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Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 sets the context for the Project 13 Principles to thrive

Dale Evans, Chair Project 13 and member of the drafting team, explains how the Project 13 Principles align with Transforming Infrastructure Performance and how it supports the creation of outcome-focused, collaborative delivery models. Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 (TIP) published today, sets out a clear direction for infrastructure and recognises the role infrastructure plays in ensuring people and places thrive. It is recognised that the current transactional model for delivering major infrastructure projects and programmes is broken. The outdated transactional approach prevents efficient delivery, prohibits innovation and as a result fails to provide the high-performing infrastructure networks that businesses and the public require. Doing things differently TIP offers a different direction and is prepared to tackle the restrictive practices embedded in the industry. By focusing on people and nature thriving, building on the Construction Playbook and Our Vision for the built environment, TIP contains a concrete Action Plan to ensure the right environment is created to enable better delivery. The opportunity offered by Enterprise models like Project 13 and digital transformation can be realised more fully, achieving benefits for society and nature. Our Vision highlights that this is the right time for change: we know what best practice looks like, we understand the opportunity from digital transformation and we now have the opportunity to deliver differently. Made up of the Built Environment Model, five Focus Areas and an Action Plan, TIP is committed to putting these better ways of working into practice and making them the norm. Focus Area 1: Delivering new economic infrastructure to drive improved outcomes for people and nature As with the Construction Playbook, Government has consulted widely with industry and the result is the richer for this consultation. Focus Area 1 is most aligned with Project 13 and illustrates why the Enterprise model is most effective in responding to the system of systems that make up our built environment: "Aligned outcomes and corresponding incentives: Greater impact from investment, at the societal level as a direct result of outcome-led and value-based decisions. Greater realisation of benefits that industry can bring through innovation. Adopters of Project 13 are demonstrating how engaging partners to deliver the required outcomes and aligning reward models accordingly, enables a broader system perspective, for example opening up opportunities to incorporate the optimisation of existing assets alongside the delivery of new assets and also enabling modern methods of construction." Project 13 is looking forward to working with Government and the industry to implement TIP. The need for change has never been greater and we can only do it thorough collaboration and concerted effort.

0 replies · Posted by Melissa Zanocco, September 13

capable owner
governance
integration
organisation
digital transformation

Case study - Six Steps for Capable Ownership

Anglian Water began its journey to set up an alliance of organisations in 2004. Head of Commercial Services Andrew Page discusses the six key steps that continue to fuel its success. Anglian Water’s Alliancing Journey. Back in 2004, Anglian Water began its journey to set up an alliance of organisations as part of its Assessment Management Plan (AMP). Now, the business has seven different alliances, each of which cover many facets, from large scale infrastructure projects to IT solutions. Together, the Alliance is focused on Anglian Water’s investment programme to build a sustainable world. 1. Commitment starts at the top. “We knew that changing the way we procured large programmes would be a challenge. We shifted the delivery of a multi-billion-pound regulatory investment programme to an entirely new commercial model. Our success was achieved by the unwavering commitment of our management board and investors, after 17 years, this commitment remains firm. As part of this process, our CEO continues to chair a quarterly Alliance Principals Group meeting with senior executives from each of our partnership organisations. This is a real, B2B conversation that not only demonstrates the commitment from our most senior members of the business but ensures that our focuses are consistently aligned.” 2. A Sustainable Commercial Model “Adopting a sustainable commercial model delivers the efficiencies required by the owner and the returns required by each of our partners. A sustainable model must drive the right behaviours; behaviours that focus on delivering the outcomes required by the owner, whilst constantly delivering increased rewards to the shared Programme Pool. It’s important to note that this commercial model must also increase the size of the programme pool, and not increase the share generated for individual members.” 3. Choosing the Right Partners “At Anglian Water, we understand that we don’t have all of the answers to every challenge. This is why our Alliance is made up of organisations that bring varied skill sets to tackle said challenges. We keep skills at the forefront of our minds when scoring tenders submitted for our alliances; fewer than a third of the marks available are for cost-based responses. We have a genuine focus on an organisations’ ability to demonstrate the right approach, the right people and partners, the right processes and systems, and the right environment.” 4. Creating Symbiotic Relationships “Success requires an understanding that every partner in the enterprise has an equal voice. We have an unwavering acceptance that the enterprise will only succeed if all recognise the importance of each partner in delivering that success. These relationships are long-term, and the trust developed is an essential ingredient.” 5. Developing High Performing Teams “In the early days it is all too easy to confuse great team spirit with a successful enterprise. The measure of the success of an enterprise is how it responds to challenges, and how open and transparent the team is. The key to success is absolute clarity of purpose around aligned outcomes. Anglian Water introduced a High Performing Teams development plan very early in the journey. It has proven to be an essential tool in helping newcomers adopt a new model and progress their journey with us.” 6. Deliberately Deliver Differently “Anglian Water is now in its 17th year of its Alliancing-type delivery model. Throughout this time, we have had continuous support from the leaders of the business and have adapted the commercial models to meet each new regulatory period. We have worked through all challenges together, as an alliance. Each of our partners have been integral in delivering our Business Plan submissions to our regulators, this collaborative approach creates the conditions required for innovation and creativity to deliver our desired outcomes.” Anglian Water’s alliancing journey is the cornerstone of what collaboration and alignment can achieve. As the regulated infrastructure owners in the UK increasingly look at various delivery models for major infrastructure investment, these are exciting times for further development of the P13 enterprise approach. We will continue to follow alternative routes for financing, designing, building, and operating assets that are our customers rely on in their daily lives.

