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The voice of project management 15May 2008
Organisational Challenge
Embedding
a project
approachEven consultancies can learn from the discipline of project
management. Donnie MacNicol and Martin O’Neill explain
how they developed a professional project approach at Watson
Wyatt to boost performance.
PROFESSIONAL services companies have
traditionally relied on the technical competence
of their consultants to deliver value to their
customers through assignments, engagements and
commissions. But the past few years has seen ever
increasing pressure on these companies caused
by the need to: be competitive, utilise scarce top
consultant resources wisely, communicate effectively
with customers and stakeholders across the larger
work assignments now being undertaken, and
defend themselves in an increasingly litigious
environment.
Recognising that adoption of the ‘right kind’
of project management could meet these needs,
Martin O’Neill, leader of learning and development
at Watson Wyatt, Europe, invited Donnie MacNicol
of Team Animation to work with him. The aim was
to create and implement a project management
development programme that would enhance the
firm’s consultancy success.
Unwilling to stick to ‘the usual suite of training’
they explored how they would:
n develop a contextualised and pragmatic project
management framework suited to this industry,
n work in partnership with the internal project
management department to add both technical
depth and breadth,
n create inspiring learning that would encourage
consultants to take advantage of the benefits of this
new project management approach,
n reduce risks through planning and control,
n and apply learning methods not typically applied
in this kind of organisation, such as e-learning.
Watson Wyatt advises many of the world’s
leading companies on people and financial issues.
With 7,000 associates in 32 countries, it had much
to consider before embarking on this course
of action. So three years ago, O’Neill and
MacNicol pulled the case for the investment
together.
Through independent customer
satisfaction benchmarking work carried
out across their sector, it soon became
clear that, while customers valued the
technical skills of the consultants, the
perception of Watson Wyatt and their
peers was that they needed to improve
their project management. In particular,
focus was needed on cost estimating,
customer communication and relationship
management. It was also identified that
customer expectations of how projects
are delivered are rising as they increasingly
adopt project management across their own
businesses.
Also, project management
must be structured and
presented as a beneficial
enhancement to the
existing way of working,
not something else
to do as project
management can
be branded,
wrongly, as
bureaucratic.
CUTTING EDGE: Martin O’Neill
recognises that the right kind of
project management could meet
many needs.
16
Organisational Challenge
The benchmarking also concluded that project
management must focus on the core business
metric of profitability (it was therefore able to be
seen by the associates as ‘a good thing to do’), and
that terminology is consistent with what is already
valued and does not pose an added hurdle.
Historically, the role of the project manager has
not been defined in professional services companies.
The role has been split between the lead consultants
and account managers or their equivalents. One reason
for this is that few projects can justify a dedicated
project manager.
During the first year, a simplified and contextualised
project management framework including a
four-staged life cycle was developed to include:
definition, planning, execution and review. Processes
were also developed, equipping the organisation to
deliver even more consistently. This has now been
adopted globally with an update on the internal
knowledge management site so project management is
now easy to access.
The approach has focused on a number of
key principles, namely: clarifying customer
objectives including assumptions etc; developing a
comprehensive scope as a basis for all cost, time and
resource planning; involving the team as much as
possible in the planning; and carrying out reviews to
learn from previous projects.
These are underpinned by the beliefs that: only
things that remain to be done can be managed,
anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and, in
projects, nothing happens unless it is made to happen.
To realise the full value of the investment,
there are a number of functions that must be
aligned to project management. Customer and
account management helps make effective project
management a foundation for successful customer
relations, while financial management links to the
company’s systems and reporting structures to
enhance both.
There is also assignment management to ensure
associates’ work on projects makes best use of their
capability and provides personal development
opportunities. Commercial management is needed
to ensure that cost estimates are structured and
presented to the customer in an appropriate
manner. Finally, quality management, carried out
through an internal program called WorkExcellence
at Watson Wyatt, focuses on doing the right things
and doing them efficiently.
Project management can also provide
considerable value when looking to improve
repetitive or commoditised work. If a sound
scoping exercise is carried out, which is then
improved on through regular reviews, then a
robust, easily contextualised plan can be created,
together with an effective way of working.
A range of learning interventions have been
developed also at Watson Wyatt, fully bespoked
to the company’s needs. The overall objective is
always to encourage a desire in associates to want to
engage with the thinking, because it adds real value
to how they conduct the customers’ projects.
E-learning is a more recent innovation, with
Historically, the
role of the project
manager has
not been defined
in professional
services
companies.
Joined up thinking
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The voice of project management 17May 2008
Organisational Challenge
modules designed specifically to replicate real life
scenarios. They provoke thought and challenge the
participants’ understanding of their responsibilities
and judgements in typical situations. Here, the
modules are specifically designed to highlight
Watson Wyatt’s general project management
framework and principles. Aware of the time
pressures on all participants, all of the modules are
designed in bite-sized chunks, and at the end there
is a toolkit of guidelines, checklists and refresher
tutorials for guidance, ease of access and reference.
