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Watch Here: Data & Digital Principles for Project Success Launch Event

By Melissa Zanocco, in News,

Watch the launch of the Data & Digital Principles for Project Success below to hear a run through of the Principles, how they were created and thoughts from a panel of thought leaders from across the industry and Government.
You can access the Data & Digital Principles for Project Success here (you will need to be registered on the Project 13 Network).
The Data and Digital Principles for Project Success are intended as core propositions or ‘basic truths’, to be used to guide thinking and behaviour in project delivery. They are intended to sit alongside the Infrastructure & Project’s Authority Principles for Project Success. Designed as short, memorable headlines unpacked by supporting bullets: a quick guide for practitioners on things to get right for any project to succeed. The eight principles were developed following consultation with project professionals across the Infrastructure Client Group and Project 13 Adopter stakeholders and beyond.
@Melissa Zanocco, Infrastructure Client Group, and @Anna Bowskill, Mott MacDonald, introduced the Principles and cross-referenced to other industry initiatives including the Project 13 Principles, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority's Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030. and Cabinet Office’s Construction Playbook.
@Mark Enzer, Chair, ICG Digital Transformation Task Group, then chaired a panel consisting of:
@Will Varah, EY, who was previously at the IPA and is one of the instigators of the Principles, having recognised that it would be useful to have data and digital principles to sit alongside the IPA Principles for Project Success.
Ian Gordon, Arup, attended the original workshop to create the Principles and has been on the journey with the ICG Digital Transformation Task Group, having worked at both National Highways and the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal initiative.
@Richard Lennard, Sellafield, who sits on the Infrastructure Client Group Management Board and is the Sponsor for the ICG Digital Transformation Task Group, as well as one of the Early Adopters of Project 13, gave his thoughts on the importance of speaking in plain language that non-digital experts can understand and embrace.
Sonia Zahiroddiny, HS2, spoke from a client’s point of view and her experience of putting the principles in practice across her career at HS2, particularly picking up on the need to focus on outcomes and purpose and the importance of culture and people, including the end-users.
@Jo Ellman-Brown, Infrastructure and Projects Authority, gave a perspective from Government, across projects, life-cycles and sectors, with the aim of transforming the way projects are delivered and how we can learn from the data to not make the same mistakes.
You can listen to the launch event below

Data & Digital Principles for Project Success Launch Event-20231101_090603-Meeting Recording (1).mp4

Data & Digital Principles for Project Success Launch Event 1 November 2023 9 - 10:00 GMT

By Melissa Zanocco, in News,

The Project 13 Network invites you to join the Project 13 Digital Transformation Pillar to celebrate the on-line launch of the Data & Digital Principles for Project Success on 1 November 2023 at 9:00 GMT. You can access the event here:
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 353 180 652 024
Passcode: Qcifh6
You can access the Data & Digital Principles for Project Success here (you will need to be registered on the Project 13 Network).
The Data and Digital Principles for Project Success are intended as core propositions or ‘basic truths’, to be used to guide thinking and behaviour in project delivery. They are intended to sit alongside the Infrastructure & Project’s Authority Principles for Project Success. Designed as short, memorable headlines unpacked by supporting bullets: a quick guide for practitioners on things to get right for any project to succeed. The eight principles were developed following consultation with project professionals across the Infrastructure Client Group and Project 13 Adopter stakeholders and beyond.
After @Melissa Zanocco and @Anna Bowskill  introduce the Principles, @Mark Enzer will chair a panel of industry thoughts leaders and practitioners sharing their views and best practice including:
@Richard Lennard, Sellafield
@Jo Ellman-Brown, Infrastructure and Projects Authority
@Will Varah, EY
Sonia Zahiroddiny, HS2
Ian Gordon, Arup
ACCESS THE EVENT HERE:
 
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 353 180 652 024
Passcode: Qcifh6
The Principles will be available on the Project 13 Network immediately after the event in the Library and the recording will also be uploaded as soon as possible (you need to have registered on the Project 13 Network to be able to access this).
Please note: We plan to make a recording of the event available. Please note that third parties, including other delegates may also take pictures or record videos and audio and process the same in a variety of ways, including by posting content across the web and social media platforms.

