy14 and Project Controls Expo as he pulls together ideas, hot topics and new perspectives for even better events next year.

The ‘eVa in the UK’ series, now in its twentieth year, is set to make a triumphant return to the Armourer’s Hall in Central London on 16 /17 June next year – so save the date for another stage in the journey to project management professionalism!

You can listen to high quality digital audio from the speakers at this year’s Making Project event, #airbusmpf. Each track is available in downloadable MP3 format. The tracks are organised into a single place. CPD on the move and a great way to wet the appetite for future eVaintheUK events such as “Putting down the roots for good governance” #eVa20 and “Fusing the Project World” #ITERQ10.

Takes the right people

With the right competencies

The right professional qualifications

Properly led by informed competent sponsors

Planning projects and programmes that deliver value

Prepared to meet challenges by communicating and managing

All to the benefit of themselves, their organisations, and the wider world

Now, and into the future.

I firmly believe that this is a summary of all that matters in a world built on project management. And, better still, each of the statements is covered by our super schedule of top speakers.

Probably the strongest eVa programme ever.

Unusual, entertainingly serious and memorable, in fantastic surroundings, and with tremendous networking opportunities.

If you attend you will leave with a better understanding of yourself and the project management world we are building.

And a few new friends.

Steve Wake will discuss his quest for a better understanding of the relationship between projects and portfolio benefits. For him the Holy Grail. He will highlight and discuss the best description he’s found (so far).

AIRBUS – Up Close & Personal

Mark Robinson, Head of Project Body of Knowledge, Airbus, talks about their competency
framework for improved and appropriate allocation of people enabling them to develop and grow.

There’s even a behind the scenes VIP tour to the AIRBUS 380 Final Assembly Line

Paul Chapman, Head of Sa’id Business School’s Government Leadership Programme, and Neil Butterill, of Transport for London, talk about how to identify and understand personalities in projects

Geir Klover, world authority on Roald Amundsen and director of Oslo’s Fram museum, shows how the best and most EQ proficient planner won the race to the Pole AND back – easily.

Peder Berg, Deputy Finance Minister for Norway, describes the decisions and stakeholder involvement necessary in Major Projects, ensuring that they continue to provide a compelling return on investment when delivered.

The speaker line-up includes top performers such as;  Juliane Stuempel, expert on business psychology from the University of Westminster, Bruno Kahne, Airbus communications specialist and Steven Carver of Cranfield Business School legendary story-teller.

Jack Pinter, with his fantastic Agile Blues Band and Didi Hopkins of the UK National Theatre add further star-quality. All are superlative performers.

Finally, Joe Onstott will introduce delegates to the biggest experiment on the planet – the ITER Fusion for Energy project. Big experiment with a simple objective; to provide energy for the whole planet which is sustainable, non-depletable and non-nuclear for the long term benefit of the planet and mankind.

This conference will provide new perspectives and powerful insights, drawn from many other disciplines that will help delegates to get to know themselves a little better. Making Projects Fly is about equipping project managers … to face 21^st century challenges through better logistics, communications and resilience.

There you have it … reason enough to spend a couple of days in Toulouse “Making Projects Fly”

Check out the presentation below and book your place

eVa in the UK is pleased to support Project Controls Expo 2014 . Delegates who attend Making Projects Fly will receive complementary tickets [worth £99] to attend this event.

Project Control Expo will feature 21 international expert speakers, 12 Master-class sessions, Case studies & Workshops, 6 Technical presentations along with Partner showcase and a Project Controls job fair including Career Advice zone. Expo 2014 will witness practitioners, employers, customers and suppliers coming together to share Project Controls knowledge, experience, best practices, career development and tools, all under one roof.

Project Controls Expo is a celebration of Project Controls.  It will highlight the value of Project Controls and the impact it can have when put to use effectively.

When – 18 Nov 2014 (Tuesday)
Where – Arsenal Stadium/ Football Club, London UK
Expected turnout – In the range of 450-500
Industries to be represented – Oil & Gas, Construction, Rails, Infrastructure, Defence, Nuclear and Government to name a few

Key Speakers

• David Birch, Head of Project Controls, National Grid UK
• Stephen Jones, APM PMC SIG Chairman, UK
• Jim G Zack Jr, Executive Director, Navigant Consulting, USA
• Ewen Maclean, Principal at Berkeley Research Group, UK
• Robert Horne, Partner with Trowers & Hamlin, UK
• John Hollmann, Validation Estimating, USA
• Gordon Lawrence, Manager, Capital Projects at Asset Performance Networks, Netherlands
• Andy Cruise, National Contracts Manager, National Grid UK
• David Bordoli, Director and Forensic Delay Analyst, Driver Group UK
• Ken Phillips, Lead Planning Engineer, AMEC UK
• Mike Younger, Head of Project Services, Jacobs Corp., UK

