Assurance & Advisory

Project

PMO Review and Project Management Maturity Assessment

Background

The Housing Authority is an affordable housing provider, operating in land development, housing construction and property management. The agency delivers quality housing that people can afford and provides people with opportunities to buy a home.

Our task

Housing engaged Consulcad as Project management specialists to provide practical advice and assistance to re-purpose its PMO to meet changed business requirements.

What we did

In collaboration with stakeholders right across Housing, Consulcad undertook a project management capability review and assessment of existing PMO services, the review focused on alignment of PMO services and business needs. Following endorsement of findings and recommendations at the Executive, and working with the PMO team, Consulcad developed and launched repurposed PMO Services and tools including a fully scalable online PM Toolkit, self-help guides and training to the PMO team and project practitioners.

Consulcad developed an actionable implementation Road-map for the PMO which covered the people, process and technology required to deliver the change while ensuring all services and products met the business requirements for key areas including service delivery, construction and technology.

The outcome

A repurposed and rebranded fresh look PMO providing services aligned to business needs in a consumable easy to use format that reflects a ‘fit for purpose’ approach to project management.

Housing has a standard and repeatable approach to project management that works for practitioners, senior management and the business users.

Project

Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solution for Housing Authority

Consulcad designs and implements PPM Solution for Housing Authority

Background

The Housing Authority is an affordable housing provider, operating in land development, housing construction and property management. The agency delivers quality housing that people can afford and provides people with opportunities to buy a home.

Our task

Housing engaged Consulcad PPM specialists to design and develop a project and portfolio management solution for their existing Microsoft Office 365 environment.

What we did

Working with different business areas across Housing, Consulcad designed and developed a solution based on Microsoft Project Online and SharePoint that integrated seamlessly into the existing Office365 environment.

This was rolled out over a series of modular releases in a ‘try, test, release’ process that had functionality delivered in weeks rather than months. Working in close collaboration with users and management Consulcad delivered enterprise project registration, project status reporting, project collaboration sites and full integration to existing project management toolkits and working, with workflows and approvals.

The PPM solution was designed for different user needs across service delivery, construction and technology business areas. A firm focus on ease of use based around familiarity with Microsoft products was a key aspect in securing successful user adoption.

The outcome

Housing can assess and score candidate projects against multilayered strategic drivers, initiate projects and track all key activity through to project completion.

The organisation has a single source of truth for all registered projects, much improved transparency of key project information and with that greater confidence in project delivery.

Project

Communities adopts PMO as a Service

Background

The Department of Communities (DoC) provide services to a diverse range of Western Australians, including people with disability, children who are in the legal care of the State and those who need a place to call home.

Our task

DoC engaged Consulcad as PMO specialists to augment and provide specialist services during a period of significant structural change resulting from the amalgamation of several agencies and fourfold increase in organisational size.

What we did

Consulcad worked in a hybrid service delivery approach with the existing PMO team, services included:

Methods, Tools and Learning Development
Governance and Reporting
Organisational Change and Benefits Management
Risk, Issues and Quality Management
Project Initiation and Program Start-up
Project Management and PPM Enhancement

PMOaaS provided extra resources and tools to the PMO and its users required due to reduced internal staff numbers and a large organisational restructure. Additionally, Consulcad provided a stock take and review with options for senior management to take an expanded PMO forward.

Our PPM specialists provided in depth support and enhancements for the PPM solution and provided a skills transfer and coaching service to internal PMO team members on administration and intermediate level systems support.

The outcome

The PMO maintained services levels during a period of significant structural change, is now configured and ready to meet the challenge of providing services to a customer base increased by 400% and has expanded its services to meet the requirement of new ‘flagship’ projects.

Project

The Early Years Initiative

Consulcad works with the Early Years Initiative to deliver an integrated program plan and master schedule.

Background

The Early Years Initiative (EYI) will see four Western Australian communities partner with State Government, Minderoo Foundation and Telethon Kids Institute on a long term strategy to improve outcomes for young children and their families.

The Initiative is a response to evidence that suggests many children aged 0-4 years old in WA are not reaching developmental milestones before reaching school age. Factors including housing, employment, education, health and safety will be taken into consideration as part of the Initiative.

The Early Years Initiative is a $49.3 million investment over 10 years. Costs and resources will be shared between the State Government, Telethon Kids Institute and Minderoo Foundation.

Our task

Work with multiple government departments and not for profit organisations to take the high level business case and develop an integrated program of work, individual project plans and a master integrated schedule. To turn the vision into demonstrable deliverables that in turn lead to sustainable outcomes.

What we did

Consulcad facilitated a series of express planning workshops with stream leads and key subject matter experts to apply a project management approach to the well-developed concepts and the high-level delivery approach developed in the business case.