‘Introduction to Project 13’ training now available

By Melissa Zanocco, in News,

Access ‘Introduction to Project 13’ training here
Project 13 is pleased to announce the launch of the Project 13 training module ‘Introduction to Project 13’. The module explains the Principles of Project 13, how it works and how it will change the way major projects are delivered. It is succinct and can be used as an induction for those joining an organisation or Enterprise, as well as for those bidding to join one. It has been created through a collaborative process, led by the Project 13 Supplier Community and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), including workshops and feedback sessions.
There is growing recognition that employees need to be continuously up-skilling, or 'new-skilling', in a range of capability areas as the industry evolves. The training therefore sits on a portal on the Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS) website alongside other relevant training to create a one-stop shop; for example: similar explainer modules for the Cabinet Office’s Construction Playbook and Infrastructure & Projects Authority’s Transforming Infrastructure Performance. The training is free and users will need to create a free account with the SCSS to access it. The training has been approved for CPD points.
This is the first module in a suite of modules that are being developed. Future modules will provide a deep dive into specific areas within the Project 13 Pillars and Principles, based on learning since the launch in 2018.
Commenting on the launch, Dale Evans, Chair, Project 13 said: “The launch of training is an important step in the evolution of Project 13 and its effort to create a more sustainable future for the construction industry, with a more highly-skilled workforce and infrastructure that represents better value for all. The significant contribution by CECA, the Project 13 Supplier Community and stakeholders from across Project 13 reflects the highly integrated nature of the Project 13 movement”
Tony Gates, Chair, Project 13 Supplier Community, said: “The Project 13 Supplier Community has consistently raised the need for Project 13 training so I am delighted to see the launch today of the first module. Ensuring the training meets the needs of various stakeholders has been a key objective of the group.”
Alasdair Reisner, CEO, CECA, said: “CECA has been pleased to lead this work as it helps with achieving one of CECA’s aims to help its members and the wider industry to meet their future skills needs and achieve better productivity for the sector”
 

Calling all Suppliers: Complete the Project 13 Supplier Survey 2023

By Tony Gates, in News,

Is awareness of Project 13 growing across suppliers? Are the opportunities to be involved in a Project 13 Enterprise increasing? Are there any benefits to being in an Enterprise compared to a traditional model? These are some of the questions that we are trying to answer with the Project 13 Supplier Survey which suppliers can complete here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2023P13Supplier
One of the outcomes the Project 13 global industry-change movement hopes to achieve is making the industry more sustainable overall, which includes ensuring that suppliers have more sustainable relationships. To measure this, the Project 13 Supplier Engagement Community has agreed to carry out an annual survey. This is the second year – the results of the first survey can be found here (you will need to be registered on the Project 13 Network to access it): https://www.project13.info/library/resources/project-13-in-2022-supplier-community-report-r61/
We would appreciate your support with completing the survey, if you are a supplier, or raising awareness with your supplier ecosystem.
COMPLETE THE SURVEY HERE 

Project 13 Supplier Survey Results 2022: Are we helping create a more sustainable industry?

By Alasdair Reisner, in News,

The Project 13 Supplier Community exists to support businesses that are looking to get involved in Enterprise delivery models promoted by Project 13. To support this, the Project 13 Supplier Forum has run workshops and meetings, allowing discussion and sharing of good practice. The Forum has also committed to develop an annual report on experience of Project 13 from a supplier’s perspective. The aim is to use the survey as a way to measure if Project 13 is helping to make the industry more sustainable from a supplier's perspective.
The findings of the first survey, carried out last autumn, make for positive reading. They show that most respondents were aware of the Project 13 Principles, even if they were not yet involved in an Enterprise. Two thirds of those who were involved in Enterprises said that they would be very likely to speak positively of their experience.
Respondents said that they welcome the alignment, collaboration, shared vision and focus on whole life outcomes promoted by Project 13. The model was also deemed to have been more resilient to recent shocks such as Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.
You can read the full report here (you will need to be registered on the Project 13 Network to access it):
 

Project 13 Capable Owner Event: Collaboration for Innovation

By Amy Reed-Gibbs, in News,

Project 13 Collaboration for Innovation: The case of Wolsingham Sewage Treatment Works
REGISTER HERE to join us at our Project 13 Capable Owner online event on 28th March 2023 9am - 10:30am GMT
In our third event of the Capable Owner pillar group webinar series, we show how collaboration in line with Project 13 principles enables innovation by the ecosystem. This webinar will build on learning from our first 2 events: What does it mean to be a Capable Owner? and Changing the Capability Mix, by centering around the case study of the Wolsingham, Co. Durham Sewage Treatment Works.
 
