Project Management –

Not Just for Work

Barnaby Beere Freelance Project Manager

23rd April 2015

Overview

• Themes

• Background

• “Hard” project – construction of new

facilities

• “Soft” project – creation of a joint venture

company

• Challenge to Project Managers

• Questions?

Themes

• Project Management

• Economics

• Cooperation

• Managing change

• Stakeholder engagement

• Environmental issues

• Concrete, drainage, floodlighting, pitch surfaces …

Why do Project Management

outside of work?

• PM is a skill, and skills need practice

• Opportunity to use your skills to do

something constructive and positive for

your local community

• Make new friends!

Wotton Community Sports Foundation

• Charity with a 999-year lease on a 38 acre site outside Wotton-under-Edge – “New Road site”

• Purpose is to develop and provide sports and recreational facilities for the local community

New Road Site, original layout Red line shows site boundary

New Road site, current

Skatepark

Astro pitch

3G pitch Attenuation ponds

Rugby pitch

What do I do and how did I get

involved?

• Skate park project in neighbouring village

• The benefits of cooperation, and

economies of scale

• The difficulty in raising ~£1.6m

• Missing a great opportunity to shut up

• Eventual success!

“Hard” project – creation of new

facilities

• Lack of sports / playing facilities in local

area

• 38-acre site donated as part of S106

• “If we build it, they will come”

• Difficulties in obtaining funding from Sport

England, Football Foundation, England

Hockey

• A new approach, and a generous donation

Construction of Artificial Pitches

Lessons Learned 1

• To keep project teams motivated, you

really need some “wins” along the way

Construction

• The Law of Comparative Advantage and the

importance of being a good client

• Getting to the start line - the benefit of

hard deadlines

• Building a delivery team

– How do you know when you’ve got the

right supply chain?

– Agreeing the end point

• Celebrating the success!

Opening Ceremony - Sept 2013

Facilities in use

Lesson Learned 2

Impatience is a virtue!

Interim Solutions - power

• No mains connection in time for grand opening September 2013

• Would mean that floodlights unusable, would reduce usability (value) of facility significantly

• Rented temporary power 50 KVA generator • Was on site from September 2013 - February

2014

Like this one, but blue ....

Lesson Learned 3

• Best kind of problems are those that can be solved with the application of money

• “Count of Monte Cristo theory of project management”

Concrete example

• In order to put construct this ramp:

– Identify the need

– Agree a specification with the user

– Ensure that we had sufficient funds to pay for the work

– Engage a contractor

– Agree a start and finish date for the work

– Monitor and accept the work

– Pay the contractor

Interim Solutions part 2 • Planning permission for site development includes

changing room and pavillion

Interim Solutions

More construction - skatepark

• Effective procurement process - the benefits of experience

• Success breeds success - proven track record of delivery

• Seed capital - easier when you’ve got a source of revenue income

• Raising >£60k in 9 months • Unexpected early start and early completion

Skatepark Opening Ceremony - March 2015

Positive Externalities

Attenuation Ponds, Trees

“Soft” project – taking on the

management of the sports centre

• Adjacent sports centre owned by KLBS,

managed by Stroud District Council

• Lack of marketing, opportunity to

cooperate and deliver better service

• The challenges of organisational change

• “How hard can it be to set up a new

business?”

• Early successes

Organisational structure

Learning from Experience,

Best Practice

• Docs on Charity Commission website – Choosing to Collaborate: Helping you succeed

• Docs on APM website – Directing Change - A guide to governance of project

management

– Co-directing Change - A guide to the governance of

multi-owned projects

• Benchmarking visits to similar local

facilities

Change project

• Long buildup, short execution

• Challenges in building a business case

• Getting two governing bodies to agree -

stepwise progress

• Building consensus, overcoming

resistance

• The benefits of hard deadlines pt 2

• Implementation challenges

• Joining the 21st century

Post-implementation

Social Media

Linked Twitter and Facebook pages for both Sport Wotton and WCSF - Twitter accounts also post automatically to websites

Some things take longer than you expect ...

• Procurement, configuration, installation and commissioning of new IT, website, telephone system

• Opening a bank account - turned into the critical path activity (90 days!)

• Preparation for TUPE transfer of existing staff

Things we’ve had to do to take over

the sports centre • Establish a new company, c/w PAYE number, bank

account etc

• Prepare a business plan c/w financial forecasts

• Set up a pension plan for employees

• TUPE transfer existing employees to the new company

• Make arrangements for handling cash

• Set up a website

• Get a logo and branded workwear

• Recruit a manager

• Undertake advertising and marketing

Lesson Learnt 4

• Change is messy and difficult, and challenges people in ways that can make them feel profoundly uncomfortable

• But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it ...

Social Capital

• The expected collective or economic benefits derived from the preferential treatment and cooperation between individuals and groups

• “bonding” and “bridging” • The importance of strong and weak network

links

Things I’ve been able to practice

• Procurement and contract management • Building supply chains • Leadership, delegation, chairing meetings • Applying economic theories in practice • Financial management • Civil engineering • Networking • Planning law • Charity law • Websites, marketing, Twitter

Next Steps - Access Path for Skatepark

A Shameless Appeal for Funds

• We urgently need to build an path to provide a safe access route into our site for skatepark users

• Cost estimate £95k (of which just under £10k already raised or pledged)

• Can be offset by donations of building materials – 250 tonnes of Type 1 sub-base material – 35 cubic metres of Tarmac – 1000 metres of pre-cast concrete edging kerbs – 80 cubic metres of concrete – 1000 square metres of geotextile membrane – 20 lighting bollards and 1000 metres of lighting cable

• Would your company like to sponsor a yard of path, or could you donate some of the above materials?

The Challenge

• Project Managers have specific skills that can be used for the benefit of society

• What are you going to do? • How are you going to improve your

community? • What are you going to create?

Thank you! If you’re interested: Wotton Community Sports Foundation http://www.wcsf.org.uk Twitter: @WCSF_Wotton Facebook: WCSF - Wotton Community Sports Foundation Sport Wotton Ltd http://www.sportwotton.co.uk Twitter: @SportWotton Facebook: Wotton Community Sports Centre

Barnaby Beere barnaby@charleshookfrancis.co.uk LinkedIn: barnabybeere