Opening presentation for SWWE branch day seminar 2nd March 2016

1. “Planning, Scheduling,
Monitoring & Control
The Practical Project Management of Time,
Cost and Risk”
2nd March 2016

2. Paul Kidston – Head of Project Control
Taylor Woodrow
Simon Taylor – Head of Planning
High Speed 2 programme
Us

3. 1

4. PMC SIG Formed
20162010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
So
PMC SIG Formed
Agree a Structure
Gather and Write
20162010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
PMC SIG Formed
Agree a Structure
Gather and Write
Form Subcommittee
Target for Completion
Writing
20162010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
PMC SIG Formed
Agree a Structure
Gather and Write
Form Subcommittee
Target for Completion
Writing
20162010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
PMC SIG Formed
Agree a Structure
Gather and Write
Form Subcommittee
Target for Completion
Writing
Publishing
Book Launch
20162010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

5. Is this the best planning book ever
published?
• Is it practical –guidance that can be used?
• Is it practical –the basis for qualifications?
• Is it practical – can anyone read it and
understand the concepts within it?

6. The Guide
The Exams
Qualifications
Training
Capability
Up

7. 3

8. Project Value approx. £8 million; 19 months
In month 22: declared loss £600,000 £2,400,000
An anonymous Project…
By month 20 the projected end date = Month 24
And the forecast completion slipped to month 26
Review noted that the bid was “Quite tight but
achievable” re cost and time.

9. Report concludes:
There was a fundamental flaw in the way Progress
was reported... 15-20% ahead of reality.
An anonymous Project…Project Review
Consequently End Cost forecasts and the Project
was also incorrectly valued approx. 15-20% ahead
of reality.
Consequently the Project Managers reporting was
inaccurate as they were based upon flawed
progress, end cost forecasts and valuation
information.

10. Report concludes:
“The companies failure to identify the losses and
delays at an early stage has denied us the
opportunity of taking mitigating action to minimise
its losses… “
An anonymous Project…Project Review
“This would not have happened if they had put EVA
in place”

11. 4

21. • ‘Emily test’ (& Flesch Kincaid)
The Book

22. Flesch Kincaid Reading Grades (US)
• Performance Reporting 8.8
• Planning 8.9
• Scheduling 8.9
• BIM/Agile 11.1
• Overview 13.5
• Forensic Planning 16.2
Other sections are in between these scores, so
reading range is approx. 14-21 years old

23. • ‘Emily test’ (& Flesch Kincaid)
• Reference guide to dip into
• Over 130 Illustrations
• Extensive peer review
• Written entirely by volunteers
• Feedback.
The Book

25. Book Reviews and Feedback
"I believe that this publication has captured the best practices for planning
and will become the reference document of note for organisations and
their teams during future project deliveries.“
-David Birch
Head of Project Controls, National Grid,
Formerly head of programme controls, ODA
"This book offers comprehensive coverage of ‘all’ the relevant topics that
make up that knowledge and it is structured in such a practical way that
gaining that knowledge is easily done. It is clear, concise and simple in its
structure with clear graphics and simple referencing.
-Simon Addyman
Project Director, London Underground

26. Book Reviews and Feedback
“a brilliant piece of reading. It is user friendly and very easy to digest; well
done!”
-Private correspondent, new to planning
“…rich insight from the collective wisdom of practitioners across multiple
industries. Good job! Well done to all team members whom contributed to
this practical guidance on the planning aspects of preparing and
executing a project, delivering it safely and controlling its delivery.”
-Richard E. Renshaw MBA, Amazon review

27. Book Reviews and Feedback
“… it offers the opportunity for the project management community to
implement …tools within different project contexts and hence push the
boundaries of our existing knowledge. That can only be a good thing and I
commend the book for such an approach and urge practitioners to make
full use of the opportunity in front of them to take project management to
its next level”
-Simon Addyman
Project Director, London Underground
“If you work in the field of Project Control keep a copy in your desk and
you will never get caught out and forget a key step you need to take on all
aspects of Planning, Scheduling, Monitoring and Control.”
-Simon Springate Head of Project Controls,
Europe at CH2M HILL

28. Is this the best planning book ever
published?

29. How to get hold of the guide.
 APM: https://www.apm.org.uk/Planning-
Monitoring-Scheduling-Control
 Amazon
• Feedback: pmcsig@apm.org.uk

30. Questions & Discussion

31. A Parting word…
The trouble with plans is that they tend to be
expressions of hope…
Everybody feels that they should have a plan, but
the plan merely says what they would like to happen
rather than what they will actually achieve…
So plans only reveal what people wish for.
The only way of finding out what they will actually do
is to watch them. Then you know what might happen
in the future – because most people do what they
have always done.
(paraphrased from) Alexander McCall Smith.