Development of the program plan included:

Identification and scoping of work streams across the initiative
Development of a Road-map ‘plan on a page’
Resource modelling and estimation
Stakeholder facilitation and program assurance
Integrated master schedule and dependency maps

The outcome

Working to extremely tight time frames and a complex environment Consulcad delivered an integrated plan, from an executive level road-map to detailed project plans, ready for the project team to take forward and kick-off implementation activities.

Project

Main Roads, WA – Planning and Technical Services

Background

Main Roads, WA, is one of the largest geographically spread road agencies in the world responsible for more than 18,400 kilometres of road spread over 2.5 million km2. Their role is to plan, build and maintain WA’s state road network which is valued at more than $46 billion.

Our task

Main Road’s Road Planning and Development branch was restructured to become a service provider to the rest of the organisation. Consulcad was engaged to provide commercial and engineering advice to develop and document the new business structure and four defined services.

What we did

Consulcad provided a combination of core process improvement and engineering skills enabling us to communicate at several levels and develop and validate a degree of detail beyond traditional process mapping.

The outcome

Our involvement resulted in:

Streamlined business process
The establishment of new service offerings
Centralised strategic planning and early project development
Alignment with Project Lifecycle and longer-term infrastructure planning

At the conclusion of the project, Consulcad transitioned to business as usual effectively, including the transition of some of our team into operations.

Project

Dept of Indigenous Affairs, WA (DIA) – Aboriginal Heritage Electronic Lodgements Program – Project Review

Background

Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (AHA), all places and objects in WA, considered important to Aboriginal Australians because of connections to their culture, are given automatic protection. DIA’s Aboriginal Heritage Electronic Lodgements Program (AHELP) project was introduced to replace the existing out-dated, paper-based systems with fully-integrated, electronic information systems. The move from manual to electronic processing required significant change management and training, and a coordinated program for migrating existing data to the new system.

Our task

As part of the project initiation phase for AHELP, Consulcad was engaged to assess and review the project. This review approach was based on Government Gateway review methodology.

What we did

Our knowledge in project management, and our experience as Gateway Review panel members for several jurisdictions, ensured a critical and accurate assessment of the AHELP project plan. As a result of the review, several opportunities for improvement were identified and recommended to assist DIA to deliver this complex project.

The outcome

AHA lodgements and processes were streamlined to provide process transparency to stakeholders enabling greater protection of Aboriginal heritage
Reduced processing time
Lower resource costs due to less administrative staff required
Increased response and reduced costs to industry
Resources freed up to focus on compliance and heritage protection

Project

The Department of Lands, WA
WA Rangeland Monitoring

Background

The Department of Lands is responsible for WA’s rangelands which comprise over 2.2 million square kilometres, making up 85% of the state. As a natural resource, land conditions of the rangelands need to be managed so they can be used and preserved for current and future generations. They also need to provide for the ongoing sustainability of economic, social and cultural activity in the rangelands areas.

Our task

Consulcad’s Assurance and Advisory services were engaged to provide commercial and technical advice to the Department of Lands to assess options and develop a business case to implement a Rangelands Monitoring System.

This system would take advantage of satellite imagery, weather information and GIS technology to deliver timely and more accurate assessments of how pastoral and rangeland lease holders would manage and improve this valuable asset.

What we did

Consulcad used its expertise to provide advice and recommendations on how to proceed. This included a risk assessment and took into account technological and commercial considerations.

The outcome

Our advice provided the Director General of the Department of Lands with a clear roadmap and a position to put to government.

Project

Dept. of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) – Victorian Schools Plan – Reporting

Background

The DEECD in Victoria was established in 2007 to ensure children’s services were meeting the needs of families and children within the state.

DEECD managed the Victorian Schools Plan (VSP), an initiative to upgrade and develop 1600 schools at a cost of around $1.9 billion.

Our task

Consulcad were engaged to provide a robust program reporting system that involved managing multiple stakeholders and contractors for both the minister and the program management team.

What we did

In close collaboration with key stakeholders, Consulcad enhanced the existing reporting system to the level of functionality required for a large and complex program of works. This was achieved by customising software tools for the DEECD so they met their specific needs and objectives.

The outcome

By delivering the required accurate program and project level reporting system, Consulcad was able to improve the department’s internal governance processes and reporting capabilities up to ministerial level.

Project

Australian Dept. of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) – Asset & Advisory, Transition Plan

Background

DAFF develops and implements policies and programs to ensure Australia’s agricultural, fisheries, food, and forestry industries remain competitive, profitable and sustainable. The Commonwealth Government made a commitment of $379.9 million over 7 years to fund construction of a new Government-owned and operated Post Entry Quarantine station (PEQ) in Mickleham, Victoria, consolidating all 5 existing national DAFF PEQ functions into a single integrated site.

Our task

Consulcad were engaged to develop a transition plan to assist DAFF in managing the transition.

