The PMO at the Skills Funding Agency provides portfolio management, quality assurance, training and other support functions to around 30 projects with an annual budget of £60 million. It faces challenges from organizational restructuring, changing supplier models, and new development approaches. Questions remain about how the PMO can best support change, operate with multiple suppliers, and adapt to more agile development methods.

1. PMO & Assurance
Wednesday 5 March 2014
Presented by:
Gary Perkins & Caitlin Davidson
Welcome

2. Introduction &
Agenda

3. Introduction
Caitlin Davidson: PMO PSO Manager
Gary Perkins: PMO Assurance Manager

4. Agenda
●
Background
●
PMO Function
●
Assurance Approach
●
Challenges (Existing and New)
●
Discussion and Questions

5. Background

6. Skills Funding Agency
●
Established in 2009 following the demise of the
Learning & Skills Council, and prior to that the
Further Education Funding Council;
●
Partner organisation of the Department for
Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS);
●
Agency role is to fund and promote adult further
education (FE) and skills training in England, including
Traineeships and Apprenticeships, in a way that
supports economic growth.

7. Skills Funding Agency
●
Deliver £4.1 billion of skills training through contracts
with over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations
and employers;
●
Within the Skills Funding Agency, there are two
customer-facing services:
National Apprenticeship Service, and;
National Careers Service;
●
Host the Information Authority.

8. Programme Delivery
●
Responsible for delivery of IT Programmes and
Projects within the Skills Funding Agency;
●
Annual delivery value circa £60M;
●
Typically around 6 Programmes and 30 Projects at
any point in time;
●
Internal team circa 90;
●
Main development supplier Capgemini.

9. Programme Delivery
●
Increasingly delivering sector-wide public-facing systems

10. Programme Management Office
●
PMO Team comprises 8 in the Central PMO
function which delivers:
Portfolio Management
Programme & Project Management QMS
Guidance & Training
Assurance
Central Support Functions
●
Typically 15 Project Support Officers who
are embedded within Programmes & Projects;
●
This is NOT a corporate function within the Agency.

11. PMO Function

12. PMO Functions
●
Portfolio Management;
●
Developing and Maintaining our Quality Management
System;
●
Training & Support;
●
Assurance;
●
Central Support Function;
●
Programme and Project Support.

13. Portfolio Management
●
Manages portfolio of Programmes and Projects;
●
Manages ICT Moratorium Process;
●
Ensures the strategic alignment of Projects;
●
Supports business case development;
●
Services Corporate Governance Boards.

14. Quality Management System
●
Based on MSP and PRINCE2;
●
Guidance, templates and checklists;
●
Reviewed on an annual cycle;
●
Amended to reflect „learning from experience‟;
●
Branded as the „Programme Delivery Governance
Framework‟;
●
Available from the Programme Delivery PMO
Knowledge Store Teamsite.

15. Quality Management System

16. Templates

17. Guidance

18. Best Practice

19. Delivery Models

20. Delivery Models

21. Checklists

22. Training & Support
●
Drop-in sessions and mentoring;
●
Briefings and Masterclasses;
●
Information Notes and Newsletters;
●
Available to Programme and Project Managers;
●
Available to SROs and Project Executives.

23. Assurance
●
Focus on Governance and Controls;
●
Varied range of approaches;
●
Internal team of 3 supplemented by additional
resource as required;
●
Internal Assurance for Director of Programme Delivery;
●
Increasingly External Assurance for SROs;
●
Assurance Function subject to bi-annual Internal Audit,
reviewing standards and application.

24. Central Support Functions
●
Consolidating Programme and Project information;
●
Supporting Corporate Governance Boards;
●
Supporting the financial investment process;
●
Managing and supporting the new Programme &
Project Management Tool.

25. Programme and Project Support
●
Project Support Officers (PSOs);
●
Centrally managed service;
●
Flexible supply chain;
●
Standard approach;
●
Supporting the Assurance function.

26. Assurance
Approach

27. Internal Assurance
●
For Director of Programme Delivery;
●
Focus on assuring that standards defined in the
Programme Delivery PMO QMS are applied;
●
Greater reliance on process driven assurance:
Gated Reviews
Monthly Operational Reviews
Checklists.
●
Healthchecks and Post-Project Reviews;
●
Supported by embedded PSOs.

28. External Assurance
●
Increasingly working more closely with SROs;
●
Raising the Profile of the SRO Role;
●
SRO Support Initiative. This includes:
Initial Briefings
Training (APM PPM Sponsorship)
Established Network
SRO Guidance & Support Teamsite
Regular Newsletter; „SRO Brief‟.
●
Offering Independent Assurance directly to SROs;
●
Formal Executive Sponsorship.

29. Role of the SRO and Governance
is Currently a Hot Topic

30. SRO Guidance & Support

31. External Assurance
●
Starting to utilise the MPA Integrated Assurance and
Approvals (IAA) approach;
●
Developing IAA Strategies & Plans for all major
Programme Delivery Programmes;
●
Developing Assurance Statements for minor
Programme Delivery Programmes.
.

32. External Assurance
●
Fully engage with MPA OGC Gateway Review
process via BIS Departmental Assurance
Co-ordinator;
●
RPAs completed and returned for EVERY Programme
and Project within the Programme Delivery Portfolio;
●
45 OGC Gateway Reviews conducted in last 5 years;
●
Approach now welcomed and trusted by (most) SROs.

33. External Assurance
●
Independent Programme and Project Healthchecks
conducted by:
PMO Assurance Team
Broader Programme Delivery Team
Independent Contractors
Atkins – PMO Supply Partner;
●
Governance Board Reviews and Assessments;
●
Process Spot-checks (internal and external).

34. Challenges

35. As Johnny Nash observed…….
There are More Questions than Answers

36. Existing Challenges
●
●
Not a Corporate PMO;
●
Lack of separation between Guidance & Support
and Assurance roles;
●
Lack of clarity around escalation of issues;
●
Conflict of interest when working with SROs;
●
Credibility and independence.

37. It can sometimes feel like this………
…….though we have made progress.

38. New Challenges
Organisational Restructure
●
●
Reducing headcount from 1,357 to 925;
●
Significant changes to organisation structure;
●
Loss of many experienced staff;
●
Uncertainty about the new role, scale and
location of the PMO moving forward.

39. New Challenges
Changing Supplier Model
●
●
●
Currently one tier 1 supplier (Capgemini); box once read:
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Currently re-letting this contract for October 2014; as the
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In line with Government policy, multiple contracts will
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Moving towards cloud based hosting;
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Significant implications for PMO functions.

40. New Challenges
Changing Development Approaches
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Currently largely Waterfall;
●
Move towards Agile in line with
Strategy;
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Currently developing skills within Programme
Delivery and the Agency;
●
What is the impact on the PMO and Assurance?

41. Discussion &
Questions

42. ●
Benefits of a PMO in supporting organisational change?
●
Impact of multi-supplier model on a PMO?
●
What does Agile mean to a PMO?