NES - APM PM in the Nuclear Industry Event

Nuclear Engineering Services
NES – Our Journey to APM
Corporate Accreditation

Mark Kelly – Head of Business Improvements &
Project our history - Excited about our future
Proud of Management Capability

Effective Investment in people, buy-in & results

CFO asks CEO: ‘’What happens if we invest
in developing our people and then they leave
us?’’
CEO: ‘’What happens if we don’t, and they
stay?’’

Proud of our history - Excited about our future

A short intro. to NES - Markets

NUCLEAR
DECOMMISSIONING
•60 Years Experience
•Innovative & Bespoke
Solutions
•Remote Handling
•Gloveboxes &
Containments
•Fuel Route equipment
•Decontamination systems
•Shield Doors
•Design Substantiation

NUCLEAR
CURRENT FLEET
•Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEM)
across current fleet
•Spares & Servicing
•Emergency Response
equipment
•Fuel Route Equipment
•Support to Life Extension

NUCLEAR NEW
BUILD
•Mechanical Lifting & Fuel
Handling
•Waste Management
equipment
•Special Mechanical
Devices, e.g. Filter
Changing Machine,
Airlocks, Liner, etc.
•Shield Doors, Gloveboxes,
Bogies & Gamma Gates
•CE&I Control systems
•Steel Structures
•Engineering support &
consultancy


DEFENCE
•20 Years experience
•Remote Handling
•Heat Exchangers (OEM)
•Lifting equipment
•Fuelling and De-fuelling
equipment
•Gloveboxes & Enclosures
•Design support
•Level 1 Spares
•Site services

What we’d like to share with you (as an SME)
• Our journey through to APM Accreditation …for our
Project Management Training & Development
Programme
• Share the reasons and logic for taking this path
• Hopefully we don’t come over as preaching or
advocating that this is ‘THE’ way ……it’s just Our way
which we’ll share with you…..
• ‘hopefully to help you develop your path …or improve
upon our learning

Our Approach
• Approach is based on Our values…(boils
down to) ….Safety, Quality, People and
Improving our Performance
• We hope that we won’t underwhelm you
with the simplicity of our approach
• Key message is: that… ‘’for the business
to succeed……the people in our business
need to succeed’’ they drive our
performance – good or bad!…..our light
bulb moment!

Where did we start?
• Analysis of the Business Performance: Systems,
Processes, People and Governance (take a real good
look at yourself – be critical and face the brutal truth )
• Unsurprisingly – we identified gaps (big one’s in places)
in knowledge, capability, procedural adherence, rigour
and discipline
• All impacting on business performance and customer
satisfaction – with negative competitive advantage
• Real clues ….. link what we found here to our desired
future state and business benefit …..recognise what
we could gain by ‘doing it differently’

Approach: (2 years ago - set against a backdrop of:
• Increasing requirements from customers in our
sector …to deliver against more challenging
schedules, tighter cost basis with more
reliability and predictable delivery (safety and
quality as ‘givens’!)

2

• Given that we are a contracting organisation…
clear link between delivering contracts and
undertaking projects
• Embrace Project Management as a professional
discipline and use it to create a BIG STEP CHANGE!


Approach (SME perspective)
• Link back to improved business performance which
increases customer and stakeholder satisfaction and
confidence …..and starts to create a source of
competitive advantage …..can act as a differentiator
…… its NOT an overnight sensation!
• Convince yourself and believe that business benefit
flows from customer satisfaction and is a key
business goal…’then commit to leading the change’
• It fails or loses momentum if not passionately
advocated from the Board Room down!
• This is a Leadership Challenge!

3

How to Influence the Board Room
• Passionate advocacy, persuasive argument from the
Programme Director and myself
• Only partially successful - it’s what they expected!
• Passionate advocacy aligned to desire from PM
community….VERY SUCCESSFUL
• So how do we secure ‘passionate bottom up’
advocacy?


Another ‘Light Bulb’ moment!!!!!
‘COMMUNICATE’….. this was our leadership challenge!
• Created a PM Forum - Listen, build consensus,
develop views, engender enthusiasm,
• Key Message: ‘’WIN-WIN’’
• Developed a shared vision - with professionalism at
it’s heart
• Business Benefit and Individual Aspirations
• ‘Powerful Combination’
• Working with our PM Community to create a
real desire to improve against a genuinely
‘professional’ banner was key

4

How to build ‘Professionalism’ and PM Capability
‘SIMPLE

ANSWER’…..

