PMI New Zealand Chapter
Wellington Conference Programme
Preliminary Programme / Speakers – Watch this space for further announcements!
An introduction to the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in the Public Sector
As increasing numbers of organisations within our Public Sector look at ways to scale their agile delivery, this session provides an overview of what SAFe (the Scaled Agile Framework) is and why so many government agencies are choosing this approach.
Join Erika as she explains the ‘big picture’, key roles and responsibilities, and even more acronyms! She will also share some of the challenges and learnings she has gained from introducing SAFe at ACC and Auckland Council, and will answer any questions you might have on this topic.
Becoming a Value Amplifier
A conversation on how the P3M profession must change from a process/method mind-set to one that is focused on business value. Introduction of a value management methodology will be included. Value themes and types will also be shared to create a complete philosophy that has ready-to-implement steps for success.
Iain will present his thoughts on the leadership role focus required for todays’ volatile world. His presentation shall use a combination of research data, anecdotal evidence and personal reflection on leadership and offer insights and a path towards the future.
Cultivating Change Makers in the Public Sector
In this new era of an ever-changing world, countries and policy makers are uniting to combat the climate crisis and implement sustainable development strategies at all levels of the public and private sector’s structure. To build a safer, fairer, better future for everyone it’s crucial for the public sector to empower young professionals, Change Makers now more than ever.
According to the PMI Youth’s recent study, 41% of the worldwide population are under 25 years old and 33% of countries consult people under 25 when making national development plans. For countries to meet the urgency and speed of change, building a resilience based agile system is extremely important — collaborating and involving Change Makers will accelerate this process exponentially as the young professionals are evidently more eager to make a change and open to new ideas than any other generations.
By creating more leadership opportunities for young professionals, the public sector will not only gain diverse, inclusive insight into public policy development but will help the future leaders to gain more confidence, formal and practical training which are what the majority of young professionals are looking for.
Don’t Risk Your Decision - Stay Informed With Accurate Visual Information
Too many key business decisions are being made on instinct not data. When data is introduced, it is often misinterpreted, unclear or simply not useful for the organisation. Project management is an extremely “data rich” activity. At any point of time, project managers (project management practitioners, in general) need to capture, transfer, document, and communicate project data from different aspects and across different work streams.
Traditionally project management has relied on visualised information such as Gantt charts, Work breakdown structures, Process Diagrams, Stakeholder organisation charts, etc. which have been beneficial in their own way but are unable to tell the collective story of project status and/or performance. The benefits of such approaches remained limited mainly within the specific group and team and often looked at in isolation. However, their value is missed out within the wider groups in projects/ businesses.
There are numbers of research studies which address the challenges with traditional tools and demonstrate the benefits of data visualisation over the last decade. But there is still a gap from the real world aspect with limited uptake.
This presentation uses a gamification to engage attendees to experience data visualisation while providing them with a Lean tool (5S) to benefit the cultural side of a data-driven transformation journey.
“It’s time to reduce risk by first getting access to the data that is actually useful. And then having it presented in a way that offers clarity and meaning, enabling decision makers to back themselves when critical organisational change needs to be made.”
Governance and the Management of Portfolios and Programmes
Businesses increasingly see the importance of Project / Programme / Portfolio Management (P3M) with appropriate Governance as the means for delivering business strategy. This presentation will identify and understand the key roles and responsibilities, discuss the tools to enhance inter-project coordination and assist in making better investment decisions and the management of changing priorities.
These attributes can greatly enhance the success rate for projects/programs and the wider portfolio within your organisation.
Industry HR Panel
Join our three panellists Karen Clarke, Kamahl Connor and Rachel Allen in this key discussion affecting companies across the Project Management Sectors.
Local Government - Decision Making and Decision Makers
Local government decision making can seem illogical, bureaucratic, impenetrable and downright incomprehensible. That’s when you’re working in it. From an outsider’s perspective, it can seem a little peculiar. Navigating the local government decision making processes is an art form. It requires the ability to think in multiple timeframes simultaneously. Without a rock solid understanding of governance and management decision making processes, it is almost impossible to achieve significant change or deliver complex projects.
In order to get projects started and completed, an understanding of the invisible political processes and nuances is mission critical, as is a good knowledge of where you are in the life cycle of local government. This presentation covers the ten year planning process, the three year life cycle, the annual update, how decision making is sustained throughout a project, what governance means in a local government context, the role of the two (or three) types of governance (at elected and operational level), tricks and tips to getting things done, the psychology of an elected member, and how not to annoy one, how to communicate effectively if you are presenting to elected members, what to do if your project gets a wobble on, language and jargon, volume of information, high risk seasons.
This presentation is funny, useful and does not come with powerpoint slides.
Optimism Bias in Business Cases – Why projects repeatedly under-estimate their costs, and what you can do to fix it
Optimism bias is the term given to the tendency of project business cases to under-estimate a project’s capital costs and schedule, and overstate benefits. Optimism Bias is a significant factor under-pinning project cost escalation, schedule delays, and stakeholder dissatisfaction plaguing large government projects and media-interest in them.
