17. The Defence Board will look to 2nd PUS and VCDS, through the Defence Operating Board (DOB) and the Joint Capability Board (JCB), to ensure that Designated SROs take advantage of training and are personally fully engaged in their programmes. In a similar manner, programme Sponsors or the Sponsoring Group will ensure that other staff undertaking the SRO role are personally engaged with their programmes and take advantage of SRO training.
18. An individual selected for a post that includes an SRO role must have the necessary skills and attributes. The behaviours and characteristics that an SRO should display are detailed in the OGC Successful Delivery Toolkit. The individual should demonstrably be able to exercise authority and deliver results outside the normal command or management chain in a programme or project management context. The Defence Academy Leadership & Management division has identified the following skill sets as the most important:
(a) Leadership (including, team working, interpersonal skills & communications).
(b) Risk management.
(c) Programme and project delivery (programme management, project management, managing business change and benefits management).
19. Where an individual undertaking an SRO role has significant gaps in skills or experience, he or she will need to fill these by training and/or by ensuring access to appropriate expert support. However, as training cannot fully substitute for hands-on experience, the background and experience of an individual is to be taken into account in the succession planning and selection process.
20. The Defence Academy College of Management and Technology (DA-CMT) runs a regular SRO induction course and master classes and can provide tailored training or assistance to Designated SROs based on individual SRO and programme requirements. Designated SROs must attend the induction course and relevant master classes, or arrange equivalent tailored training, unless he or she has already received equivalent training elsewhere. Additional sources of training include an SRO Master Class run by the National School of Government (NSG) and programme management training from NSG or DA-CMT.
21. The MOD Programme and Project Management Centre of Excellence (PPM CoE) provides common Departmental standards, acts as a central authority for disseminating PPM good practice and leads the PPM Skills and Professionalism agenda. The PPM CoE supports SROs by providing the independent Gateway peer review service.
22. All SROs are encouraged to become accredited OGC Gateway™ reviewers8 and to lead or participate in such reviews for other Government departments, the wider public sector or other areas of the MOD as appropriate. This will bring benefits in terms of personal development and lessons learned to individuals, their programmes and projects, the Department and the wider Government community.
__________________________________________________________________________________
8 DN 2009 DINO1-047: Recruitment of OGC Gateway Reviewers