Key Topics

• Agile Earned Value
• Pacing Delay – The Practical Effect on Projects & Delay Claims
• Lawyer’s/Legal take on Project Controls Framework
• Art of graphical EVM
• Effective programme level contract management
• Schedule Risk Analysis for Complex Projects
• NEC3 Contracts: Managing Risk and Change
• Constructive Acceleration – A Global Tour.
• Project Delivery, Growth and Collaboration
• Progress, Position, Prediction – The Key to Completing Projects on Time
• Cost Risk Analysis and Estimating Techniques

Expo 2014 also offers all day beverages, buffet lunch and “evening social” (includes beer, wine and soft drinks) to all delegates followed by dinner for sponsors, speakers and selected guests.

So, don’t miss this chance and register to be part of this exciting event. For your convenience, here are some links

Web – www.ProjectControlsExpo.com

Agile and Earned Value: A marriage made at #eva18

Last year EVA18 was the first time I had ever visited the Armourers Hall and I can honestly say that it is one of the best venues I have ever attended.

Steeped in history, it survived the great fire of London which stopped one street away and was almost destroyed in the blitz when it caught fire but was mysteriously extinguished by an unknown fireman, who broke in, put out the fire and left!

It would seem that every room, piece of furniture and ornament has a story to tell; from the rug on the floor, to the figurine on the fireplace which disappeared for 200 years. Speakers aside, the highlight for me was the dinner. It was like stepping back into the past – a scene from a Hogwarts movie with only candles to provide the light.

Although all the speakers were of a very high standard, there was one presentation in particular which stuck in my mind. This was Stephen Carver of Cranfield University and “The Davy Case.” This is the true story of a floating oil rig, the ex-diver who was the ‘brains’ behind it all, and the various companies that it destroyed!

It is good to see that Stephen will be participating again in #EVA19 and this time he will delve into what “Alfred the Great” has to tell us about ancient leadership.

You don’t have to take my word for it as you can watch many of the recordings in the PM Channel who attend and film each event to create a learning legacy, along with the presentations that are available in the evaintheuk archive.

At EVA18, I first presented my experience of using Agile together with Earned Value. At that time, Steve Wake former Chairman of Planning Monitoring and Control SIG, and now of APM Board, suggested the publication of a white paper.

Agile and Earned Value (Nov. 2013) is now available via the APM Website, and reported in article following the Project Controls Conference (SWWE Branch, October 2013) Since then it has also appeared in the ACostE magazine, “Project Control Professional”

Following EVA18, I was invited to attend an experts meeting by the Government Audit Office (GAO) in the USA. They were planning to publish best practice guides on Scheduling and Cost, and to recognise Agile by including it in the Appendix section.

At EVA19, I will provide the latest update from the GAO experts meetings, and will be discussing the five myths of Agile which the experts discuss and counter.

For those of you who are interested in Agile, PMC SIG in conjunction with Thames Valley Branch, are planning an “Agile 14” event at the Holiday Inn, Oxford on the 17^th June 2014. The theme will be ‘Agile: Future or Fashion’ and it will be advertised in APM events in the near future.

The Norwegian State Project Model [Peder Berg]

The Norwegian model is a gateway model which is peculiar in that it specifically targets the Government ́s need for decision support in the early project phases. There are two gates.

The first comprises the appraisal of different concepts before the project is allowed to enter into basic engineering.

The second addresses the delivery to cost, quality and time frame considerations before the project is allowed to be submitted for appropriation. The scope is limited to the bigger projects with a threshold value of 750 MNOK (about 90 MEUR).

The governance is anchored at the Ministry of Finance, Budget Department. The Ministry has entered into framework contracts with private sector specialist companies which perform the reviews. The Ministry of Finance and the relevant line ministry are co-principals for the individual assignments.

What was later to become the second gate was the first to be established, in 2000, while the first gate followed in 2005.

In his presentation at Making Projects Fly in Toulouse, Peder will present an overview of the project model as well as experience and lessons learned as far as ex-post data allow for generalisations. Consequently, the emphasis is on the projects that were first subjected to reviews. 51 projects are presented, which is the total number of projects that have been completed by now, having been quality assured.

Peder was appointed leader of the project´s steering committee. The end result of this effort was the establishment in 2000 of the first part of what was to evolve into the Norwegian State Project Model. Peder drafted and implemented the somewhat embryonic system in 2000, as well as the extension into the fully-fledged project model, which followed in 2005. He has been responsible for the operation of the system from the outset.

In order to get research support for the system, with special emphasis on ex post evaluations, the Ministry of Finance is funding a research programme at the Norwegian University of Technology and Science in the City of Trondheim, the Concept Research Programme. Peder is the leader of the programme´s steering committee. He is also a founding member of the first PMI chapter in Norway.

