summer 2008
Stronger support: investing in sponsorship is essential for project success. Read our front page story for a thought provoking insight from David MacLeod, Principal Consultant, CITI.

Developing a tailored solution: with a large portfolio of business improvement initiatives in the pipeline, Severn Trent Laboratories (STL), the most comprehensive environmental testing company in the UK, quickly recognised the need to professionalise project management. Simon Marshall, STL’s Operations Director, discusses how this worked and what value ‘professionalisation’ has brought to their operations and people.

A complex issue: complexity equates to risk. How can you reduce project complexity, and thereby bring project risk within manageable limits? Geoff Vincent, Principal Consultant, CITI, shares his views on this problem.

Conferences and events: see the back page for up and coming events including: Best Practice Showcase, Centre for Excellence Club and the Best Practice User Group one-day workshop.

spring 2008
Making the right choice: You’ll remember the old days … when you needed a project run, you’d find someone who was available and give it to them. Easy! of course, there were performance problems: things done poorly, things not done – but you were used to that! Find out how our recent analysis of over 500 companies can help you to identify what makes a good project manager.

On track for success: Eurostar’s HS1 Programme Office Manager, Elaine Davies, shares with us the importance of understanding and managing the seven critical steps to programme success following the launch of the Eurostar High Speed 1 (HS1) - a new era in short-haul travel between the UK and mainland Europe.

Aiming higher: An insight into some of the events we will be attending in 2008 - including Project Challenge Spring 2008, and Unicom - effective programme and project management.

winter 2007
Molecular mission: DNA is rarely out of the news. DNA solves crimes that no other technique can touch, while promising even more dramatic advances in healthcare. Is there anything equivalent in the project world? This article uncovers the links between project DNA and how that impacts on success and failure.

Keeping the lights on: A power station that’s not working can be extremely costly! So an essential aspect of operating power stations is to carefully manage the times when a station is taken ‘offline’ and out of production, for scheduled maintenance and repair to take place. RWE npower discuss the benefits of using project management to keep the lights on!

Up and coming events: To keep you abreast of what is happening in the world of project and programme management we have enclosed with Bulletin three invitations to key industry events coming up over the next few months. Put a date in your diary for Project Challenge on the 19–20 September 2007, APM Project Management Conference - The Business of Projects on the 30-31 October 2007, and Unicom - Key Steps to Successful Programme and Project Management on the 20 - 21 November 2007.

summer 2007
Time to take control: In this issue we describe the outstanding achievements of the UK's National Air Traffics Services (NATS) in their commitment to programme excellence - view the centre spread for the full story.

Subject matter or project expert: According to The Standish Group (which focuses on IT projects) project management (PM) is today a factor near to the top of the list of success factors. But what is really meant by ‘experienced’ in this context?

Leap of faith: How do you, as a project manager, convey the importance of project management to a new upper-level manager or CEO? Stakeholder management and knowing your audience are the keys. Knowing how to clearly present the case to the dubious executive or CEO is the first step. Nick Dobson, CITI Principal Consultant, explains the importance of engaging your CEO in project management.