Successful Projects
In todays organisations
AUGUST 2009
Organisations today have to deal with numerous projects and programmes while managing business
as usual within a fast paced and often changing environment. The skills required to manage success
across a portfolio of initiatives are complex and require the discipline to manage a multitude of criti-
cal paths. A decision made in one area can have a rippling effect throughout the organization that has
unintended impact the bottom line.
In the past resources were allocated to projects. Today you allocate projects to resources to make sure
that they are fully utilized and therefore cost effective. If many of your resources are sub-contracted
this becomes even more critical to ensure variable costs are contributing to the achievement of pro-
gram objectives .
Today decision making is not around whether a single project can deliver to time cost quality. It is
about
 determining whether the organisation has sufficient project management capacity and skills to
deliver the total project portfolio successfully
 understanding the impact a management decision to change the prioritisation of projects within
the portfolio has on achieving the bottom line or other strategic objectives.
Even at the individual project level there are still many significant barriers to achieving success. The
UK’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC) identified y the following reasons for project failure:
 Lack of clear links between the project and the organisation's key strategic priori-
ties ,including agreed measures of success
 Lack of clear senior management and Ministerial ownership and leadership.
 Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders.
 Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management.
 Too little attention to breaking development and implementation into manageable steps.
 Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money
(especially securing delivery of business benefits).
 Lack of understanding of, and contact with the supply industry at senior levels in the organisa-
tion.
 Lack of effective project team integration between clients, the supplier team and the supply
chain.
Programme and project management skills can be improved in your organisations with fo-
cused coaching capability.
It has been shown, through research in to coaching, that
 the average return on professional coaching is on average 5.7 times the original investment.
 increases in productivity reported as 53%
 respondents reporting improved relationships with staff reporting to them — 73%
Source:
Maximising the Impact of Executive Coaching
By McGovern, Lindemann, Vergara, Murphy, Barker and Warrenfeltz

About Trans4rm.
Trans4rm is led by Eleri Evans. She has a background as a Project Director in in
Phone: 0776 232 8462 Global Corporations and is a Professional Coach. Eleri has sold, implemented change
eleri.evans@trans4rm.org.uk
and delivered solutions for the Public Sector, Financial Services and Telco markets.
Winner of the Gold Award for Electronic Trading in the Guardian MCA Awards 2004
(Highlighting Best Practice in Management Consultancy) for delivery of e-Voting for
local elections. Winner of Unisys Gold Award for delivery of the same programme.
Experience is supported by a degree in Mathematics, MBA in Project Management
and a Certificate in Coaching which is accredited by the International Coaching Fed-
eration (ICF).
Eleri’s deep experience in implementing Best Practice in Programmes and Projects
has been brought together with Coaching Best Practice to provide a set of services
focused on improving the performance of an organisations Programme & Project
capability.
Services
The art of progress is Project / Programme Organisation Assessments
to preserve order amid
A preliminary assessment of your organisations capability, including program re-
change and to preserve sources and skills match to anticipated project outcomes
change amid order. Consultancy and Programme for Senior Managers
Alfred North To facilitate you to lead your project organisations to reach their full potential.
Whitehead Coaching Programme the Programme Managers and Project Managers for suc-
cess.
To transform your programme and project managers to plan for and relause success
and to create organisation momentum that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Team Coaching.
For key project teams to focus them on critical project goals.
Why a Coaching and Training combined programme.
 Training plans – recommended training to fill any knowledge gaps
 Coaching with an aim to build awareness, responsibility and self-belief in order
to:
 Clarify organisational and personal or team goals
 Create ownership of issues and problems with the individual responsi-
ble for their resolution.
 Draw clearer distinctions regarding present connections, situations and
future directions
A complex system that
 See the possibilities and analysing which path is best
works is invariably  Increased Communication
found to have evolved  Achieve more, in less time with better use of tea resources
 Create more productive relationships with colleagues, at whatever level
from a simple system
 The ability to positively reframe negative experiences and move on
that works productively
 Less stress, more success
John Gall.
Contact Tel: 0776 232 8462
Eleri Evans E-mail: eleri.evans@trans4rm.org.uk