What we did

Development of the plan included workshops with key stakeholders and defining workstreams and projects. The transition plan identified 7 major work streams and 50 projects. Over half the projects were outside the design and construction aspects of the new facility.

A key outcome of the work was the recognition within the individual business units that the transition had significant impact across their activities and a coordinated approach would be required to achieve a successful transition.

The outcome

Transition planning assisted DAFF to broaden their focus on the project beyond the design and construction phase and helped them understand and identify implications for the department, industry stakeholders and the community.

Project

City of Greater Geelong (CoGG)

Background

CoGG covers 1,250 square kilometres and is an urban, coastal and rural environment with over 200,000 residents. It had diverse data inherited from five former municipalities and limited in-house resources.

Our task

Consulcad was asked to review CoGG’s storm water drainage management strategy and provide project management and QA services for drainage data capture.

What we did

A vital, early deliverable was the geo referencing of over 20,000 drawings related to storm water drains. This significantly improved the ability to respond to flooding and other emergencies.

Stage 2 of the project was to budget and design an effective solution for capturing detailed drainage information required by engineers and asset managers. This included data to manage the network and to assist in the valuation of council assets.

To achieve these goals, Consulcad developed a tender process for data capture and provided project management and QA of the successful contractor. CoGG was then able to gather missing information using field crews.

The outcome

The result was a complete picture of the drainage system that formed an integral part of Geelong’s asset management program. This overview could then be used to enhance planning, emergency management and maintenance. A key benefit of our approach was the ability to control time and budget, ensuring benefits were realised early and costs were understood and managed.

Project

Citistreet – HR Recordkeeping System

Background

Citistreet was a world leader in superannuation fund management services. The growth of Citistreet’s call centre operations, coupled with changes to Australia’s workplace relations laws, called for an improved, accurate recordkeeping system for staff time and attendance.

Our task

Consulcad was engaged to install a cloud based timesheet management system for HR tracking.

What we did

We devised a solution that provided timesheet users with the ability to charge at multiple rates, track time and attendance, record expenses, manage resources, view projects and automatically be notified of their timesheet status. Other features included assigning approval workflows, real time graphical reporting and integration to existing scheduling and accounting systems.

The outcome

As a result of the solution Consulcad implemented, HR recordkeeping was improved significantly, saving Citistreet a considerable amount of time and money with minimum disruption to their existing processes.

Project

BHP Billiton Maruwai Coal – Engineering Information Management

Background

BHP Billiton is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of export thermal coal servicing the major power markets of Europe, Asia and the US.

Our task

When the company was developing a new coal mine in Indonesia, Consulcad was engaged to implement a solution to deliver Engineering Information Management.

What we did

Consulcad worked with the project controls team on the ground in Balikpapan Indonesia to gather requirements, map workflows and configure the solution. The configuration approach was aligned to BHP’s standard engineering practices and supported the local requirements to provide external contract access which enabled end to end project collaboration where drawings could be submitted, marked up and reviewed.

The outcome

Conculcad’s involvement resulted in:

Improved drawing management and data capture
Real time contractor access
Lower ongoing drawing management costs
Reduced risk of errors
Improved stakeholder communications
Data security

Project

Bayside City Council – Drainage Asset Information System

Background

Bayside City Council (BCC) consists of 9 wards on or adjacent to Port Phillip Bay with a total population of over 100,000. Large areas of Bayside are low-lying and subject to flooding. An Auditor General’s report indicated the council needed to develop a long-term implementation plan for flood risk management projects and needed to map flood areas. BCC had approximately 18,000 engineering plans in a variety of formats and levels of accuracy. Timely access to these detailed plans was imperative to address drainage and flooding issues.

Our task

Consulcad was engaged to develop a map index for the council’s drainage plans based on our Assurance, Technology and Asset Management services and our proven experience in local government.

What we did

Consistency, accuracy and completeness of the drainage data was an issue. To overcome the inaccuracies, Consulcad developed a QA process to improve the quantity and quality of drainage asset information.

The outcome

The result was a far more accurate representation of drainage data quantity, location and accuracy, enabling improved access and decision making. BCC now had a system that allowed them to accurately store and manage vital information that had previously been almost inaccessible. This led to:

Improved drainage management
Single source of engineering drawings
Improved response to flood issues
Reduced risk
Accurate asset management
Accurate asset depreciation

Project

Austin and Mercy Hospital, VIC – PMO

Background

The Victorian State Government redeveloped the Austin Hospital site which included a new inpatient facility and the relocation of Mercy Hospital for Women onto the same site in Heidelberg. This was the largest hospital redevelopment project ever undertaken in Victoria and one of the largest in Australia. The project took over five years and had a budget of $376 million.

Our task

Consulcad was engaged to setup a Virtual Project Office to support the design and construction phases of the hospital’s redevelopment.