0 replies · Posted by Andrew Page, September 7

capable owner

Covid-19 digital transformation response revisited - what has really changed?

Juned Ahmed, business analysis and improvement graduate, Openreach, summarises the main points from the DTTG Peer Review Programme Covid-19 re-visited session. The Infrastructure Client Group’s Digital Transformation Task Group (DTTG) is made up of Chief Data Officers and their equivalents from the most progressive economic infrastructure clients and evolved from the Project 13 Digital Transformation Pillar. DTTG members met virtually in April 2020 for a special session to share initial learnings from the Covid-19 crisis along with common lessons, challenges and successes and the place digital transformation had in managing the pandemic in their organisations. You can read the initial reflections here. One year on, the DTTG members met in May 2021 to reflect on the lessons from the pandemic. Members gave their thoughts regarding the ‘digital’ changes that were taken in response to COVID-19 and the lessons learned. They then looked forward and reflected on the extent to which those lessons will be incorporated / embedded into their ongoing strategy and culture. A high-level summary from the discussion can be found here but highlights included: Digital is now accepted by all parts of the organisation as inevitable. Doubters and laggards have been forced to switch their mindsets, suspend their disbelief, and change the corporate mindset of ‘this won’t work for us because people won’t do it’. The gulf between the extent that people have personal readiness for digital and their level of expectation, which was significantly higher than the business was ready to make before, is now closing. ‘Resilient as a business, fragile as humans’: The importance of mental health and seeing the requirements of people, not just business needs, is now obvious. Methods and expectations in the delivery of training particularly for field-based operatives has had to change and adapt. The ideal state would be to create tools that need minimum or no training as they are intuitive and user friendly. Learning to trust employees to do their work even when they are not being physically overseen and to believe that people can adapt and be effective away from the office took time but is now reaping benefits. ‘Work is something you do, not somewhere you go’. There is an increased need for collaboration spaces in “the office” less need for desks Success breeds success approach: Building a constructive culture that celebrates success rather than focusing on the 2% that went wrong. What can we do better? If something went wrong, asking how we can help and offering thanks when it is fixed rather than having a blame culture leads to a more productive and innovative workforce. Miranda Sharp, Chair, DTTG Peer Review Programme, commented:

0 replies · Posted by Melissa Zanocco, September 1

digital transformation

ECITB Project Collaboration Toolkit and Project 13

A number of Project 13 adopters have benefited from application of the ECITB (Engineering Construction Industry Training Board) Project Collaboration Toolkit. First developed to support project teams working in the oil and gas sector, the Toolkit incorporates learning from across a range of oil and gas projects to provide a ‘go to’ guide based on the principles of collaboration. In seeking to drive the changes in culture and behaviour that underpin successful projects the toolkit shares common ground with Project 13 – and it is apparent why the adopters will have recognised this alignment in using the Project Collaboration Toolkit to support their change programme. This relationship is now being further developed, with the ECITB’s Collaboration Toolkit being made available through Project 13 to help bring both improved productivity and cost savings on major infrastructure projects. Background The Project Collaboration Toolkit is a practical ‘go-to’ guide, created by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and aimed at supporting and benefitting projects through improved collaboration and smarter ways of working. Originally designed for the offshore oil and gas sector, the toolkit is freely available for projects across other engineering construction sectors, helping to guide clients and contractors on how to work together more efficiently whilst sharing industry best practice on joint working. Use of the ECITB Project Collaboration Toolkit across major offshore projects – such as Shell’s Brent Bravo topsides decommissioning project which achieved cost savings of 40% – shows that collaboration between investors, developers and the supply chain network can achieve significant efficiencies, greater productivity and faster project completion. Now in its second edition, and closely aligned with the ISO 44001 standard on collaborative business relationships, the toolkit has been updated to fit all industry sectors engaged in capital projects. Presented as a workflow aligned to a typical project lifecycle, the toolkit is designed to be used at all levels of the supply chain, from regulators and operators through to contractors and suppliers, with the intention of building on existing synergies to help them become even stronger over time. The whole toolkit can be used to support project collaboration from inception to completion, or individual phase steps and activities can be applied by project managers to projects which have not been established on a collaborative strategy. Next Steps for Project 13 and the Project Collaboration Toolkit. Both Project 13 and the ECITB Collaboration Toolkit have sought to consolidate industry learning and to share this learning across the wider sector. In both cases this open sharing of best practice has served to accelerate broader industry progress. It is no surprise that the two initiatives are now looking to develop a closer relationship, sharing progress from two sectors that are underpinned by significant investment programmes. As a first step the Toolkit is now available through the Project 13 network. The start of what will be a mutually beneficial relationship. Find out more and download the free toolkit HERE

