Investment

The New Zealand public service can do hard things

Karen Tregaskis

Karen Tregaskis discusses the challenges ahead for the New Zealand public service in an increasingly constrained fiscal environment - including what has and hasn’t worked well in the past.

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Governance

The Changing World of Local Government

Pat Dougherty

The Changing World of Local Government Local Government is facing an extended period of reform that will challenge the sector in a way that hasn’t been seen since 1989. Three Waters and Resource Management Act reforms are going to change the…

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Investment

From Compliance to Magic

Karen Tregaskis

Getting more out your ILM discussions with a Strategic Case on a Page Investment logic mapping (ILM) helps to tell a clear a concise story of the logic of an investment, but it often doesn’t capture the richer story elicited during…

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Careers

Thinking of Changing Career?

Rebecca Elvy

THE GREAT RESIGNATION They’ve been referring to it as the Great Resignation… people from all walks of life, in all kinds of roles, at all levels of an organisation, spurred on by the unease and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, changing…

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PM/BAU

Governance papers that enable good decision making

It is critical that governance papers are constructed in a way that is easy for the audience to navigate and understand. Well-constructed papers enable good decision making, which can have a signicant impact on whether a project is delivered successfully…

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PM/BAU

Harness the power of effective reporting

Effective project reporting is a critical component of a Project Manager’s toolbox and can have a signicant impact on whether a project is delivered successfully. However, it isn’t as simple as filling in a template and for many Project Managers…

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PM/BAU

Know your sponsor

The Sponsor (or the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO)) is ultimately accountable for the success of the project. They rely on the Project Manager to successfully deliver the project; but the Project Manager also has much to gain from the Sponsor. This…

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PM/BAU

Your stakeholders are more than an engagement plan

Rebecca Cleland

Stakeholder engagement is an essential component of any project. However, few project managers take the time and effort required to engage their stakeholders in a way that will add true value. But when they do, it pays off every time. This…

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PM/BAU

Help! My non-project has turned into a project; what now?

Has your work expanded beyond what you expected at the beginning? Do you suspect you’ve now got a project on your hands? Let’s explore the best way to manage this scenario, that ensures the best result for you and your…

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PM/BAU

Project Management isn't just for project managers

This is the second in our three-part series “Why project discipline isn’t only for projects”. In this issue, we’ll explore the meaning of ‘lite’ project management and how it can benefit your everyday, business as usual (BAU) work. To remind yourself…

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PM/BAU

Nailing the Terminology

Rebecca Cleland

This is the first in our three-part series “Why project discipline is not only for projects”, where we will address the above question. The term ‘project’ is commonly used across organisations and can be rather ambiguous. Its use can range from…

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Post COVID-19

Restarting Work - aka taking work out of the fridge

Sue Powell

As we all settle down into some form of a new normal, its important that we pause and take stock, particularly if you are on the receiving end of new expectations.  Why? 

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PM in Policy

Light project management in the policy shop

Karen Clarke

Project managers and government policy professionals don’t always get on. The project manager’s structured, sometimes black-and-white approach to delivery can be strange to the policy professional who thrives in ambiguity and blue-sky thinking.  Bringing the two worlds together doesn’t always make…

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Business Case

Creating successful business cases – why we’re different (and why you should care)

Rose Percival

We help position your business case for success by providing professional support across three key areas: the processes used within the organisation to develop the business case facilitating meaningful stakeholder engagement developing the business case

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Post COVID-19

Being the Compass in the Fog of Uncertainty

Karen Clarke

Whether or not we accept it, the knowledge and skills that got us where we are today are not always the ones that will get us to tomorrow. This has never been more true as we find ourselves navigating through…

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Agile

Agile Benefits Management: a case study

The Challenge  A large NZ agency initiated a transformational IT programme using Agile. As the programme approached its first major delivery milestone, they wanted to gain assurance that the programme benefits were on track to be realised. Needing specialist benefits expertise…

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A new way of working

Rethinking Our Organisations for the Future

COVID-19 lockdown has provided a number of challenges to organisations and how they operate. It has also provided some opportunities to think about the impacts of these beyond the immediate COVID-19 event. For the majority of organisations COVID has forced us…

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Agile

Servant Leadership and Agile

One often hears the terms “servant leadership” and “servant leader” being used in the context of Agile practices. The term “servant leadership” was originally coined by Robert Greenleaf in his essay “The Servant as a Leader” published in 1970. The concept…

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Governance

Governing Through a Crisis

Janie Elrick

This week the Auditor General wrote to a range of public agency Chief Executives reinforcing the need for strong governance in this time of crisis. In his letter he talks about ‘The pace, scale, and complexity of responding to the…

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COVID-19

Putting work on hold

Sue Powell

Many agencies are putting work on hold while they focus on their COVID-19 responses, keeping staff safe, and putting business continuity into action. One critical element that can easily be overlooked in this process is putting work to bed in a…

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Programme Management

Setting up a Programme or Project 'War Room'

Karen Tregaskis

Setting up a Programme or Project 'War Room' A programme (or project) 'war room' can be a highly effective tool, depending on how it is set up and used. This quick guide provides some things to think about.

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Change Leadership

It seems that elephants can dance

Karen Tregaskis

A story of change where the odds weren't great, but the leadership resolute. This brief case study highlights how Defence managed to avoid some common errors I see frequently occurring across many organisations wanting to create significant change.

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Agile

What comes first: Doing Agile or Being Agile?

More and more organisations both in the public and private sector are talking about “Agile transformation” and are investing in the adoption of Agile delivery methods.

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