What we did

Consulcad established the Virtual Project Office (VPO) system – the first of its kind in Australia – which, at the time, comprised over 100 users in both the project office itself and remotely via the web interface. The VPO software ensured all project information was managed throughout the design and construction phases including:

Drawings, CAD files and images
Office documents and correspondence
RFIs, meeting minutes and document transmittals

The outcome

At the end of construction, all relevant project information was handed over to the hospital’s facility management group, creating a smooth, cost-effective solution for the ongoing management of these facilities. Other results included:

Project management standards with centralised controls during construction phase
Information management rigour
Improved project handover
Improved facility management transition post construction

Project

Lotterywest

Background

Lotterywest engaged Consulcad as PMO specialists to provide practical advice and assistance to repurpose its PMO.

What we did

In close collaboration with the Lotterywest team, Consulcad developed the PMO Service Catalogue and Charter, an operations model with duty statements, and established operating procedures for a PMO ‘soft launch’ of new services to support all the Lotterywest business units.

Consulcad also produced actionable implementation roadmaps for people, process and technology that incorporated stakeholder engagement and feedback sessions to ensure service and product alignment.

The outcome

At the end of the engagement, all relevant materials and documentation were handed over to Lotterywest’s PMO team, which paved the way for a smooth, cost-effective foundation for the implementation of the new PMO Services to Lotterywest.

This project utilised Consulcad’s PMO as a Service ‘PMO establishment’ capability which provides specialist advice and assistance, delivered by experienced PMO professionals, on a pay per use model.

Project

Higher Education and Skills Group (HESG) Victoria

Background

HESG needed to improve their property and asset management for the TAFE sector. Previously, it wasn’t possible for HESG or TAFE to understand the complete scope of property in which they had an interest or to make strategic decisions relating to those properties.

Our task

We developed a detailed understanding of HESG’s building and property portfolio and established strong relationships and effective communication with all stakeholders. Specifically, we:

Designed and managed TAMS
Developed data quality and management processes
Established complex stakeholder relationships
Developed a multi-year strategy for a geographically diverse portfolio

What we did

Consulcad’s involvement resulted in:

A detailed understanding of the property portfolio
Identification of ownership and risk
Informed decision making

TAMS is now recognised by the State Government as the custodian of property information for the TAFE institutions and dual sectors universities. Following the success of TAMS, Consulcad was commissioned by HESG to undertake several due diligence tasks and to manage the transfer of land from the State Government to the TAFE sector, which enabled them to better respond to demand and improve asset utilisation and management.

Project

Main Roads, WA

Background

As the state road authority for one of the most widely geographically distributed road networks in the world, Main Roads WA builds and maintains a road transport network of over 18,500 kilometres and manages more than $41 billion of assets.

Challenges to Main Roads’ business activities were the result of a substantial increase in population (at the time WA had the fastest growing population in the country), a changing workforce profile, increased mining activity due to a growing resources economy and a prospering tourism sector.

There was a pressing need for greater access, safety and efficiency of road transport across the state and Main Roads needed to deliver more than $5.5 billion in services over a four year period including $1.7 billion of capital works.

Our task

Consulcad was engaged to review project and program management processes within Main Roads and design, develop and implement a Program Management Office (PMO) and an Enterprise Program Management (EPM) tool.

What we did

Consulcad worked with Main Roads through each stage, from concept to development, and delivery into operations.

The outcome

Our involvement resulted in a raft of improvements including greater reporting, identification of cost savings, better decision making capability, processes for greater control over projects, project methodology improvements, better project management practices and consolidated project reporting.

Project

BHP Billiton – Olympic Dam mine expansion

Background

Olympic Dam in South Australia is home to a large iron oxide copper gold deposit producing copper, uranium, gold and silver. There’s also an underground mine and an integrated metallurgical processing plant at the site. BHP planned to increase the mine’s capacity making it of the largest open cut mines in the world.

Our task

Consulcad was engaged to review the project control requirements for the planning phase of the expansion project which encompassed the mine, the processing plant and the associated infrastructure including road, rail, air, utilities and accommodation.

What we did

Project control requirements were investigated and assessed for the various execution strategies including:

Budget and cost management requirements for various EPC, EPCM and other delivery options
Time and schedule management, including master scheduling and reporting
Scope and document controls, including coding studies
Project control implications for future contracts
Links to corporate systems and reporting

The outcome

Consulcad’s involvement resulted in the development of processes and controls to inform broader strategies around contracting and delivery of the mine expansion together with:

Improved planning
An understanding of requirements for next phase
Thorough analysis of options
Reduced project management costs
Reduced risks and errors
Improved transition to next phase

Assurance & Advisory

Project
Assurance

Organisational
Advice

Competency
Development

Assurance & Advisory

Project Assurance

Organisational Advice

Competency Development

Project
Assurance

Organisational
Advice

Competency
Development