1 reply · Posted by Melissa Zanocco, July 8

integration
organisation

How to identify and recruit infrastructure leaders

What competencies, skills and experiences are required by leaders in a Capable Owner organisation? How does an Owner find these individuals and what barriers might it face to securing them? Project 13’s Capable Owner working group has published considered advice on the composition and recruitment of leadership teams. The Identifying & recruiting infrastructure leaders report reflects the research and discussions that took place during the Capable Owner working group on the skills and experience required by the leaders of Owner organisations. It suggests factors to consider when recruiting such individuals, and practical steps that an infrastructure organisation should take to maximise its chances of recruiting the best leadership possible? About the report Between July and October 2017, the Capable Owner working group of Project 13 considered the necessary qualities, capabilities, and behaviours of infrastructure Owners. It summarised its findings in a Capability Maturity Model. This model provides an effective tool by which an Owner can evaluate its current approach and measure its progress towards Capable Owner status.  In parallel, the Capable Owner working group explored the competencies of leaders within Owner organisations as ultimately it is they who will set the goals, priorities and culture to ensure the Owner organisation achieves its specified outcomes.  Regardless of whether they are employed directly by the Owner or come from a consultancy, integrator or supply chain partner, the quality of leaders is vital. Selecting them and ensuring that they operate effectively is one of the most important decisions the Owner organisation will make.   So, what competencies, skills and experiences are required by leaders in a Capable Owner organisation? How does an Owner find these individuals and what barriers might it face to securing them?  To answer these questions, the Project 13 Capable Owner working group with the support and facilitation of Professor Graham Winch and his team from Alliance Manchester Business School, examined the skills required by leaders in a Capable Owner organisation in the infrastructure sector. The report and its conclusions can be downloaded via the resources section of the Project 13 Network website Please note that you must be signed in, or register as a member of the Project 13 network to access this report. It is free to become a member, and you simply need to complete the simple registration details here

1 reply · Posted by Adam Kirkup, June 21

capable owner

The digital transformation of the industry gathers pace

Melissa Zanocco, ICG Head of Programmes, summarises the highlights from the latest Digital Maturity Benchmarking Report, illustrating that UK asset owners and operators accelerated their digital transformation in reaction to COVID-19. The findings of the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG) Digital Benchmarking Report 2020, which provides a snapshot of digital maturity from members of the ICG’s Digital Transformation Task Group (DTTG), show that digital maturity increased by around 20% relative to last year driven particularly by improvements in digital transformation and asset management. The report, produced by Mott MacDonald for the ICG using data from the Smart Infrastructure Index, surveyed leading asset owners and operators from the transport, energy, defence and water sectors representing more than 40% of the national infrastructure and construction pipeline, including Project 13 Adopters. It showed that those with a clear digital strategy, who had already embraced the need for transformation, were much better positioned to ride out the storm and capitalise on the new digital-first normal. Benefiting from three times as many responses as last year and involvement from the new Buildings Client Group, the report represents the most comprehensive benchmark yet of digital maturity across UK infrastructure and the built environment. Highlights from the report include: +10pts improvement in digital strategy and plans. Twice as many organisations had an empowered network of digital change agents. +17pts increase in standardisation and automation. Only 36% were confident most decisions were informed by evidence, not instinct. 77% say poorly organised information prevents them from realising its full value. There have been dramatic improvements in some of the areas tested hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic - resilience, how well risks to service were handled, and security – as organisations were forced to adopt remote and online working at speed. The members shared how this has strengthened the business imperative for digital transformation, with initiatives that previously might have waited months for approval being rolled out almost overnight. In this way COVID-19 has served as a digital accelerator, forcing to the front what many held as a long-term priority. Mark Enzer, Chair ICG Digital Transformation Task Group and Chief Technical Officer, Mott MacDonald said: “ Digital Benchmarking Report 2020 Read the report here to learn more about its findings related to the six cross-cutting themes: organisational alignment; adopting effective operating models; unlocking investments; the human challenge; digital twins; and short-term pressure: the impact of COVID-19 on digital transformation. Melissa Zanocco is Head of Programmes for the Infrastructure Client Group

0 replies · Posted by Adam Kirkup, May 14

digital transformation

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Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 sets the context for the Project 13 Principles to thrive

Case study - Six Steps for Capable Ownership

Covid-19 digital transformation response revisited - what has really changed?

ECITB Project Collaboration Toolkit and Project 13

How to identify and recruit infrastructure leaders

The digital transformation of the industry gathers pace

What is Project 13?

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Capable Owner Leadership

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