The Wolsingham, Co. Durham Sewage Treatment Works required significant upgrade to continue to meet customer needs. The principal partners, Northumbrian Water, Tilbury Douglas, and Wood Group, worked in the context of a 5+5 framework agreement to achieve nearly 70% off-site construction, complemented by significant budget and schedule savings. Key learning points  from the case will highlight:
- Collaboration does not yield innovation immediately, but requires the development of trust over time;
- The importance of including representatives of operations in the innovation process;
- The need for owners to set clear expectations to which the ecosystem can respond.
 
Speakers:
Andrew Page, Anglian Water (chair)
Graham Winch, Manchester Business School
Shane Davis, Yorkshire Water
Richard Seales, Northumbrian Water
Michelle Johnson, WSP

Network Rail Southern region announces partners for revolutionary Southern Integrated Delivery alliance

By Melissa Zanocco, in News,

The Southern Integrated Delivery alliance, or SID, will be part of a new enterprise model based on the Project 13 Principles, developed following significant cross-industry consultation over the last two and a half years, including as part of the Project 13 Adopter Community.
Four partners have been selected to join Network Rail’s Works Delivery team in forming an innovative, performance-based alliance to deliver the Southern Region's up-to £9bn estimated renewals portfolio over the next ten years.
The partners will be VolkerFitzpatrick for Buildings and Civils, Octavius for Electrification and Plant, VolkerRail for Track and Atkins for Signalling, and will cover Control Period 7 (2024-2029) and Control Period 8 (2029-34). Work is underway deciding the renewals budget for CP7 as Network Rail works to agree a final settlement with the regulator.
With the SID, the Southern Region seeks to make a transformational change in how renewals work is delivered by merging the capabilities of Network Rail and its supply chain to develop an integrated and coordinated approach to delivery.
Through tying efficiency savings found by partners to increasing the workbank, and linking profit to extra work delivered, the SID will make the best use of resources, maximise efficiencies and be collectively incentivised to deliver value for taxpayers and the right outcomes for passengers, freight and railway funders. 
What is the model and how will it work?
The model for CP7 and CP8 will be based around three distinct entities: the Capable Owner, Southern Integrated Delivery (SID) and the Eco-System. The model will replace the existing Regional Asset Management and Capital Delivery operating structure and will require a fundamental shift in leadership, governance, behaviours, and skills.
Capable Owner
The Capable Owner will provide strategic direction and leadership and oversee the delivery of the overall enterprise. The focus will be on the delivery of outcomes, meaning a significant change in expressing what we wish to achieve, rather than how it should be done or how it should be delivered.
Southern Integrated Delivery (SID)
The SID will be a fully-integrated team that will bring together the strengths, capabilities, and knowledge of the Supply Chain and Network Rail. It will own the renewals work bank, manage it at the portfolio level and drive a transition to a production management ethos. The SID will be commercially aligned and jointly incentivised - win together / lose together - to create a ‘share in success’ environment.
Business partners within the SID will generate profit through performance against the Final Determination rather than work-done and turnover.
Eco system
The Eco-system will consist of both strategic and tactical suppliers, to be split depending on the level of influence they may have on final outcomes. Recognising that the key to unlocking efficiencies lies with the SME community, strategic members will be incentivised along similar lines as the SID. Initially the eco-system will be formed of Network Rail and Supplier Frameworks. However, as the Enterprise matures, we intend for the SID to collectively develop a new set of contracting arrangements that will complement the capabilities held within the SID.

