Challenges and Opportunities in establishing a strong Project Controls Culture in a large organisation.

1. “Challenges and opportunities in
establishing a strong project controls
practice and culture in a large
organisation.”
ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA
16 OCTOBER 2018
A Journey of Eighteen Years, Seven Months and Seven Days in
Project Controls in the Department of Defence.
Week Five, Day Two - on “The Other Side”.
Note: All information in this
presentation is from publicly available
data and sources.

2. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
What are these Project Controls?
PAGE 2
Cost Management – How much to acquire and sustain the capability?
(Estimation, Analysis and Control) (Whole of Life Cost)
Schedule Management – How long to undertake the activities needed to acquire
and sustain capability?
Risk Management – How complex is this Capability? Are there interdependencies?
Can this be delivered and sustained?
Workforce Estimation and Planning – Skills (Who) and how many do we need?
When do we need the Who?
Earned Value Management – How are we tracking against the plan for budget and
schedule?

3. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Integrated Project Controls
PAGE 3
Scope
Workforce Schedule
Risk Cost

4. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Why Project Controls
PAGE 4
• Proactive Controls lead to Proactive Management.​
• Project Controls provide the data and insight to support Project
Management and Delivery.​
• Controls tell us when we are going to deviate from the plan.​
• Forward looking – advance notice, not retrospective ​
• Opportunity to correct the course before hitting the Iceberg.​

5. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
The Challenges
PAGE 5
• Size
• Many Moving Parts
• Reform
• People and Skills - Train
and Retain
• Setting Priorities

6. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Size Does Matter – Money
PAGE 6
The Government will provide Defence with $36.4 billion in 2018–19 and
$160.7 billion over the Forward Estimates.
Over the next decade from 2018–19, the $200 billion Integrated Investment
Program demonstrates the Government’s commitment to creating a more
potent and capable Defence Force, through programs such as:
· The continuous naval shipbuilding program (around $90 billion)
· The 5th generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, along with the acquisition of EA-18G Growlers and P-
8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft
· The purchase of a fleet of new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles to protect our troops.
Challenge: Managing big programs with big budgets, long delivery
schedules, many types of risk, integrated programs

7. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Size Does Matter - People
PAGE 7
The ADF has a strength of just under 80,000 full-time personnel and active
reservists.
The permanent ADF workforce will grow to around 62,400 over the next
decade to 2025‐26.
The APS workforce is being rebalanced - an APS workforce of around
18,200 – down from 22,300 in June 2012.
• 18% decrease in APS workforce = increased reliance on Industry to
deliver services and support = potential increased cost = potential
impact to capability (reduced budget to buy ‘stuff’)
Challenge: Large Diverse Workforce, Many cultures, Right People, Right
Skills, Right Time, Efficient use of Public Monies

8. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Many Moving Parts – A Complete Capability, Many
Hands, Manage the Money
PAGE 8
Must consider all Fundamental Inputs to Capability to ensure
completeness of scope, planning and risk management:
1. Command and Management 2. Organisation
3. Major Systems 4. Personnel
5. Supplies 6. Support
7. Facilities 8. Collective Training 9. Industry
These are not all delivered by one Group, so need to ensure Defence-
wide Integration and Coordination.
Challenge: Integrated Master Schedules, Potential Competing Priorities,
Complex Management Structures

9. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Many moving parts – A Complete Capability,
Many Hands, Manage the Money
PAGE 9
• Biannual Update to the Integrated Investment Program, in line with
Budget Estimates and Additional Estimates
• May drive rebalancing priorities
• Funding is highly contested
• Very limited opportunity to move funds across years or programs – you
can’t always get what you want…
•Cash versus Accrual
Challenge: Potential Competing Priorities, Complex Management
Structures, Large Data to Analyse and Provide Insight on

10. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Reform
PAGE 10
• Numerous Reform programs over many years.
• A constantly Evolving Organisation.
• Restructure the Organisation
• Resize the workforce
• Change how we do business
• New Capabilities (technologies) to support
Challenge: “Maybe we can just sit this out and it will all go
away” (Change Resistance and Fatigue), How to win hearts
to change.

11. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Let’s face it folks…….We’re tired……
PAGE 11

12. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
People and Skills – Train and Retain
PAGE 12
The APS workforce (18,200) is changing in composition, skills and
generational expectations:
• Highly mobile
• Motivated by flexibility
• Rapid advancement
• Not necessarily one role for life
• Seek recognition and reward
Challenge – How do we attract, skill, grow and retain our
Apprentices who we need to one day be Masters? How do we
help Industry grow the skills needed too?

13. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Setting priorities
PAGE 13
Challenge: Where do we start with establishing the practices
and culture we want, yet continue to deliver BAU and
Reform, in this evolving organisation and with this changing
and reducing workforce?

14. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
The Opportunities
PAGE 14
• Size
• Many Moving Parts
• Reform
• People and Skills - Train
and Retain
• Setting Priorities

15. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Opportunity Knocks (Answer The Door!)
PAGE 15
Size – It’s all too big!
• That means there are lots of people who need help!
• Operation Champion
• Find someone who needs helps with a problem and solve it (not all
problems have to be tricky)
• Look for High Value, Quick Answer Opportunities
• Provide Smart Advice supported by Evidence
• Make a Convert, Create a Champion
• Advertise the life out of the success

16. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Opportunity Knocks (Answer The Door!)
PAGE 16
Many Moving Parts – It’s all too complicated!
• Again, that means there are lots of people who need help!
• Operation Simplicity
• If I could just fix one thing, what would it be?
• How can I pull the pieces apart to take complexity to simplicity?
• Then how do I put the picture back together?
• Provide Smart Advice supported by Evidence (there’s a pattern
here…)
• Advertise the life out of the success
• Repeat process

17. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Opportunity Knocks (Answer The Door!)
PAGE 17
Reform – “It’s too much and we’re all too tired!”
• So…..let’s fix this once and for all!
• Operation Get It Done
• JUST START!! Just DO IT!
• Ask the Practitioners
• What do they want?
• Then make it happen WITH them
• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
• Document processes, follow them, improve them.
• Provide Smart Advice supported by Evidence (hmmmm…)

18. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Opportunity Knocks (Answer The Door!)
PAGE 18
People and Skills - Train and Retain
• We don’t know what this workforce wants…so how do we keep
them?
• Operation Get Smart
• Ask the Practitioners
• What do they want?
• What works for them?
• How will they help?
• Evolve into new ways of learning and working
• Involve Industry
• Provide Smart Advice supported by Evidence...

19. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Opportunity Knocks (Answer The Door!)
PAGE 19
Setting Priorities
• We don’t know where to start!
• ANSWER: Operation Choose Something
• Maybe don’t try to solve this question alone
• Ask people - What do they want?
• Find a friend and split the work
• Get started!
• Be prepared for a First Attempt In Learning
• Evolve into new ways of working, let the impossible go
• Provide Smart Advice supported by Evidence…

20. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
Other Challenges which are Opportunities
PAGE 20
• Project Controls Tools (One Suite please!)
• Supporting Infrastructure and Technology
• Budgets
• Political influences
• Balanced Matrix Implementation
• Integrating Project Controls into other Processes /
Opportunities such as:
• Smart Buyer, Independent Assurance Reviews and SCRAM

21. Presentation name – Presentation ID
Client name, department or agency
The Ultimate Answer to how to make it Happen
PAGE 21
• Project Controls is skilled People, providing strong analysis
supported by evidence, to enable sound decision making.

22. Thank you