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Posts tagged: "Project management"
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Posted on February 16, 2018 by Sian Jones
Life-saving drugs, step-changes in energy efficiency, robots and amazing new materials that can transform our lives – these, and many scientific advances, are all the result of research and development (R&D). The UK funds £31.6 billion of R&D a year, and its success depends frequently on collaboration between a wide range of government departments, and with research councils, university bodies, businesses, charities and international organisations. As we look at the fascinating world of R&D, we can also learn much for all types of cross-government collaboration and coordination. more… Cross-government collaboration: lessons from R&DTagged: Accountability, Brexit, Climate change, Cross-government, Digital transformation, Environmental sustainability, Good practice principles, Growth, Impacts, Information management, International, Leadership, Overseas aid, Process management, Project management, Research & development, Third sector, Universities
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Posted on January 5, 2018 by Amyas Morse
The 2017 Civil Service Awards highlighted some of the tremendous work being done to deliver public services not only more efficiently and cost effectively, but in ways that meet people’s needs better, engage users more, and stimulate ongoing improvements. In reviewing the 2017 nominations, I was particularly taken by the range of innovative approaches and excellent use of engagement and feedback loops. more… Engaging, sharing, innovative Award winnersTagged: Amyas Morse, Behaviour change, Business operations, Collaboration, Cross-government, Customer service, Digital transformation, Information management, Innovation, Process management, Project management, Public sector reform
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Posted on November 30, 2017 by Amyas Morse
“In light of the UK’s plans to leave the EU, the government should now prioritise the interests of the nation above those of Whitehall departments” said Sir Amyas Morse, Comptroller and Auditor General, speaking at the 23 November central government conference for members of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Public Finance Magazine subsequently published an article by Sir Amyas, Deal with Brexit first, and has kindly allowed us to re-publish it here. more… EU exit: tough decisions and prioritisation neededTagged: Amyas Morse, Brexit, Cross-government, Major projects, Project management, Public finances, Public sector reform
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Posted on October 10, 2017 by Sandy Gordon
Major programmes are expensive, high profile and carry great uncertainties and risks. For most government bodies, undertaking a major programme will involve doing something new, with relatively little organisational experience. Many fall short of their objectives, in terms of cost and/or outcomes. So it’s not surprising that they are the focus of many NAO reports – about 100 since 2010. Our new Framework to review programmes shows the questions we typically ask, and brings together many of our recent findings. We hope it will show what we are looking for and what we expect to see when we examine major programmes. more… A systematic look at major programmesTagged: Contract management, Cross-government, Forecasting, Good practice principles, International, Leadership, Major projects, Project management, Public finances, Public sector reform, Risk management
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Posted on July 20, 2017 by George Crockford
The civil service is under pressure, as we found in our recent report Capability in the Civil Service. It has lost one in four civil servants since 2006 – with no reduction in workload, there’s a growing number of major projects to implement, greater public demand for services, new technologies – bringing both opportunities and threats, new ways of delivering public services, and action needed to leave the European Union. How can public sector organisations get or develop the people and skills they need? The first thing is: prioritise; it simply must do less. more… Stretching civil servants’ capabilityTagged: Brexit, Business operations, Civil service capability, Contract management, Digital transformation, Leadership, Major projects, Project management, Risk management, Skills
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Posted on July 7, 2017 by Lee Summerfield
MPs have queried the way grants are distributed; multiple programme changes have left many questioning aims and effectiveness; growing backlogs have raised issues about public service delivery; and failed contracts losing millions of pounds have implied serious mismanagement. Concerns raised by MPs, members of the public and our own staff as a result of their work often need the facts set out – clearly and quickly. They call for an NAO ‘Investigation’. more… NAO InvestigatesTagged: Accountability, Business operations, Contract management, International, Investigations, Local government, Performance management, Project management, Public finances
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Posted on April 7, 2017 by Emma Willson
When it comes to public sector contracts, running proper competitions simply isn’t enough. Government needs to act intelligently to take advantage of competition between potential suppliers, weighing up options and considering who carries the risks, and at what cost. Since launching Commercial and contract management – insights and emerging best practice we’ve reported on two contracts that shed further light on these issues. We explore the new insights from these reports in this blog-post, the latest in our series on key issues for contracts and commercial relationships. more… Intelligent contract competition and risk managementTagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Forecasting, Good practice principles, International, Local government, Performance management, Project management, Public finances, Risk management
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Posted on November 16, 2016 by Emma Willson
Many critical government activities rely on contracts. Following a review of our past work, and discussions across government, we’ve brought together our insights into what works well and less well across government commercial and contracting. We’ve identified case studies based on our past reports and what this means for emerging best practice. This post highlights our findings and explains the challenge for government to meet these higher standards. more… Government’s contracts – new insights into best practiceTagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Good practice principles, Performance management, Process management, Project management, Public sector markets, Risk management, Shared services, Skills
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Posted on September 5, 2016 by Joshua Reddaway
How to apply open book accounting principles without the cost of open-book accounting
Government uses contracts to deliver many public services and has a duty to get value for money. Two recent NAO investigations illustrate, in two very different situations, how contracts can founder when the procuring organisation lacks understanding about the relationship between the contractors’ cost of providing the service and the price of the contract. That’s why central government is now required to apply open-book contract management. But expertise, time and effort is required to apply it in full. For low-risk, more straight-forward contracts, we set out a low-cost, minimal open-book approach. more… Contracting: A minimal open book approachTagged: Contract management, Cost reduction, Cross-government, Good practice principles, Investigations, Performance management, Project management, Risk management
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Posted on August 17, 2016 by Tom McDonald
Ever wished to be a Saint – or to visit the world’s oldest land animal: Jonathan, the 184 year-old tortoise? To help the 4,100 ‘Saints’ – the residents of the UK Overseas Territory of St Helena – to become economically and socially sustainable, the UK funded the island’s first airport. But the airport’s opening has been delayed and our investigation highlights the challenges and risks to Realising the benefits of the St Helena Airport Project. This is an unusual and fascinating example of project decision-making. It also highlights common issues about managing high risk projects, potential optimism bias in forecasting, and the challenges of realising project benefits. more… Forecasting for ‘Saints’Tagged: Forecasting, Good practice principles, International, Investigations, Major projects, Overseas aid, Project management
Cross-government collaboration: lessons from R&D
Engaging, sharing, innovative Award winners
EU exit: tough decisions and prioritisation needed
A systematic look at major programmes
Stretching civil servants’ capability
Intelligent contract competition and risk management
Government’s contracts – new insights into best practice
Contracting: A minimal open book approach
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