Delivering Enterprise models in the UK rail sector

By Kevin Tozer, in News,

An aligned Enterprise approach has been gaining momentum for the delivery of outcomes within the infrastructure sector.
Instead of the traditional delivery model which includes multiple tiers of suppliers, clients and stakeholders each with their own organisational boundaries creating a barrier for communication and a hinderance to joint performance, an Enterprises integrates the appropriate parts of all organisations who have an influence on the successful delivery of the outcomes. This streamlined and highly effective Enterprise is a key theme for Project 13 and a focus of its Organisation pillar.
A survey undertaken of suppliers, owners and investors within the Rail industry in 2022 concluded that there was a knowledge of the benefits of an Enterprise approach, but the best practice was in pockets across the industry, and those not in those pockets asked for guidance of how to co-create an effective enterprise.
Utilising the extensive reach  of Network Rail, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) and the Rail Industry Association (RIA), a day conference and workshop was held to bring together some of this best practice into one room to identify the key themes of effective Enterprises. With good practice also being in other industry sectors, the Project 13 community brought their insights into the conference.
The targeted outcomes for the conference, which resulted in the co-creation of the guide titled Delivering Enterprise Models in the UK Rail Sector (download below), were as follows:
-       Industry shared learning
-       Best practice input from other sectors
-       Establishment of key language and understanding
-       Co- development of a ‘guiding mind’ on Enterprises without imposing a standard solution
-       Best practice, benefits, and challenges
-       All to feel comfortable to speak openly
-       Business to Business, Peer to Peer discussions - not master servant
The customers, owners, suppliers and investors who attended would like this best practice to be more widely adopted and see it as a start to how to deliver better, together, rather than the full solution. There was a commitment to hold another conference in 2023 to improve upon the best practice enterprise baseline set in 2022.
Please reach out those mentioned in the guide if you would like further information.
 
Delivering Enterprise models in the UK rail sector.pdf

Project 13 Infrastructure Governance Code: engineering great decisions to change society

By Amy Reed-Gibbs, in News,

Click here to download
This cross-industry code provides a structure for good practice that allows for constructive challenge, supporting effective decision-making. This will lead to better project outcomes for stakeholders, society, and the world.
As an industry, we are acutely aware of the significant challenges that face us. Not least the climate crisis, but also the pressures created by a growing global population with expectations of better living standards. We must now act more effectively, and with greater urgency, to address these challenges and deliver positive outcomes not only for those sponsoring and developing projects but also for society and the world. Good governance is critical to enabling such outcomes.
Led by the Project 13 Governance Pillar Development Group, and developed collaboratively by practitioners for practitioners across our industry, the Infrastructure Governance Code is structured around principles organised into six themes, to be used on a ‘comply or explain’ basis, underpinned by supporting provisions. The collaborative approach has been crucial to ensuring the code is fit for purpose and widely applicable.
It provides a structured system of good practice allowing for constructive challenge that creates the right environment for effective decision-making – which, in turn, will lead to better outcomes.
The code has been formally endorsed by:
The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) The Association for Project Management (APM The Major Projects Association (MPA)

Accessing and Mobilising Diverse Talent to Become a True Capable Owner - Watch Here!