Relationship and behaviours are as important
to the successful delivery of projects as the
more technical project management skills, and
development programmes have proved to be an
effective approach in the two programmes that have
been running for the last two years.
Firstly, Working for Profitability, provides an
in-depth classroom development workshop with a
focus on the individual and how they can influence
project success and therefore profitability. Secondly,
Managing for Profitability is an intensive workshop
for teams to work on improving their effectiveness
in the context of project delivery.
Both programmes use a case study derived from
several real projects. This enables all involved to
learn about project management and immediately
apply it in their real world. The “not invented
here” syndrome has been successfully dealt with
through this approach. Watson Wyatt employs
highly talented and educated consultants. In this
kind of culture where intellect is highly valued,
discussion and consensus is also seen as key, thus
the programmes are highly interactive.
Future plans include developing a programme
that will focus on challenging senior managers to
create the climate, culture and environment that
will maximise project success. This programme
would also introduce the concept of programme
management.
But solving real problems can also be an
excellent way of demonstrating the value of
project management thinking. Watson Wyatt and
Team Animation now run bespoke workshops
across Europe, based around materials from the
above programmes. The objective is to take a
team with an issue, problem or transition they
are facing, and work through it, using project
management as the basis of the discussion. This
enables both content and process to be addressed,
and has proven to be a powerful catalyst for
change.
This programme started out as a response to
changes in the marketplace. Given the challenging
environment now faced by professional services
companies, can they be effective without
embracing these concepts?
• Donnie MacNicol is director of Team Animation, a
consultancy for project managers, and chair of the
People Specific Interest Group and member of the Policy
Unit. Martin O’Neill is head of learning and development
for Europe at Watson Wyatt and member of the
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Customer
expectations of
how projects are
deliveredarerising
astheyincreasingly
adopt project
managementacross
theirownbusiness.
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Embedding a project approach - APM Project Article

  • 1. The voice of project management 15May 2008 Organisational Challenge Embedding a project approachEven consultancies can learn from the discipline of project management. Donnie MacNicol and Martin O’Neill explain how they developed a professional project approach at Watson Wyatt to boost performance. PROFESSIONAL services companies have traditionally relied on the technical competence of their consultants to deliver value to their customers through assignments, engagements and commissions. But the past few years has seen ever increasing pressure on these companies caused by the need to: be competitive, utilise scarce top consultant resources wisely, communicate effectively with customers and stakeholders across the larger work assignments now being undertaken, and defend themselves in an increasingly litigious environment. Recognising that adoption of the ‘right kind’ of project management could meet these needs, Martin O’Neill, leader of learning and development at Watson Wyatt, Europe, invited Donnie MacNicol of Team Animation to work with him. The aim was to create and implement a project management development programme that would enhance the firm’s consultancy success. Unwilling to stick to ‘the usual suite of training’ they explored how they would: n develop a contextualised and pragmatic project management framework suited to this industry, n work in partnership with the internal project management department to add both technical depth and breadth, n create inspiring learning that would encourage consultants to take advantage of the benefits of this new project management approach, n reduce risks through planning and control, n and apply learning methods not typically applied in this kind of organisation, such as e-learning. Watson Wyatt advises many of the world’s leading companies on people and financial issues. With 7,000 associates in 32 countries, it had much to consider before embarking on this course of action. So three years ago, O’Neill and MacNicol pulled the case for the investment together. Through independent customer satisfaction benchmarking work carried out across their sector, it soon became clear that, while customers valued the technical skills of the consultants, the perception of Watson Wyatt and their peers was that they needed to improve their project management. In particular, focus was needed on cost estimating, customer communication and relationship management. It was also identified that customer expectations of how projects are delivered are rising as they increasingly adopt project management across their own businesses. Also, project management must be structured and presented as a beneficial enhancement to the existing way of working, not something else to do as project management can be branded, wrongly, as bureaucratic. CUTTING EDGE: Martin O’Neill recognises that the right kind of project management could meet many needs.
