Ben discussed leading delivery support and assurance of major projects, including BBC W1 New Broadcasting House and London 2012 Digital. He touched on: • How can PMOs both assure and support projects • Despite assurance, why do some projects still go wrong • Making sure projects deliver • A PMO’s role in stopping major projects Ben Brownlee presented at FuturePMO 2019 which is a 1 day PMO conference hosted by Wellingtone. www.FuturePMO.com

1. PMO Assurance of
Major Projects
Ben Brownlee, Programme Assurance Director
#FuturePMO

2. 2
Contents
• What is Assurance of Major Projects?
• What role can a PMO play?
• Context – going back in time to 2013!
• Assurance of major projects
• Case Study: W1 – New Broadcasting House
• Case Study: London 2012
• Conclusion and questions

3. 3
Assurance of Major Projects
Assurance provides confidence that major projects are deliverable, within scope, budget and time
and not taking uncontrolled risks
Good assurance regimes
• add value to the project, programme or portfolio
• are planned
• are balanced, with an appropriate mix of assurance types – healthchecks, deep dives, approvals
• provide internal, independent and expert challenge
• check governance and other standards are being applied appropriate to the Project
• enable approvals and improved decision-making with full information
Common pitfalls
• can be compliance oriented and focused on the past rather than future focused and adding value
• seen as an unnecessary
• can ignore the “bleedin’ obvious”

4. 4
PRE PROJECT DEFINE SHAPE PLAN IMPLEMENT HANDOVER POST
Start-up advice and
guidance, lessons
learnt
Project
interdependencies,
resourcing
Benefits
realisation and
closure
Integrated assurance and
approvals plan (IAAP),
governance, estimating and
benefits validation
Applying the
Corporate Way to
improve delivery
confidence
Gates /
Assurance
Role of a PMO - Delivery support and assurance
Structured assurance and support = greater confidence

5. 5
Example PMO Assurance and Delivery Support - 2012
Healthchecks,
reviews &
monitoring
Portfolio
visibility
Templates
& reporting
Ongoing advice,
guidance &
troubleshooting
Involved
Quality
Assurance
role
Full-time team
member
SupportAssurance
Minimum MaximumServices
Current support to projects across spectrum of services
Start-up
updated 28 December 2012
Portfolio
Associate
W12 (Simon)W1 (Ben)
Archive (Ben)
XXX(Ben)
Wales (Julien)
Sustainability (Julien)
JPortal (Ruth)
Procurement (Gary)
PPP (Julien/Team)
YYY (Gary)
End to End (Ben)
AAA (Gary)
Wireless (Ben)

6. 6
Business engagement
‘Critical friend’ for
Teams, Sponsors, Managers &
Directors
Developing action plans
Review progress
‘Fix-it’ teams
Preparation for NAO reviews
Planning for all stages inc.
benefits-led
Responsibilities and
accountabilities (RACI)
Activities and estimating
Dependencies & connections
across BBC
Managing budgets &
contingencies
What might go wrong?
Developing & facilitating risks &
issues
Budgeting for risk
Living with risks & issues –
prevention and contingency
Where are you now?
- Current operating model
Where do you want to get to?
- Target operating model
How to get there?
- steps along the way
Delivering change & transitions
Clarifying objectives to deliver
What is a benefit?
Delivering outputs & outcomes
Business acceptance, ownership
& monitoring
Embedding changes
Benefit delivery - long term
Scope and assumptions
Developing options
Making an effective business
case for each stage
Keeping a business case up to
date, aligning strategically
Completing definition
documents
Stakeholder analysis,
involvement & management
Sponsoring & directing
Structures, skills, roles &
resourcing
Linking into the BBC governance
Quality planning & assurance
Starting, defining & shaping
Vision, benefits & mandates
Delivery approaches & stages
Using ‘lessons learnt’
Approvals & mobilisation
Completion & capturing lessons
& knowledge
Benefits Management
Programme / Project
Organisation & Governance
Programme / Project
Start up & Completion Business Cases
HealthchecksRisk and Issue ManagementOperating Models & Delivery Planning & Budgeting
PMO Delivery Support and Assurance Services – Select the right ones!