By Amy Reed-Gibbs, in News,

Watch the second in the Project 13 Capable Owner Pillar series of events to hear how broadening the talent pool can aid collaborative working at an enterprise level and across individual projects.
Three Project 13 Adopters joined the event to share their experiences and perspectives on how their organisation is mobilising a broader mix of diverse talent to achieve its aims, hosted by Andrew Page, Co-Chair of Project 13 Capable Owner Development Group.
Speakers
·         John Grimm - Smart Motorways Programme (SMP) Alliance Deputy Director at National Highways
·         Stewart Craigie, Technical Director at Sweco on behalf of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
·         Jo Theobald, Performance Director at Public Sewer Services for Anglian Water Alliances
You can watch the video of the event here:
“A Capable Owner must identify opportunities.”
John Grimm kicked off the discussion by providing the  background to National Highways and the vastness of the smart motorways project which has an efficiency target of £2.3bn.
“Although we have followed and adopted a lot of the Project 13 ‘thinking’ for many years, we have only recently become an official Project 13 adopter and joined the wider community. One of the key drivers behind this is the scale and scope of the smart motorway delivery targets. To achieve our objectives, we needed to move away from transactional delivery models to improve productivity, and to make the highways sector a more attractive proposition for the supply chain. Through adopting an integrated delivery model and establishing collaborative relationships across our supplier community, we’re able to collectively increase capability and capacity across the wider sector.” 
This SMP Alliance has been created with the sole intention to deliver the government’s smart motorway project over the next 10 years. The vision is to make road networks safer, greener, and more efficient.
“We’ve created a delivery model that is led by National Highways and our six delivery partners. The smart motorways program will be delivered by a single integrated team operating under a single contract with shared outcomes, these outcomes are aligned with all parties under a one, common commercial and performance framework. The fundamental of this approach means that all risks and reward are shared.”
John continued to explore the key attributes that a capable owner must embody:
Recruiting, building, and retaining talent - Understanding the value proposition and the capabilities and skills that are required to support delivery. In addition, recruiting from the supply chain is a valuable strategy particularly on a long-term project like the SMP as there is plenty of opportunity to upskill throughout the project journey.
Value Driven Mindset - A capable owner must support the alliance in its key functions, particularly with governance, defining output and defining operations and the voice of the customer. A capable owner must also work alongside delivery partners as an enabler to support delivery outcomes.
Creating Opportunity - The capable owner must identify products and processes that can be used efficiently across the alliance. It must draw value through logistics and develop new ways of working, it must also develop data use so that intelligence can be garnered and utilised. This ties neatly into digital requirements – this is a skillset that capable owners must nurture and harness to drive organisational value across the enterprise. 
“We need two kilograms of innovation please.”
Up next was Stuart Craigie from BAM / Sweco. Stuart discussed a fascinating project on behalf of the British Antarctic Survey. The project is the construction of an international airport in Antarctica, but the scope of works goes much further. It includes marine works, operations and science buildings, runway enhancements, accommodation buildings and hangars. This diverse portfolio of projects would be challenging under any circumstances, but as the team can only be onsite seasonally for four to five months, there are many other factors at play. Of course, the broad diversity of projects insists on a broad range of skills to support delivery.
“Due to the complexity of the project, we had to open our eyes and welcome a collaborative model and enterprise delivery route. We adopted a four-pronged approach that can be summarised under four simple questions.”
Where do we find our innovation? “The scale and diversity of this project is huge. It is also incredibly unique due to its environment, which means we have to offer continual insight and innovation. Our approach is to steer away from simple ‘asking / telling’ people to do things, and rather inform people of what outcomes we need. This breeds a culture of trust and opens the doors for new ways of working and creating new solutions to old problems.”
How do we engage innovation? “We use a range of tools, including Government Soft Landings which allows us to outline what we’re trying to achieve and how we are going to track it. We also use Information Management tools, yes BIM is integral to this but it’s the project management aspect and process mapping that steers us towards outcome related planning. We also created a Modern Methods of Construction guide that sets out our key drivers and our identified parameters and outcomes.”
How do we create collaboration? “We have created a project directorate to develop strategy and a high-level responsibility matrix that project managers can breakdown and distribute across teams to create engagement. It’s also important to note that innovation isn’t something we can just ask for at any point. Innovation needs to be nurtured through understanding and collaboration and drawn upon at the right times throughout a project. By working together, we can assess capability and create a culture that works for each other, rather than for an organisation.”
“Courage to Challenge.”
Lastly, Jo Theobald drives home the need for ‘people persons’ and looking across sectors for transferrable skills and characteristics.
As Performance Director at Anglian Water Alliance’s Public Sewer Services, Jo started her career in the banking sector and moved on to direct high performing teams. The contrast from banking to the drainage sector is stark, but Jo stressed how certain skills, temperament and character can suit many sectors, no matter how different.
“The core Project 13 principles of innovation, collaboration and transformation are vital in informing how we behave as a business, it informs our culture and impacts our sector. As a wider industry we are all faced with the same challenges – we have a skills gap. However, we must look outside of the box and have the faith and belief that non-industry skills can be of huge benefit to an organisation. The days of blinkered recruitment are over, we must look at those with different experience so that we can learn from each other.
Enabling their leap of faith.
“An example of embracing alternative sectors is reflected in our decision to look at ex-army personnel. We have a gentleman in our business that had a HGV license and safety training. After practical training with our delivery teams, it was clear that he was a natural leader with a keen eye for processes and continuous improvement. Now, he is a senior leader of our Alliance."
“A further example, which may be considered a curveball, is a gentleman from the aviation industry. We recognised that we needed somebody that was used to working in harsh environments, able to remain calm under pressure and possess an unwavering focus on equipment and operational safety. The aviation sector was a natural place for our investigation because the individuals would possess the mindset we required.”
These are just two examples Jo presented, but two that highlight the importance of characteristics and mindset, rather than specific qualifications or experience. Jo expressed the need to look further afield for transferrable skills and have the ‘power not to discount’ any individual when fishing in a different talent pool.
Following the speaker’s presentations further questions were raised about broadening the talent pool, agile leadership and the challenges encountered when moving away from traditional recruitment and operational models.
If you would like to learn more about Project 13 and how we are supporting change in infrastructure, sign up to the Project 13 Network.
You can watch the first event in the series: What does it mean to be a Capable Owner? here.

