In the wake of a series of major acquisitions around the world and the resulting reorganisation, a global player in the petrochemicals industry took a strategic decision to make programme and project-based working one of their primary business processes. In the area of Information Technology the decision was to set up a world-wide programme management organisation and to develop an in-house programme and project management system

.

The developers were then faced with the tricky problem of implementing the new approach across the newly-created worldwide organisation. Following a series of meetings they settled on Aranea as the ideal partner in achieving this goal.

Our Approach

We revealed Aranea's vision for Project Management during a series of interactive sessions with the client. We made it clear that our vision could not be realised simply training up a few project managers in a specific project management technique (such as Prince2 or PMBoK). In Aranea's vision, successful projects will only be achieved if the concepts of project management are embedded in the organisation at all levels, from the project team members right through to the project steering group. We also see it as essential for project managers to possess certain specific competencies alongside their specialist expertise in their own domain. An added challenge in this particular case was the result of the acquisitions and reorganisations, which often meant that staff were finding themselves in a completely new setting, working with new colleagues in locations scattered around the globe. This situation meant that factors like team building and ABC (Attitude, Culture and Behaviour) took on a special relevance.

Implementation

Following intensive discussions with the client it was decided to organise what became known as a "World Tour". Aranea's experienced project managers immersed themselves in the client's own project management method, using what they learned to develop a wide range of training courses, from one-day courses for potential steering group members (= business executives) to intensive week-long courses for future project managers. One decisive factor in the client's acceptance of this approach was the fact that many of our consultants maintain close links with training and educational institutions including colleges and universities, and their possession of a wide range of teaching skills. We also explored various approaches to the important topics of teambuilding and the creation of awareness, including the use of business simulation games like The Challenge of Egypt and TOPmeeting. More than a thousand staff members eventually took part in the training courses and games. Running parallel to these activities was the introduction of an intranet portal providing access to manuals, Quick Reference Guides and document templates.

The Outcome

Completion of the project will see the uniform and transparent implementation of the business process "project management" throughout the client's organisation. People at all levels will be demonstrably informed about and trained to work in accordance with the client's chosen programme and project management methodology. At the business level the required awareness of project-based working will be in place. Additionally, coherently organised teams will be ready to set to work on projects, with full respect for cultural differences between the team members.