7. 7
Starting, shaping, defining
projects and programmes
Vision and Benefits
Organisation and resources
Stakeholders
Business cases
Completion
Lessons learnt
Knowledge
Post implementation review
Resource re-
Ongoing:
risks and issues
planning & budgeting
dependencies
delivery of outcomes and benefits
action plans
Ongoing support:
ad hoc
assurance role
healthcheck
timed review
follow- up
Starting, shaping, defining
projects and programmes
Vision and Benefits
Organisation and resources
Stakeholders
Business cases
Completion
Lessons learnt
Knowledge
Post implementation review
Resource reallocation-
Ongoing:
risks and issues
planning & budgeting
dependencies
delivery of outcomes and benefits
action plans
Ongoing support:
assurance role
timed review
follow-
Example Support Cycle

8. 8
Integrated Assurance and Approvals Plan for projects
1) Steering Group –
performance
• Regular up to date view of project
performance against objectives
and plan
• Time, cost, quality
• Forecast benefits
• Issues and risks
• Independent QA
2) Regular approvals
• Review at specific ‘gates’ by
governance outside project, e.g.
Finance Committee
• Initiation and during life, e.g. from
design to build
• Approval / rejection moving to
the next stage
3) Independent
healthchecks
• Point in time review
• Focus on areas of concern
• Depth and width as appropriate
• Links in with audit timings and
recommendations
Three lines of defence

9. 9
Case study: W1

10. 10
W1 Fact-file
• BBC HQ
• £1.046bn cost
• £30m underspend
• £736m saved
• 2 x 24 hour News channels
• Radio 1 in the ‘loft’, Radio 3,
Radio 4
• 26 language services
• Radio Newsroom
• Newsnight, Marr, The One Show

11. 11
TV Studio B
(Big Flexible) Newsnight, World News,
Marr
TV Studio C
BBC World News
TV Studio A:
Virtual Reality
TV Studio D:
BBC London
BBC London
Arabic
Persian
Arabic
WS LANGUAGE SERVICES/GND
RADIO SEQUENCES + WS NEWS PROGRAMMES
TV NEWS PROGRAMMES (incl. NEWSNIGHT)
NEWS TV/RADIO CURRENT AFFAIRS/MULTIPLATFORM SPECIALS
MULTIMEDIA NEWSROOM
TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS
VISION CSO / SOME GNS/WS STUDIOS
VISION FACTUAL & ARTS GENRE HUB
R1 + 1Xtra, ASIAN NETWORK, NEWSBEAT, A&Mi
Persian
TV Studio E
News Channel &
BBC 1 Bulletins
New Broadcasting House
UK + GLOBAL PLANNING; GNS; BBC WEATHER
NEWSGATHERING SPECIALISTS
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS CENTRE AND SCIENCE GENRE HUB
Peel WingOld BH
2
B2
LG
G
B3
3
4
5
6
7
8
RADIO 3
PROMS
RADIO 3
RADIO 4/4 EXTRA
A&M PROD
A&M DRAMA
A&M PROD
A&M PROD
RADIO THEATRE
1

12. 12
Delivering W1
WS Languages
WS Newsroom
Vision
CSOR
Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct - Dec Jan - Mar
201420132012
AugJulyJuneApr - MayMar
Russian IPTV
3rd May Swahili
27th Aug
Andrew Marr
3rd Sept
Newsnight
15th Oct
HardTalk
8th Oct
World
(Overnights)
28th Jan
World (Dayside)
14th Jan
Burmese service
11th March
NewsWatch
5th Oct
1,6 & 10
Bulletins,
News Channel &
Weather
23rd Feb
One Show
Nov (tbc)
BBC London
June(tbc)
Vision
Factual
Grafton opens
6th Jan
A&M VCS Up-grade
Sunday Politics
23rd Sept
Radio 1
Hindi
Service
2nd Nov
Radio 1
LIVE
24th Oct
Urdu Service
11th Feb
Newsbeat
10th Dec
R4 Radio Sequences
3rd Dec – World Tonight
6th Dec – WATO/PM + Radio Newsroom
11th Dec – Today programme
(Also 5 live indies launch same time)
Asian
Network
26th Nov
W1PROGRAMME
CLOSURE
Peel Wing refresh

13. 13
W1 Benefits

14. 14
W1 Film
https://youtu.be/dd9rx4kW9KM
BBC W1 Blog and Film

15. 15
W1 Film

16. 16
PMO Assurance to W1 Programme
Agreement with the
Sponsor and Programme
Director
Risk based, matured over
time for that point in time
approaches and roles >
structures > outputs to
outcomes > benefits
First line: Monthly reviews
and reporting
Second line: Healthchecks
to provide independent
optimisation and
confidence
Ongoing advice, guidance
and troubleshooting
Knowledge sharing,
lessons and APM
Programme of the Year
Award 2013

17. 17
Case Study – BBC London 2012

18. 18
One amazing year - four years in preparation!