Governance - developing the environment for successful outcomes

By Miles Ashley, in News,

From the origins of Project 13’s development back in 2017, Governance has been recognised as one of the key Pillars to the creation of the enterprise model that is central to its philosophy.  As Project 13’s adoption has steadily grown, influencing more sophisticated approaches across the infrastructure owner community, both in the UK and internationally, there is increasing recognition of the need to strengthen this area and provide more guidance.   
The Project 13 Governance Group, drawn from across the infrastructure sector’s clients, contractors and consultants as well as government, governance experts and academics has been working over the last few months to explore and build on previous work in this area.  The Group’s aim is to create a better definition of how to use governance to underpin the establishment of an effective enterprise delivery model for infrastructure.
The Group’s discussions regarding governance and the enabling platform for success that it creates, have been many and wide-ranging.  That it does provide such a platform is not disputed, establishing consensus on how it enables that success is more problematic.  The output from our discussions has taken us through a fascinating exploration of personal professional experiences, academic work and case history examples, some of these including examples from the military sphere, fall far outside the boundaries of our sector.  The work has also exposed a plethora of reports as we have attempted to distil learning from recent experience encompassing best practice, including the Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s (IPA) Routemap and Construction Playbook, and less edifying analysis from NAO, Department for Transport and Select Committees.  There is also clear data (e.g. aggregated IPA review data) that suggests governance has a very significant role in securing successful outcomes from infrastructure investment.  Perhaps that’s unsurprising.
Attempting to find a useful guiding pattern from this material has been challenging, but we conclude that the themes that commonly recur are both identifiable and useful.  These themes include the quality of definition of the enterprise, its mission and outcomes, behaviours and accountabilities, how data informs decisions, access to the right capabilities at the right level and organisation.   In short, effective governance provides a structured approach to informed and collaborative challenge, underpinning the quality of decision making and creation of the operational arrangements and a culture that optimises outcomes across the enterprise.
Perhaps having found this consensus we might have developed a report, as we had anticipated, but there is another part to our journey of discovery.
In 2010 the Financial Reporting Council launched the first UK Corporate Governance Code and since its introduction, it has provided a series of guiding principles for company boards.  Its origins can perhaps be traced back to the financial scandals of the early 1990s, particularly Maxwell and Bank of Credit and Commerce International, which in turn led to the progressive Cadbury Committee, Turnball Committee and Higgs Review.  The UK Corporate Governance Code (and the Charity Commission Governance Code in the charitable sector) have proved their worth in setting, and progressively developing, expectations regarding the establishment and optimisation of good governance in these areas.
The UK Corporate Governance Code is founded on the establishment of principles, it is not a prescriptive book of rules.  It is succinct; 18 principles over 5 sections and 12 pages and that it is not prescriptive arguably provides its ultimate strength.  The rules-based approach adopted in other countries has proved an open door to litigation and challenge; it is much more difficult perhaps to challenge a principle.   It also adopts an approach of “comply or explain” allowing companies in the UK to meet each principle as anticipated, or to find another way to articulate the adoption of alternative but effective arrangements.
In a changing world, the accelerated creation of large temporary organisations, comprising multiple entities, to deliver infrastructure investment on par with the scale of a FTSE100 company, is an immensely challenging undertaking.  Despite this and the particular challenges of our sector and notwithstanding the available data that suggests governance is central to success, no such governance code has existed in infrastructure.
The Project 13 Governance Group has identified this as an opportunity to leverage the work done to date.  As a result, a draft code has been developed following the approach of principles adopted by the UK Corporate Governance Code.  As a developed draft, it is being used to consult across the wider stakeholder group before we pursue its launch and adoption.
The UK Corporate Governance Code and its original ancestor, The Cadbury Code, has proved a defining factor in establishing reliance in governance over a period of 25 years.  In that time it has changed, most recently in 2018, to reflect emerging best practices and developing expectations.  As we seek to establish a better route to governance in our own sector, recognising its particular demands and a growing move to enterprise adoption, perhaps our own code, and its progressive evolution, will provide for a similar pathway to more successful outcomes.

