jobs@justso.org.uk
Scottish Borders - mobile

Project start ups
Project office implementations
Transition & transformation
Business change projects
ECommerce – B2B & B2C
Methodology implementations
Case Management solutions
Web project implementation
ITT consultancy
Strategic system redevelopment
Business process mapping

Introduction;

I believe I am best described as a hands-on Project Consultant. I work at a senior level to develop, mentor and manage a project through its entire life cycle. I have been working at a senior level with IT and business projects for the past 12 years. During this time I have specialised in Project & Programme Office and Project Methodologies. I have been involved in managing projects that include large-scale roll-outs, system redesigns, data centre relocation and full outsourcing. I have been directly responsible for up to 50 people including recruitment of teams. My most recent experience is in Project Management and Consultancy for the development of interactive Web Sites. The consultancy in the most recent projects was specifically for the development of a programme office and for the transition to a new methodology as well as project managing the complete life cycle of database elements, using Lotus Notes & Domino, for internet links and web site build.
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Experience;

Current – Innovation Strategii Group, Project Consultant – Aug ’00 to Present

I am used by ISG in many of their projects, where I am generally brought in to assist in methodology implementations, Project/Programme Office set-ups and trouble-shooting difficult projects. I also regularly manage, the entire life of various IT and business change projects. Recent successfully completed projects include; Lilly Pharmaceuticals (Belgium) – implementation of new methodology, programme office setup and transfer of the existing programme of projects into the structure. Development on an intranet version of the PSO which provides a framework flexible enough to manage a programme office under any methodology. Lloyds TSB – development of a deliverables matrix and risk assessment solution for business change programmes to integrate seamlessly into their current programme methodology.UK Hauliers – successful management of their web based return load solution including call centre operations and a programme office.

Scottish Widows, Senior Project Consultant (Aug 00 – March 01)

I was responsible for ensuring group compliant start-ups of Scottish Widows (SW) eCommerce projects utilising the Lloyds TSB methodology MaP. Budget responsibility, up to £5 million, team size up to 40. The MaP methodology from Lloyds TSB was new to SW and I was heavily involved in the interpretation of requirements, I then managed the transition from the SW original methodology, Navigator. Much of my work was in the start-up of the projects including initiation and development of the both the Programme Office and individual Project Administration functions. On the consultancy side I was involved in trouble-shooting and health-check procedures for other eCommerce projects as well as being involved in the selection of automated Project Office solutions. My component project responsibilities included initiation, business case, study, risk & issue assessment and planning stages, prior to hand over to an Implementation Project Manager. I had specific responsibility for the eCommerce element of StakeHolder Pensions and New Business (through IFA & Consumer Portals) projects. These projects included the full development cycle as well as the implementation of Case Management solutions for future support. The projects I was involved with were either strategic or regulatory and all produced web based applications with back office connectivity. I was also involved in ORIGO standards, IFA portal communication and Lloyds TSB legal group integration.

I was responsible for up to six concurrent small projects with small and medium (SME) UK wide businesses. Many of the projects were Internet based or system redevelopment. JSL were strong advocates of Programme Office with a heavy emphasis on eProcurement and case or document management solutions, hence most projects contained some element of this, including the provision of project office facilities for remote, shared, multiple projects. I managed the Project Managers, monitored communication and administration, but also provided hands-on input particularly concerning methodology, risk & issue assessment & management, SLA’s and planning and Project/Programme Office. I always tried to personally manage those projects for companies where I believed my greatest abilities lay.

I successfully managed the short project with 5 sub-project managers and £1.5 million budget, after initially setting up the programme office. With responsibilities extending to documentation, third-party communication and planning. The project was to assess software, redesign and upgrade to automated stock and takings solution for routers, bridges, servers, data routing, redundancy etc – 630 UK stores – Access Builder 7000 – Arpeggio Lite – ISDN clustering – Scaleable router clustering – FEP polling – IP addressing re-design.

I was brought in by this Amey Group Company to design, set-up and initially manage the new Projects Group. Responsibilities included distributed and remote project offices, design and implementation of a new methodology, recruitment, Network Operation Centre, web based CRM implementation with customer and case management tools and the management of a fully facilitated site relocation. I also provided consultancy to ITC live projects for their customers including BNFL, Channel 4 TV, The Highways Agency, Royal Liver and Avery Berkel.

One of the world’s largest solicitors and no defined IT or business project control methodology, I was brought in to remedy this, by setting up an operations and facilities group. Once in place I was responsible for the group, working at IT board level, I had overall responsibility for all IT projects and for the implementation and reporting of business change programmes. DLA being an international company necessitated a flexible style with the ability to work across continents. Projects successfully concluded include; multiple site relocations, worldwide communication upgrade programme, redeveloped customer call-centre, new website design, ebusiness solution for case and account management, web based procurement and asset management solution and digital conveyancing solution. I was particularly proud of my time at DLA and have left a lasting legacy of more efficient project, procurement and case management.

I was a member of the Network Station Management (NWSM) group and was responsible for PC and Network activity within large scale outsourcing projects. I operated as a senior PM in projects within Europe and Africa. These were large value projects and the sections I was responsible for tended to account for a third to a half of the total. Projects included;General Accident ( Outsourcing and set-up of Centre of Excellence for Finance & Insurance Projects), Global Asset Management (Outsourced help-desk & remote project control), National Freight Consortium (Comprehensive audit & outsourced web based helpdesk), Co-operative Bank (Fully outsourced IT facilities). I was also part of a small team realigning IBM’s project offering to SME’s. During my time with IBM I was able to complete the IBM MITP courses. One of the internal IBM projects I had some responsibility for was to redefine implementation, administration and closure procedures and to restructure the NWSM programme office to reflect these redefined procedures - this included setting up multiple satellite project offices as well as a mobile team for flexible, rapid response – the implementation of a case management tool was integral to the success of this project and this element was eventually integrated into IBM project methodologies.

During this period I was contracting, in the main for small and medium companies and successfully managed numerous concurrent projects. The work was varied but included; database design, case management solutions, website development, remote sales solutions, helpdesk set-up, site relocations and Greenfield site set-ups. I also headed a development team who created a flexible interactive Project Management solution. This methodology is used to this day by some of the project offices I have implemented.

I was responsible for this insurance group’s technical operations, support, call-centre and non-development IT projects. Successfully concluded projects include ; Helpdesk solution, New Call Centre, IFA System upgrades (approx 1,400 sites), Exchange client upgrade for over 4,000 units, IFA Internet solution, Dynamic FTSE uplink, European frame relay implementation, case management and documentation flow & scanning solution.

Summary;

I started my higher education with every intention of becoming a PE Teacher; however after specialising in biomechanics and computer aided movement analysis found my then hobby of computing was far more suited to my actual skills. My university education did not go to waste however and I feel I am able to use much of that learned in my day to day activities especially in respect to team building, motivation and mentoring.

I initially combined the two fields by working as a systems developer for a leisure group although moved on when it became apparent that the training and opportunities did not match my ambitions. From this point I set goals, both short and long term and started working towards them. Formal training within a large data centre, in support and Lotus application development, provided the foundation and eventually the step to move into management. I never shied away from learning and was able to use that ability and desire to move rapidly through early jobs and become the Systems Manager for the Granada Group by 1990. This proved to be a key role for me and with the next role for Prolific starts the narrative that is the Experience sections of this CV.

Interests & Hobbies;

Eco Projects, Cycling, Kites, Golf, Photography, Outdoor Pursuits, Motor Sport