The John Lewis Partnership is and has been for many years a highly successful and respected high street retailer. Its store management practices are recognised as being of the highest calibre, and its commercial and ethical philosophy is a watchword throughout the sector.

Opportunity

Changes caused by technology, alternative purchasing channels and John Lewis’s own drive in the vanguard of influential retailers has caused it to become increasingly interested in, and increasingly dependent on, projects.

Approach

CITI first became involved with the computer services department, within the Partnership in 2000. A major relocation project was underway and it had to be successful. Governance was recognised as a critical concern and the key stakeholders became involved in an intensive session on what and how to create the necessary support environment for the ultimately very successful project.

With that experience and with the growing portfolio of projects the computer services senior management group accepted the need to develop the computer services project office (CSPO) function. Never a simple proposition, impacting as it does on both senior managers’ need for information and project managers’ need for support, the CSPO uncovered the requirement for several connected initiatives.

The CSPO makes it’s influence felt by giving guidance rather than by command and control. As their interests and types of projects become known the Partnerships “body of knowledge”, about how it runs projects, has grown. CITI has been there working with the CSPO delivering project management education, a range of management briefings and suggesting sources of knowledge and ways of working.

Outcome

As the computer services project community matures, with partnerships between sponsor and project manager developing, CITI sees the growth of a new core competency, valued and trusted with ability to run projects successfully and predictably going forward.