A five fold increase in staff, change to systems and new premises. We delivered the project 35% below budget.

Sector

Public Sector

The purpose of the project

With major new regulation coming into force, the client was planning for a significant increase in workload. This initiated a requirement for a five fold increase in staff and a consequential change to systems and operational infrastructure including a fit-for-purpose premises.

We were instructed to manage the office relocation as one of several projects under the programme; “Preparing for Growth”.

Our project manager was responsible for reviewing and resubmitting the business plan and supporting the client through a period of significant change.

What we did

Our project manager clarified the client’s needs in detail and identified the core team for delivery. We created a statement of deliverables, project plan, scope outline, an overview of risk mitigation and a timeline that was able to accommodate for any challenges that might arise.

A systems –based approach was implemented to ensure that all stakeholders were partners in the process of change, and all staff collaborated in the design and operational aspects of the new office space. This generated a degree of ownership in the final outcome that is only achievable through collaborative engagement.

Communication, co-ordination and visibility of the events that impacted on the relocation date were key drivers. The costs needed to be visible and continually managed within budget parameters.

The outcome

The client was provided with a quality service from start to finish that engaged everyone involved and supported the team. The project was delivered on time and 35% below budget.

 Key deliverables were:

·       Identification of capital budget shortfall and halting intended commitment to an inappropriate lease;

·       Review and resubmission of a Business Plan to Treasury, resulting in successful capital funding approval in full;

·       Identification of office space matched to challenging 5-year requirements;

·       Delivery of modern and fully refitted office space at 35% below budget;

·       Delivery of suitable premises on time, to a specification that all staff were fully involved in through collaboration;

·       Visibility of costs for authorisation and budget accountability;

·       Engagement and utlitisation of professional advice including Legal, Surveyor, Architecture, Compliance;

·       Appointment of third-party advisors.