Pre-Covid, typical optimism bias errors in capital costs have been estimated, at submission of the Detailed Business Case (DBC) (i.e. pre-tender) to be as high as 50% for non-standard construction projects, and 200% for ICT software/systems development projects (source: UK HM Treasury’s ‘Supplementary Green Book Guidance – Optimism Bias’).
With Covid though, research on the causes of Optimism Bias tell us that the under-estimation of costs in project business cases is going to worsen. In Covid there are greater cost and delivery time pressures from funders, and less effective stakeholder engagement and lower P3M maturity levels driven by the world’s Zoom-intensive collaboration culture.
Referencing a number of academic and UK government guidance sources, this presentation discusses causes and mitigations of optimism bias. The five key causes of optimism bias are presented, three strategies for reducing optimism bias are detailed, a number of useful tools and techniques are discussed, and the benefits and limitations of Reference Class Forecasting (RCF) to mitigate optimism bias are outlined.
This is a must-attend presentation for the funders, sponsors and managers of all government projects.
Pecha Kucha Panel
Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “chit chat”) is the world’s fastest-growing storytelling platform, used by millions around the globe. PechaKucha is what “Show and Tell” always dreamed of becoming.
20 slides. 20 seconds of commentary per slide. That’s it. Simple. Engaging. Spurring authentic connections. PechaKucha is the ideal tool to share passions and drop some knowledge. Join our three panelists Sandra Mandic, Matthew Percival and Nick Buchanan in this quick fire and engaging panel.
Pecha Kucha Panel - How Good Is Your Public Building
When upgrading or refurbishing a building, its structural performance may need to be upgraded. Every building or part of a building is deemed to have been built for an intended use. The building may have been constructed using aged or alternative methods. Has the building been damaged by seismic movement? Has the supporting earth ever been really tested?
Building Code performance requirements for the new intended use are now more onerous than before the change. Upgrades must be done to a standard that is “as nearly as is reasonably practicable” to that of a new building that would be used for the same purpose, including earthquake resistance.
Pecha Kucha Panel – What does a good one look like?
A simple question that many people struggle to articulate. Too often a project’s intent can be diluted to a point whereby the people who have to implement the end product or outcome (the coal face), struggle to comprehend the strategic as well as the operational. This can lead to the cliched, here we go again, more ‘wisdom’ from Wellington. To be fair to Wellington, if you don’t understand the relevant processes around governance, funding and that even seemingly small decisions have a political angle then it is very easy to become a best intentioned but very reluctant participant.
In the project and programme space, the concept of what does a good one like attempts to bridge the gap and clearly articulate how the strategic, the tactical and the operational can be made relevant to each other. Using a real life property example, we explore the use of an evidenced based framework at a local level, how strategic intent was met with targeted tactical response that also resulted in a demonstrable operational benefit.
Pecha Kucha Panel - Using Project Management to Achieve Excellent in Academic Research – Lessons learned from the BEATS Research Programme
Conducting academic research projects and leading academic research programmes requires extensive project and programme management skills – in addition to research-specific knowledge. Yet project and programme management sides of academic research are often overlooked and not included in academic/research training. As a result, many academic research endeavours fail to reach their full potential in delivering outputs and societal benefits.
This presentation will share the lessons learned from integrating project and programme management knowledge, processes and tools into academic research, using the BEATS Research Programme as a case study. In 8+ years, the Built Environment and Active Transport to School (BEATS) Study grew from a pilot project into an internationally recognised academic research programme (www.otago.ac.nz/beats). The programme advanced scientific knowledge, demonstrated important impacts locally/nationally/internationally, delivered many research outputs (including 28 scientific journal articles), secured $1.2 million in research funding for the latest project, and dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lessons learned included getting the right people on board; designing and running projects as win-win; aiming high and planning for success; delivering on promises; using project management tools; giving back and delivering value; extending the vision and the team; remaining adaptable; and having fun. Using the project and programme management knowledge, processes and tools – linked with transformational leadership and strategic planning – have been the key to the BEATS Research Programme’s success.
The Covid Pandemic - Rethink business as usual Panel Discussion
The pandemic has affected health and wellbeing globally. It has also altered business, geopolitical, technological, and economic landscapes. More than 1.7 million people dead, very real fears of a global recession, systemic inequalities in income, wealth, employment, and access to healthcare are just some of the issues.
96 million people are now in extreme poverty this year, with women bearing the largest brunt, particularly in South Asia. COVID-19 also transformed the pace and scale of digitalization, with a huge impact on how people work and learn. Schools in more than 190 countries have closed, forcing new ways of learning and connectivity. For youth and adults alike, such mass digitalization has reduced the sense of belonging, and increased anxiety, depression, and disengagement. In the business world, it created a divide between digital knowledge workers who could shelter at home with high-speed internet, and those without.
For project leaders, it’s been a time to build bridges. The challenges of working remotely and physical distancing have been difficult, but out of this has seen greater collaboration and creativity. Opportunities to work on projects have presented themselves unknowingly as spaces have been vacated.
4 key areas for discussion are:
• Human resources
• Social / Travel
• Mental Health
• Project opportunity
Panellists : Gina Barlow (KPMG), Rob Hall ( RJHA Ltd) Rebecca Hodges ( NAWIC)