Natural England (i)

Natural England is a newly formed government agency. Its Board was keen to ensure that the organisation adopted an appropriate project management approach as a key way of delivering its organisational aims and objectives. A Project Management Centre of Excellence was created as the unit responsible for designing, creating and implementing the chosen approach to project management.

AMTEC was asked to support the creation of the organisation's project management regime and Centre of Excellence, which was sponsored by the Executive Board. AMTEC helped Natural England to initiate a project management community, embed a project management approach and obtain broad-based buy-in and adoption from the organisation. Specific tasks included:

• Developing the Investment Appraisal process and governance arrangements for the Executive Board so that they could make fully-informed investment decisions.
• Developing project standards based on a "scalable" PRINCE2™ model and aligned to the organisation's corporate planning and reporting.
• Supporting the stakeholder engagement and embedding of the project management regime, including the establishment of a project management community.
• Developing and delivering project management training for the organisation's project managers.
• Providing substantial quality assurance support on all major projects by reviewing business cases and project plans, and writing Board papers with investment appraisal recommendations.
• Working with project managers and supporting them with the adoption of the organisation's project management regime.

Natural England now has the benefit of a solid and practical project management approach, with standards and processes to support it. The organisation is further developing its project management community as a key tool for embedding its best practice approach.