Agenda item

To receive a report by the Head of Customer Service and the Corporate Team Manager on progress with improving project management within the Council.

(Councillor J A Gray, Executive Councillor for Resources, was in attendance for the discussion on this item).

Pursuant to Minute No. 14/26, the Panel considered a joint report by the Head of Customer Service and the Corporate Team Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) updating Members on the progress made by the Council’s Corporate Project Management Board in improving the project management arrangements within the Authority. By way of introduction, Councillor J A Gray reminded Members that the Cabinet wished to adopt a more business-like approach to its operating arrangements. He hoped that Members would see the progress that had been made by the Project Management Board as evidence of the underlying importance of undertaking projects in a professional and proper manner within the Council.

Members’ attention having been drawn to the key activities which had been undertaken by the Board to-date, they were informed that consideration would now be given to the way in which programmes in the form of related projects of work, could be better managed with the Authority. Training would be provided on the use of the project management toolkit and the Board would revisit its membership and Terms of Reference in light of the appointment of a new Senior Management Structure.

Prior to opening up the item for general discussion, the Chairman reported that he had agreed with the Leader of the Council that Project Management would be one of the three key areas that the Panel would review during the Municipal Year; the others were the Facing the Future programme and the Base Budget review. This report would signal the start of the Panel’s deliberations on Project Management.

In considering the contents of the report, Members discussed a range of matters including the Council’s project management methodologies, the membership of the Project Board and the terminology used within the report. A Member emphasised the need to pay due attention to the development and writing of specifications as part of the project management process.

In response to a question regarding the absence of any reference to the involvement of elected Members within the process, the Head of Customer Services reminded the Panel that the developments outlined within the report reflected the methodology and mechanics for delivering pieces of work which had been agreed by elected Members. Opportunities for Member involvement included discussions such as the present one and post project reviews would start to be made available to Overview and Scrutiny in due course. In addition, Executive Councillors would continue to review and question the progress of projects on a regular basis.

At the suggestion of the Chairman, it was agreed that the Panel would revisit these discussions at its November meeting, prior to inviting the Corporate Office Manager to provide a further update to the Panel in December 2014. It was suggested that the update should include a demonstration of the project management toolkit, an overview of the programme of projects and the flow chart, which had been developed to explain the options available to manage projects. Following the receipt of this information, it was the Chairman’s intention that the Panel could trial the use of the Select Committee approach to challenge Cabinet Members on the Council’s Project Management arrangements.

In supporting the approach that had been suggested, a Member enquired whether there would be any merit in comparing projects that had been undertaken using the new approach with previous projects. In response, the Head of Customer Services explained that Officers would reflect on the processes on a daily basis and that the Project Management Board would continue to assess and challenge project management arrangements and make changes as necessary. The value of the new system would be the delivery of quality projects on time and on budget. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

(a)  that the steps taken to improve project management be noted;

(b)  that the intention for the work of the Board to continue be noted; and

(c)  that the Corporate Team Manager be requested to prepare an update for the Panel’s meeting in December 2014.