A Shared View

Transcript

A Shared View - How you can benefit from taking part in OGC Gateway reviews

Charles Stevens, Head of DTI Estates and Projects
I think sharing experience is very important, at Gateway that's where it really does add value. 

David Morgan, Programme Director - Estate Optimisation Programme
It allows best practice to be shared across different Government departments. 

Andy Staples, Site Closure Project Manager - UKAEA Winrith
As part of the Gateway review organisation, we in UKAEA provide Gateway reviewers to help other organisations within Government, the aim being that the Government organisation as a whole gets reviews done to improve the standards of project management across the whole Government portfolio.

Carrie Armitage, Gateway Review Team Leader
Looking at somebody else's project or programme is rather like being able to look into somebody else's cupboards, and I know that certainly from projects or programmes that I have reviewed that I have actually picked up some really good tips or techniques.

Sir Ian Andrews, Second Permanent Under Secretary of State - Ministry of Defence
I have always found it hugely helpful in terms of giving me a different perspective on my own project, but also picking up ideas benefiting from looking at the way other people, other departments, have tackled particular challenges.

Marion Price, Gateway Review Team Leader
You will learn from the people you are working with, even if it is only a way of doing something, even if it is a way not to do something, you are learning all the time from your colleagues.

Carrie
I remember plagiarising somebody else's risk management tool, which was very useful, which I then took back and implemented in the project that I was running at the time.

Derek Baker, OGC Director
The transfer from projects and programmes, finding out about projects and programmes, learning actually from the project or program as well as giving back has been a recognised benefit of the Gateway process.

Sir Ian
It's really pure gold dust in terms of the benefit one actually gets out of it

Carrie
The Gateway review process has been around now for several years and I think it has really matured over that period of time, so it has really become a hallmark of a successful project. 

Alan Neal, Head of Site - UKAEA Winfrith
As an SRO I am responsible for spending very large amounts of public money, millions of pounds of tax payers money, it is very important to me that I am spending that money wisely and that the public are reassured that we are spending that money wisely.  So what the OGC process does, it actually gives me the reassurance that any project that I am about to start has got a high probability of being successful. 

Sir Ian
If it is fine, that's great, but even better is to be warned of where it is going to fail before it crashes and burns. 

Trevor Fellowes, Director - Learning and Skills Council
Gateway guys come in for three or four days, they do a good quick stock take - it is very useful.  Gateway has not in itself helped people's lives, what Gateway has done is that it has enabled me to help people's lives.  I think it is important to recognise that Gateway is not necessarily the full package, it is a very useful tool to you as the SRO, but it doesn't aggregate your responsibility as the SRO.

Carrie
Projects or programmes that don't have the Gateway review process I think are missing out, they are missing out on an opportunity to get some external help, advice, a clear view point that maybe they have missed because they have been so close to actually getting the job done.

Alan Little, MOD Programmes and Project Management
We spend billions of pounds across the department on these programmes, if we can get some benefit out of Gateway, even quite relatively small benefits out of Gateway, on that scale it can potentially save large amounts of money for the tax-payer.

Download the transcript (PDF, 15KB)