The purpose was to create a Centre of Excellence for programme and project management in order to significantly improve the Council’s ability to realise its ambitious strategies and objectives. The Council employed the services of Paul Ovington as Interim Head of Programme & Project Management for a 3 month period to launch this new initiative and to guide it through its embryonic stage. At this time the Council were gearing up to implement a major Change Programme of improvement.

Paul led a small group of programme managers and project support personnel to pursue a number of key objectives. These objectives included:

• Introducing the division to effective project and programme management, including training and mentoring
• Giving the Council an overview of the whole field of project management
• Organisation of a cross-Council survey of 28 Heads of Service in order to establish current project management practices and perspectives
• Design of a potential training programme for the whole Council
• Development of an initial Project Management System for the Council in the form of a well-structured project procedures manual
• Communication and launch of the new initiative to Council Directors, Heads of Service, and Members
• Proposal for a new two-tier programme board structure to facilitate the effective delivery of corporate objectives
• Identification of a network of existing, potential, and actual project managers across the Council as a prelude to effective communications and corporate capability improvement

Paul created a good rapport within his team and they worked very well together to produce a good foundation for the Council to build upon. 

"We were grateful for the structured Project Management System, which will facilitate the unification of the Council’s project processes and methodology."

At the end of March 2005, Paul performed a successful handover to a permanent Head of Programme & Project Management. Paul’s work during this 3 month period was a significant contribution to the Council’s future success in adopting a more project focused approach