• We shamelessly used the essence of what APM
already had in place!!....yet another light bulb
moment!
• Don’t try and re-invent the wheel – we didn’t
need to
• What we did was apply it, build consensus and
secure advocacy throughout our team for the
approach we / they developed


What did it all mean ? The APM model
of professionalism
‘5 Dimensions of professionalism’….to underpin our approach

Body of Knowledge

Code of Conduct

Competency
Framework
CPD

Qualifications


The core components
A framework or methodology which defines the
processes and practices for the organisation
A competence framework to map levels of knowledge
and experience at appropriate levels
Qualifications to provide developmental opportunities
and recognition of competence at appropriate levels
A continuing professional development scheme that
broadens horizons and builds understanding through
sharing of good practice
Recognition that true professionals should be
accountable for their actions and adhere to a code of
ethics and professional conduct


Implementation Plan – Key Learning points
• Symbolise Board Support – Policy Statement – keep the
Board ..on board!
• Provide funding to make it happen….’not a huge amount
• Working Group of young PE/PM’s (vested interest to do a
great job) – they selected QA - Accredited Service Provider
• Set up the T& D Programme to ensure it meets the PM’s
needs, (E-learning, support and sustainability) a blend of
learning vehicles
• It’s not a ‘Quick fix’…..we keep in constant contact with
QA…..it’s anything but a ‘Sheep dip’ approach to training
• Adopt the principal of E as well as SQ in SQEP –

Simple Approach – Key Learning points
• Facilitated assessment – more objectivity
• Self Assessment – but ‘managed’ to eliminate bias!
• Management Assessment (180 degree) – introduce some
balance and start to engage the line management
• Create a competency baseline with Key Competency gaps
identified
• Training concentrating on the basics (scope, schedule, cost,
project execution plans, etc...)
• Training programme developed by the team and
implemented to target the gaps
• Alignment across all fronts, Procedures, Tools for Training

Layers of Training & Development – What
Our PM Community Wanted
Mentoring (In House)
Work Shops
Case Studies

& Simulations (With Provider)
Simulations
Workshops

Budget
Risk
Planning
Change Control
Module Based Learning (TMA/xLA with Provider)& Cost

EV

E-Learning (Own Time)
Jan 12

Jan 14
Timescale (Years)


NES/QA – Training and Development Programme


NES/QA – Training and Development Programme

Key learning – over 7 months

Key learning
depth,
continuity,
links to
work

So where did the Approach take us – Int.Corporate
Accreditation was 9/25 moved to 23/25 Award


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
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NES Project Management Roadmap –
APM Qualifications vs. Roles (SQ+E)
Competence: Knowledge & Experience Scores
Prog. Manager

Knowledge / Experience

APM Level B

Senior Project Manager
APM Level C

Project Manager
Senior Project Engineer

APM Level D

Project Engineer
Graduate PE

Module Based Learning

Proj. Controls
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Timescale (Years)


8

9

10

If this works – what does the Business get?
• Ability to attract new talent (thru’ PR brochures, recruitment
specialists, etc – ‘getting really positive feedback)
• Retention of existing Talent (‘now really thriving! .. could
possibly move for higher wages...if that’s their main driver)
• Vibrant, enthusiastic, young PM’s…with a great team spirit
• Demonstrable improvement in core competency and
Governance
• Reliability, Predictability and demonstrably improved: -Forecasting of revenue/ income, project performance,
resource demands, profitability and customer satisfaction
• Personal satisfaction and reward & ………Business Growth!

How to build ‘Professionalism’ and PM Capability


Background – the Journey
• Over the last five years the turnover has increased from
£10m (1 Site) to £30m (3 Sites)
• Change in Business Strategy - Moving from Functional
to Project focused business (IPT)
• Significantly Increased PM Capability required (circa 20
new starters from a team of about half a dozen
• Status: APM Level D - 8/25
• Major challenges: Project Reporting, Forecasting & Risk
Management, Rigour and Processes/procedures
• Ad-hoc training approach to PM

NES - APM PM in the Nuclear Industry Event

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