Improving Project Leadership and Capability - a case study: BP and Manchester Business School Managing Projects programme

Dr Carl GavinSenior Lecturer & Deputy Director – BP Managing Projects Programme

Manchester Business School, University of Manchester

• Manchester Business School & BP

• The BP Managing Projects Programme• Background• Aims• Programme structure• Session themes• Reflective practice

• Reflections on improving project leadership and capability

Overview

• Founded in 1965, the largest campus-based business & management school in the UK - 2,000 students, > 200 teaching staff

• Rankings:• First in the UK for business research (RAE)• FT rates our doctoral programme as number three in the world• Forbes survey ranks our MBA programme 4th place outside US• UK government body (HEFCE) ranks MBS teaching capabilities

as ‘Excellent’, the highest category

• International centres in USA, Middle East, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Brazil supporting a further 3,500 students worldwide

• Long tradition of teaching and research in the management of projects

Manchester Business School

MBS - Executive Education

• A BP Strategic University Partner since 2003 - BP/UoM Steering Group including BP Group CFO, Head of Engineering & Chief Scientist

• Research collaboration: • BP International Centre for Advanced Materials (BP-ICAM)

• Funding of $100m over 10 years• 14 projects underway

• BP Corrosion Laboratory (with MIT)

• Scholarships: 100 undergraduate bursaries per annum

• Recruitment: Early Engagement Programme

• Executive Education: • Engineering Management• Managing Projects

University of Manchester & BP

Projects at BP

BP Managing Projects Programme

Projects + Engineering

Basics Training

Projects + Engineering The BP Way

Engineering Management

Managing Projects

Executive and Leadership

Programmes

• Began in 2007

• 17 cohorts of project managers through the programme to date (480 delegates)

• Supported by both MBS staff and BP subject matter experts

• Underpinned by a virtual learning environment (blended learning)

• Successful delegates awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Managing Projects (60 credits)

• MBS has Registered Education Provider status with the Project Management Institute (PMI) - delegates who are PMI members can earn 400 Category 3 Professional Development Units (PDUs) for successfully completing the MP Programme

BP Managing Projects Programme

• Target audience is experienced, mid-career BP project managers – basics of project management are assumed

• Programme explores concepts of leadership and judgement in project contexts – to increase BP’s capability to consistently deliver successful projects

• The programme is:• designed to explore concepts, techniques, experience and

examples of good leadership, judgement and practice• an opportunity to share experience• focused on practical application of programme concepts

and techniques to generate real value for projects and BP• an opportunity for BP project managers to network

• “Manchester Method”: experiential rather than analytical learning – addressing real problems back in the workplace

Aims of the Programme

Programme Structure

Residential Week A

Residential Week B1 month

pre-work1 month pre-work

6 months reflective practice

6 months reflective practice

Postgraduate Certificate

(60 Credits)

PDUs

12 month programme

Psychometric testing

Psychometric testing

• Project leadership [core theme]

• Project strategy

• Project value

• Managing risk and uncertainty

• Contracting strategy

• Managing quality

• Managing change

• Creating safe, reliable, compliant facilities

• Human reliability

• Supplier oversight

• Learning from projects

• Mentoring

Session Themes

• Designed to be the bridge between the classroom and the workplace

• Stimulates thought about the application of programme concepts and principles within the delegates’ projects

• Supported by BP and MBS staff through the virtual learning environment throughout the programme

• Two assignments: Project Leadership and Creating a Distinctive Project / World Class Execution

• Assessed by University faculty to provide the credits towards the Postgraduate Certificate in Managing Projects

• MBS provide BP with an annual report of themes tackled within the reflective practice assignments

Reflective Practice

“I am a better project manager for participating in the programme”

“The [programme] has changed my perception of project management and execution”

“My perspective on my current job has changed dramatically”

“The project teams I have lead since participating in [the programme] have been more effective, better organized, more

quickly cohesive, and better aligned to the goals and issues each project presented … The experience has been invaluable”

“The programme has enabled me to take a step away from the day to day pressure of my project leadership role and provided an opportunity to experience alternative views and time to consider strategies to improve my own performance and that of my team”

Recent Delegate Comments

• Projects are about people not just processes & procedures (however robust)

• Project managers are hungry for enhancing their leadership & people skills – allow them to do so

• “Force” the application of learning to the workplace – this changes the organisation

• Encourage project managers to teach what they have learned to their colleagues back in the workplace

• Capture, share and apply lessons learnt on projects in order to reduce risk and improve project outcomes (this is difficult!)

• Project managers need a sense of empowerment to proactively address the opportunities and challenges that they face in their projects – this requires trust

Reflections on improving project leadership & capability

Financial Times, 15th June 2014

• Manchester Business School & BP

• The BP Managing Projects Programme• Background• Aims• Programme structure• Session themes• Reflective practice

• Reflections on improving project leadership and capability

Overview