Does a Project 13 Enterprise model help with the current complex environment?

By Melissa Zanocco, in News,

There are twelve Project 13 Adopters putting the Project 13 Principles into practice and sharing their learning between them. The Project 13 Adopter Community meets regularly to discuss their emerging best practice and barriers as they progress on their journeys. At a workshop earlier this year, they discussed how they have been using their Enterprise and supplier ecosystem relationships to mitigate and manage the risks during the uncertain times over the past three years including dealing with Covid-19, Brexit, shipping issues, inflation and the conflict in Ukraine. The meetings are Chatham House but this article gives some highlights from the discussion.
Accelerating the journey to high performing Enterprises
Project 13 recognises that an organisation will not become a high performing Enterprise immediately, and so the Maturity Matrix identifies three steps from simple collaboration, through integrated functions and relationships to a high performing Enterprise. The Adopter Community has seen an acceleration of that journey recently as the current conditions make it even harder for organisations to continue operating as they have done in the past when they need to deliver the same output for less. It is now clearer to senior leadership that an Enterprise model is a necessity rather than a nice to have.
The benefits of the model include doing things in bulk and in a common fashion across the partners including: shared and optimised capability (drawn from across the enterprise partners), commonly adopted processes and systems, a common data platform and a common behavioural and incentivisation model. Some examples mentioned were:
Having one planning resource across the Enterprise rather than one in each organisation Sharing mechanical plant across all partners - this reduced fuel needs and the need for transportation from place to place Reducing the amount of moves from one site to another – more sequential Having central compounds – not spread across multiple locations Pooling buying resources to get better deals and reduce wastage which also aids with Net Zero targets. In general, it becomes easier to make decisions early on that benefit everyone and the results are obvious to all involved.

Good relationships with the supplier ecosystem
The Enterprise model does not make any of the issues go away but helps with mitigating them. A large part of that is because strong long-term relationships have been built with partners (within the Integrator) and the wider supplier ecosystem. It is therefore easier to have the right ‘mature’ conversations to find solutions that work for everyone.  The Adopters have not seen many examples of suppliers reverting to previous behaviours. Importantly, the current conditions have also increased understanding of suppliers’ suppliers and their issues. Many were not aware of the reach of their global supplier ecosystem. There are trade-offs to be made between finding new providers and increasing the carbon footprint of how far the materials travel. This also led to a discussion about ethics. It was felt that the full pain is not yet being felt as many had enough materials to last them for the next few months but the full implications will hit a bit further down the line. Decisions are being taken earlier and for large orders, even if design is not finalised, in order to give longer lead times to receive materials. Any excess material ordered can then be used across the programme / organisation.

Retaining employees
There is currently huge wage inflation and many people left the industry all together during and after Covid-19. Feedback from the workshop suggested that the positive atmosphere created in an Enterprise helps to retain staff. There was even an example of a higher salary tempting someone away who then came back as realised that culture is more important and better for mental health.
What is the future of the office and co-locating?

Covid-19 has led to a shift in working from home. The Project 13 Enterprise model is based on collaboration and integration so there was an interesting discussion about the impact of homeworking on building the organisation. It was definitely felt that those who had already built relationships in person before Covid-19 found it easier to transition to working on-line, although there were still issues as new people come on board. However, those who started something new during Covid-19 said that they struggled to build integration and high performing teams as quickly.
However, there were also many benefits of homeworking including the fact that there is more access to diverse talent. It was not suggested that things should return to how they were before but that conscious thought should go into the in-person element of building relationships. Office spaces now need to be collaboration spaces and people should be brought together specifically for collaboration purposes, not just for a run-of-the-mill meeting that could be done on-line. This means the nature of office space needs to change – not rows of seats but an environment that people want to travel to. This also means that it could be at a partner's location, not necessarily at the Capable Owner’s offices. There was a fascinating discussion about whether virtual reality will be a solution to team building in the future. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
 
There are always some great quotes that come out of these workshops so I will leave you with three:
“Gang up on the problem, not the people” – people are quick to criticise – it is easier to do that then help. Not offices but “heartbeat places” – need to entice people. “Triviality becomes criticality” – little things seem to escalate online.

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