Sellafield Limited

Establishing a baseline of excellent management skills for Project Controls

Challenges

Workshop-based approach to give Project Controls leaders an opportunity to work together in their development – maximising consistency of approach and adding a ‘team build’ element. Cohorts were mixed in terms of seniority in order to provide challenges at all levels and further drive consistency of approach and expectation.

Results

Excellent feedback from both Project Controls senior management and individual leaders at all levels. The programme met the overall objective of achieving a one point uplift in capability based on the client’s own baseline measure and the programme achieved a 90% approval rating across all participants. The programme was embedded within an overall learning strategy to maximise performance impact and transfer of learning to the working environment.

The brief

Uplifting management capability and professionalism across the organisation and enabling the seamless withdrawal of nuclear joint venture colleagues.

Due to a major change in the supplier partnership arrangements GBS was commissioned to design a leadership development programme for around 60 managers at all levels within a major division of Sellafield, Project Controls, responsible for overseeing all company projects. The audience comprised managers transferred from other parts of the organisation, well established members of the management team and others completely new to the business.

Through the programme as a whole, Project Controls was seeking to achieve
• a high performance culture
• assertive management of individuals and projects
• best practice in customer, stakeholder and partnership management
• a culture of continuous professional development for managers and their teams
• inspiring leadership for the profession

Engagement & Design

GBS engaged in meetings with Project Controls Senior Management, including representatives from the departing NJV team and conducted a needs analysis to establish detailed objectives and requirements for the programme. This resulted in a detailed proposal document setting out

• programme aims and objectives
• a high level programme outline
• design rationale
• detailed outlines for each programme module, including outcomes, objectives and content
• mapping of the programme to nationally recognised project management/controls competencies
• proposals for evaluation and measuring capability uplift

This document enabled rapid agreement and sign-off so that our Senior Consultant could quickly move on to the detailed design phase and subsequent rollout.

It was agreed with the client that the GBS trainer would both design and deliver the programme – ensuring consistency and allowing them to develop an in-depth understanding of the Project Controls environment and the challenges faced by its leaders. This understanding was underpinned by detailed orientation work undertaken by us prior to the design phase.

Programme material included specially designed case studies, scenarios and exercises tailored to the Project Controls environment to invoke both relevance and realism. Client consultation during the design phase also enabled us to encompass learning methods to suit the delegates.

Together with the continuity provided by a dedicated programme trainer, these approaches significantly enhanced the credibility of the workshops.

The programme was delivered to five cohorts of 12 leaders, with modules scheduled over a three-month period, allowing time for transfer of learning between each module.

Delivery

The ‘Leading Project Controls’ programme comprised five core modules, together with a number of electives; whilst the order of the modules dictated by operational considerations.

GBS chose a workshop-based approach as the client felt strongly that an opportunity should be created for Project Controls leaders to work together in their development – maximising consistency of approach and adding a ‘team build’ element. In addition, both senior and first line managers attended the same workshops in order to provide challenges at all levels and further drive consistency of approach and expectation.

Outcomes

Feedback was excellent across all levels of management. The programme met the overall objective of achieving a one point uplift in capability based on the client’s own baseline measure and the programme achieved a 90% approval rating across all participants.

As a result of the successful Project Controls programme, GBS was commissioned to deliver a similar programme for Risk Management at Sellafield.