  • 2. 16 Organisational Challenge The benchmarking also concluded that project management must focus on the core business metric of profitability (it was therefore able to be seen by the associates as ‘a good thing to do’), and that terminology is consistent with what is already valued and does not pose an added hurdle. Historically, the role of the project manager has not been defined in professional services companies. The role has been split between the lead consultants and account managers or their equivalents. One reason for this is that few projects can justify a dedicated project manager. During the first year, a simplified and contextualised project management framework including a four-staged life cycle was developed to include: definition, planning, execution and review. Processes were also developed, equipping the organisation to deliver even more consistently. This has now been adopted globally with an update on the internal knowledge management site so project management is now easy to access. The approach has focused on a number of key principles, namely: clarifying customer objectives including assumptions etc; developing a comprehensive scope as a basis for all cost, time and resource planning; involving the team as much as possible in the planning; and carrying out reviews to learn from previous projects. These are underpinned by the beliefs that: only things that remain to be done can be managed, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and, in projects, nothing happens unless it is made to happen. To realise the full value of the investment, there are a number of functions that must be aligned to project management. Customer and account management helps make effective project management a foundation for successful customer relations, while financial management links to the company’s systems and reporting structures to enhance both. There is also assignment management to ensure associates’ work on projects makes best use of their capability and provides personal development opportunities. Commercial management is needed to ensure that cost estimates are structured and presented to the customer in an appropriate manner. Finally, quality management, carried out through an internal program called WorkExcellence at Watson Wyatt, focuses on doing the right things and doing them efficiently. Project management can also provide considerable value when looking to improve repetitive or commoditised work. If a sound scoping exercise is carried out, which is then improved on through regular reviews, then a robust, easily contextualised plan can be created, together with an effective way of working. A range of learning interventions have been developed also at Watson Wyatt, fully bespoked to the company’s needs. The overall objective is always to encourage a desire in associates to want to engage with the thinking, because it adds real value to how they conduct the customers’ projects. E-learning is a more recent innovation, with Historically, the role of the project manager has not been defined in professional services companies. Joined up thinking PRINCE2TM integrated training online,classroom,CD,intranet or switch to suit TM www.tpgacademy.com Joined up thinking TM APMP integrated training credits given for further qualifications www.tpgacademy.com Joined up thinking PRINCE2TM integrated training online,classroom,CD,intranet or switch to suit TM www.tpgacademy.com Joined up thinking TM APMP integrated training credits given for further qualifications www.tpgacademy.com Joined up thinking PRINCE2TM integrated training online,classroom,CD,intranetorblended TM www.tpgacademy.com Tel: 020 8722 8389 TM APMP integrated training credits given for further qualifications www.tpgacademy.com Tel: 020 8722 8389 ThePRINCE2Cityscapelogo™isaTradeMarkoftheOfficeofGovernmentCommerceintheUnitedKingdomandothercountries PRINCE2™isaTradeMarkoftheOfficeofGovernmentCommerce Joined up thinking
  • 3. The voice of project management 17May 2008 Organisational Challenge modules designed specifically to replicate real life scenarios. They provoke thought and challenge the participants’ understanding of their responsibilities and judgements in typical situations. Here, the modules are specifically designed to highlight Watson Wyatt’s general project management framework and principles. Aware of the time pressures on all participants, all of the modules are designed in bite-sized chunks, and at the end there is a toolkit of guidelines, checklists and refresher tutorials for guidance, ease of access and reference. Relationship and behaviours are as important to the successful delivery of projects as the more technical project management skills, and development programmes have proved to be an effective approach in the two programmes that have been running for the last two years. Firstly, Working for Profitability, provides an in-depth classroom development workshop with a focus on the individual and how they can influence project success and therefore profitability. Secondly, Managing for Profitability is an intensive workshop for teams to work on improving their effectiveness in the context of project delivery. Both programmes use a case study derived from several real projects. This enables all involved to learn about project management and immediately apply it in their real world. The “not invented here” syndrome has been successfully dealt with through this approach. Watson Wyatt employs highly talented and educated consultants. In this kind of culture where intellect is highly valued, discussion and consensus is also seen as key, thus the programmes are highly interactive. Future plans include developing a programme that will focus on challenging senior managers to create the climate, culture and environment that will maximise project success. This programme would also introduce the concept of programme management. But solving real problems can also be an excellent way of demonstrating the value of project management thinking. Watson Wyatt and Team Animation now run bespoke workshops across Europe, based around materials from the above programmes. The objective is to take a team with an issue, problem or transition they are facing, and work through it, using project management as the basis of the discussion. This enables both content and process to be addressed, and has proven to be a powerful catalyst for change. This programme started out as a response to changes in the marketplace. Given the challenging environment now faced by professional services companies, can they be effective without embracing these concepts? • Donnie MacNicol is director of Team Animation, a consultancy for project managers, and chair of the People Specific Interest Group and member of the Policy Unit. Martin O’Neill is head of learning and development for Europe at Watson Wyatt and member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Customer expectations of how projects are deliveredarerising astheyincreasingly adopt project managementacross theirownbusiness. Joined up thinking TM MSP integrated training Continuing support for lifelong learning www.tpgacademy.com Joined up thinking TM PPM DIPLOMA integrated training Build on success with‘top up’modules www.tpgacademy.com Joined up thinking TM MSP integrated training Continuing support for lifelong learning www.tpgacademy.com Joined up thinking TM PPM DIPLOMA integrated training Build on success with‘top up’modules www.tpgacademy.com TM MSP TM integrated training continuing support for lifelong learning www.tpgacademy.com Tel: 020 8722 8389 TM PPM DIPLOMA integrated training exemptions for previous study www.tpgacademy.com Tel: 020 8722 8389 MSPTM isaTradeMarkoftheOfficeofGovernmentCommerce TheSwirllogo™isaTradeMarkoftheOfficeofGovernmentCommerce Joined up thinking Joined up thinking