The Concept Research Programme develops ways of improving the use of resources and enhancing the effects of major public investments. The principal goal of the Concept Research Programme is to develop knowledge and expertise on projects in the front-end phase, from the initial visualization until the decision to implement is made. Trailing research on large public investment projects is the main project activity. The goal is to attain better use of resources and greater effects of such investments. The Norwegian Ministry of Finance funds the programme.

Last month Peder convened Symposium 2014 ,organised by the Concept Research Program of an international audiences comprising researchers, civil servants and consultants with an emphasis on “Opportunities, decisions and their effects” Peder will pass on this knowledge and learning at Making Projects Fly and looks forward to the opportunity to network with colleagues in Toulouse.

Peder Berg is a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Finance Norway. As a response to a growing number of underperforming projects in the 1990´s the Government decided on establishing a project for an in-depth review of the systems governing project selection, cost estimates, risk and project execution.

Peder holds a degree as Civil Economist from the Norwegian School of Economics. Before being totally committed to projects, he held a number of positions with the Ministry of Finance, i.e. Chief State Accountant and Chief Inspector for the Collection of Taxes and VAT (including project ownership), Head of Division, Adviser and Senior Adviser at the Budget Department.

Improving Schedule Quality through transparency of Information

XER Schedule Toolkit showcase is happening as part of #eva19 workshop on 22 May. Experts will demo how project schedules globally can be improved through the application of basic techniques and ideologies.

The XER Schedule Toolkit operates entirely within Microsoft Excel and can access data from XER files or by connecting directly with the Primavera P6 database. All features are designed to promote schedule visibility, awareness and ultimately help drive improvements in schedule quality. All outputs are produced in standard Excel workbooks that can be shared.

By providing the entire project community with tools that allow them to engage with the planning process, the toolkit can facilitate wider distribution and greater understanding of the project schedule. As a result, broader participation in the schedule’s development and maintenance life cycle is achieved and ultimately, this helps drive project delivery.

In addition to its Primavera schedule viewing capability, there are also a range of advanced schedule diagnostic ‘tools’ that can aid planners to efficiently build more technically robust schedules.

The XER Schedule Toolkit is our passion and through the commitment by Spencer to it’s support and development, we are excited by the future possibilities and opportunities yet to be realised.

EVA 19 – XER Toolkit Workshop Content

Background

• Project environment and the ‘hidden schedule’
• Planning engineers vs Software jockeys
• XER Schedule toolkit

Using the XER Toolkit

• Column schemes
• Viewing the schedule
• Grouping and filtering
• Schedule quality diagnostics
• Baseline analysis
• Resource assignments

Nick Halksworth – Founder of XER Toolkit

Nick has 20 years experience in the field of project control having initially served a mechanical engineering apprenticeship. During the final year of his apprenticeship, Nick specialised in planning and during the early part of his career gained experience working as a site based Planning Engineer on a variety of projects in different industries.

In 2009, Nick became Primavera System manager for Sellafield Limited, a UK Nuclear licensed site, operating 450+ Primavera licences, 950 projects and a yearly portfolio spend of £1.5bn. During this period the concept of the XER Toolkit began to take shape and an early prototype (the PC Toolbox) was developed and is still in use today.

Nick is now XER Toolkit director for the Spencer Group with responsibility for strategy and development.

Andrew Jones – Head of Planning  at C Spencer Ltd

Andrew  is a Chartered Civil Engineer, and a member of the ICE with over 14 years of experience in the construction industry working on a wide variety of projects.

Following his engineering and project management experiences Andrew focused his career in planning in 2009 and now works in a variety of sectors, transforming planning cultures and using his professional background to underpin the fundamentals of planning.

Andrew also provides specialist services for delay and disruption and contemporaneous review of entitlement.

Spencer Group

Based in the UK, the Spencer Group celebrates 25 years in business this year.

Organic growth has seen the company develop into one of the UK’s largest privately owned engineering and construction businesses. From innovative design and build projects through to successfully developing their own power plant, Spencer thrives on opportunities to solve complex engineering challenges. Throughout this time, the company’s ethos ‘to work with our partners and deliver world-class engineering solutions’ has remained steadfast.

The group operates internationally in a range of sectors including Transport Infrastructure, Energy and Industrial, to deliver innovative projects for a range of clients and partners.

Always looking to improve the customer experience, Spencer adopts a pioneering approach to problem solving. One example is the company’s SOS system which has been built from the ground up by an in-house team of developers. The Spencer Online System (SOS) is an innovative approach to collaborative working with clients.

Not only does it manage the entire company’s document control, email, time-booking and management processes, it also provides client access which drives open and transparent working practices that give customers real-time information about their projects.

For full workshop detail click here

Constructing the Future: HS2

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