Three years’ success and counting

In 2004 the team were regularly missing milestones, roughly one a month. At this point SES (Systems Evaluation Services) picked project milestones as one of the KPIs (key performance indicators) to be tracked monthly across the division. In response Fast Jets introduced a clearer focus on this key element of delivery. The management structure was overhauled, with Lead Project Managers given responsibility for each MOD programme. Each project team was placed under a project manager responsible for delivery on time and under budget, and a technical manager responsible for the design and implementation of the solution. Progress against milestones was tracked monthly at project reviews.

A year later, a new toolset was introduced to underpin the technical management of Test & Evaluation projects – eValu8. Now incorporated within the SES Operating Framework, and a key element in SES CMMi Level 3 accreditation, eValu8 supports a systems engineering based approach to both project and technical management. Technical assurance is built into the fabric of projects (through regular reviews) rather than something that happens at the end. “Using this approach means we are able to pick up and de-risk issues as we go along,” explains Nick. “Rather than finding out near the end that what you’ve developed isn’t fit for purpose.”

Of course it’s not possible to achieve this three year record without a few hiccups along the way. “We set a limit of no more than 15% of milestones being renegotiated and we’re currently running at about 13%,” Nick states. “Because projects are regularly reviewing their progress against deliverables we are able to identify issues early on and this means no surprises for the customer.” This ‘no surprises philosophy has led to the development of SmartRTSTM. This tool, employed on a number of projects across SES, gives IPTs visibility of regular forecasts against project targets.

But the important question is – has the customer noticed all of this effort? This year’s MOD Key Supplier Management (KSM) survey results saw the Fast Jet Business Group as the top rated business group in SES with an average rating of 7.2. “LTPA project feedback is averaging at just over our stretch target of 60% marked very satisfied,” explains Nick. “There’s always room to improve but we’ve got this far thanks to a shared commitment by every member of the team – no-one wants to break our winning streak.”