Project Management

(Image of a project gantt chart)

If you are running your own projects, but would benefit from the online tools, processes and support of a professional Project Manager, want to fully outsource a project on a fixed-price, fixed-outcome basis, or anywhere in-between, we can help you achieve your infrastructure, security and business transformation goals.

What is a Project, and why use a Project Manager?

A project is a temporary initiative that has a defined beginning, end, scope and resources. It is not a routine “Business as Usual” activity, but is designed to achieve a specific goal.

Most businesses are good at what they do – otherwise they wouldn’t be in business for very long. When it comes to projects outside of the normal operations, however, then a qualified Project Manager could add real value. From developing your business case to securing the resources to deliver your project, we have broad experience of full lifecycle project delivery across multiple markets.

Activon’s Business Change Delivery Framework (ABCD Framework) draws on the broad body of knowledge gained in the Project Management industry over decades. With the availability of online collaboration tools

Project Lifecycle

You may want end-to-end programme management, or simply support for a particular project stage – whatever your needs, contact Activon on 0141 378 7111 to arrange a free, no-obligation initial consultation.

Pre-project

Deciding which projects are going to deliver business value is made possible by documenting a formal business case. Activon can help you draft your investment appraisal, analyse options, and assess viability before committing significant resources in to a project.

Initiation

Once you know you want to progress with the project, Initiation stage is where we develop a plan for the end-to-end project. This includes the budget, timescales, costs, quality and governance requirements, initiate the Risk and Issue logs and confirm roles and responsibilities for delivering a successful project.

Many of our larger clients like us to take ownership of the entire stage, delivering a complete delivery structure and end-to-end plan, however smaller clients and projects can still benefit from our experience by using our framework, templates and support to empower your internal teams to deliver successfully

Delivery

Every project has at least one Delivery stage, and larger projects may have many delivery stages. Whether you’re building a new office, designing a new software application, or launching a marketing drive, the Delivery stages are where the project output is generated. We often assign Delivery Managers with specific skills such us subject-matter or industry expertise in this stage – drawn either from our industry network or from the Client’s own staff and resources.

Closure

Without proper discipline, projects can run long beyond their planned end. We bring our formal Project Management skills to ensure projects are closed cleanly and properly. This stage ensures all project outputs have been delivered, procurement and contracts have been completed, the project budget finalised, and the Benefits realisation plan handed over to the client.

Engagement Options

Every client and every project is different. We therefore offer a flexible engagement approach tailored to each engagement. Email projects@activon.co.uk or call 0141 378 7111 to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation to explore your needs and the most appropriate engagement model.

Fully Outsourced Principal Contractor

In a fully outsourced model, Activon acts as the Principal Contractor, procuring and managing all project resources on a fixed-price, time-and-materials, or hybrid basis. In this model we work closely with your business stakeholders in the Pre-project and Initiation stages, ensuring we can work with our subcontractors to deliver your business goals with minimum disruption to your Business as Usual activities during the Delivery phases. A fully outsourced approach may suit certain projects such as office relocations, IT infrastructure, security systems installations where your own staff do not have the time or the specific skills for the project, however a fully outsourced project will still work closely with your business leaders and senior stakeholders throughout the full project.

Contract Project Manager

This model is popular with our larger clients, where they have their own technical resources or preferred suppliers, but require a consultant Project Manager to own the end-to-end delivery via matrix management of project resources. We offer a range of engagement options from traditional day-rate contractor engagement to fixed-price, fixed-outcome options which can provide a more flexible, efficient model for many clients.

Project Management Consultancy

Some clients know what they need to do, and have the skills to deliver, but lack a formal in-house Project Management team. Activon can provide a consultancy service to empower your own team with the software, processes, training and support to make your project a success. This approach can deliver a particularly cost-effective approach for many clients, who benefit from our full range of Project governance and structure whilst using internal resources.