19. 19
BBC London 2012

20. 20
PMO Assurance to L2012 Programme
Agreement with the
Steering Group
Risk based, matured over
time for that point in time
benefits-led > plan >
stakeholders >
healthcheck > lessons
First line: Monthly reviews
and reporting
Second line: Healthchecks
to provide independent
optimisation and
confidence
Ongoing advice, guidance
and troubleshooting
Knowledge sharing,
lessons and awards

21. 21
L2012 Planning, Delivery and ClosedownReviewDoPlan
Portfolio of
potential targets
and measures
identified
Revised and
aggregated
key targets
and measures
identified
Individual work
stream targets
and measures
approved
Sum of
individual key
targets and
measures
identified per
Editorial theme
Aggregated
key targets
and
measures,
pan L2012,
signed off
BBC FC
Allocated
budget
L2012
Finance
Committee /
Steering
Group
allocated
work streams
x
workstreams
5 overarching
Editorial themes
L2012
Project
delivery
pan BBC
Finance
Case:
identifying x
workstreams
Review of
previous
identified
workstreams
Approvals
Document:
VFM
Targets
Legacy
Risks /
Contingency
Budget
Closedown
document:
VFM
Targets
Legacy
Budget
Lessons Learned
Summary
Document:
VFM
Targets
Legacy
Budget
Lessons
Learned
L2012 Steering Group
Governance
PMO
Healthcheck
Internal Audit
Review
PMO L2012 SG PIR
Action plan
Closedown
Report
Control &
Assurance

22. 22
London 2012 – Assurance Example
a) Benefits, Outcomes and Legacy (Green)
L2012 is on track to meet virtually all the 20 headline benefits as
well as the vast majority of specific workstream outcomes. In many
areas the BBC has achieved its highest ever ratings. At the same
time it has enhanced its reputation as a delivery partner and
established the foundations of enduring organisational and social
legacies.
Specific outcomes:
• L2012 achieved an 87% cross-platform reach vs 85% target and
met or exceeded expectations for 96% of the audience.
• The project was delivered £Xm under the overall budget
with a Cost Per Viewer Hours Y vs Z target.
• New ways of working e.g. joint co-located team, adoption
of benefits–led planning and project management.
Key recommendations:
1.Identify clear ownership of ongoing business workstreams as
part of closure to help secure future benefits and maximise
legacy (particularly where there is no ‘natural’ home)
2.Identify further opportunities for reuse of new infrastructure
and features (e.g. Interactive Video Player), when reviewing
scope of coverage of forthcoming events or seasons, to keep
pace with now-heightened audience expectations.
3.Recognise the value of the tools, templates and processes that
helped deliver the benefits, released time for creativity and
provided the basis for prioritisation of resources.
If repeated for major BBC events, the pan–BBC project
approach used by L2012 offers the potential for continued
excellence in coverage, production and project management.
This may prove to be the biggest legacy benefit of L2012.
• Biggest ever online audience - a high take-up of audience
facing innovations, such as 24 streams, the Interactive
Video Player and Mobile.
• Super-Hi vision continued to excite opinion formers. Demand
for 3D was lower, justifying less investment.

23. 23
London 2012 - Film

24. 24
Assurance of Major Projects requires
An understanding of the role of assurance, the PMO and how assurance adds value
Time and planning in the project schedule to provide for reviews at critical stages (IAAP)
Sponsors with the requisite maturity of understanding and willingness to listen
A culturally diverse group of people, drawing on perspectives and experience from other contexts
An understanding of project’s risks and the need to adapt in the face of elements that do not work
Transparency and sharing lessons and experiences between projects during projects!
adapted from Assurance of Major Projects – MPA 2019

25. 25
Projects still go wrong!
• Proper initiation is still the biggest part of success
• Some projects need to be stopped
• Use fact based approach

26. 26
Assurance of Major Projects
Assurance provides confidence that major projects are deliverable, within scope, budget and time
and not taking uncontrolled risks
Good assurance regimes
• add value to the project, programme or portfolio
• are planned – Integrated Assurance and Approvals Plan
• are balanced, with an appropriate mix of assurance types – healthchecks, deep dives, approvals
• provide internal, independent and expert challenge
• check governance and other standards are being applied appropriate to the Project
• enable approvals and improved decision-making with full information
Lessons learnt
• gain agreement to the assurance role and the role of the PMO
• flex focus, role and people over time
• focus on biggest bang for the buck!