GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES9
Ensure that the programme of change meets its objectives and delivers the projected benefits
- Ensure agreement amongst stakeholders as to what the objectives and benefits are.
- Ensure strategic fit of the project or programme objectives and benefits.
- Obtain commitment from stakeholders to the delivery of the benefits.
- Monitor delivery of the objectives and benefits taking appropriate action where necessary to ensure their successful delivery.
Ensure that the programme is subject to review at appropriate stages
- Ensuring that the programme is subject to review at the key decision points identified for the OGC Gateway™ Process and at other points he/she considers necessary.
- Making certain that any recommendations or concerns from reviews are met or addressed before progressing to the next stage.
Own the programme brief and business case
- Oversee development of the brief for change and business case.
- Ensure that the aims of the planned change continue to be aligned with the business, and establish a firm basis for the programme during its initiation and definition.
- Secure the necessary investment for the business change.
Develop the programme organisation structure and logical plans
- Ensuring that there is a coherent organisation structure and logical plan(s).
- Engaging with the work of either project initiation (in a project environment), or establishing the programme (in a programme environment).
Monitor and control of progress
- Monitoring and controlling the progress of the business change at a strategic level (at an operational level this is the responsibility of project or programme managers): the project or programme manager is responsible for providing regular reports to the SRO on progress of the business change. There will be inevitable issues that arise requiring the SRO's advice, decision-making and communication with senior stakeholders.
- Chairing the programme board.
Formally close the programme
- Formally closing the programme and ensuring that the lessons learned are documented within the "end of project" or "end of programme" evaluation report: closure requires formal sign-off by the SRO that the aims and objectives have been met and that lessons learned are documented and disseminated.
- Planning the post programme/project review(s) when the entire benefits realisation process will be assessed.
Review the programme post implementation
- Ensuring that the post implementation review takes place, the output is forwarded to the
appropriate stakeholders and the benefits have been realised: the SRO is responsible for
commissioning and chairing these reviews and ensuring the relevant personnel are consulted and involved in the review process.
Resolve or refer problems
- Referring serious problems upwards to top management and/or Ministers as necessary and to suppliers in a timely manner.
- Regular consultation will be required between those delivering the change and the stakeholders and sponsors.
- Ensuring that the communication processes are effective and linkages are maintained between the change team/s and the organisation's strategic direction.
- Regular dialogue with the suppliers to minimise customer-supplier problems by timely resolution.
Specific Responsibilities10
In addition to these general responsibilities (defined by OGC), MOD SROs have the following specific responsibilities:
- Ensuring that business cases presented for approval by the Investment Approvals Board (IAB) and/or Defence Board are objective, soundly based and sufficiently mature to allow the approving bodies to reach clearly defensible decisions. This is key to the robustness of the Department's decision making process and hence an important aspect of the SRO's task.
- Learning lessons and avoiding common causes of failure 12.
- Taking responsibility for Programme Reports submitted to the DOB/JCB (which inform the Department's performance reporting and provide external public visibility of performance by informing the Defence Plan and the Annual Report and (for selected programmes) accountability cross-government and to Ministers through OGC's Major Projects and Programmes Portfolio.
- For DCP programmes, ensuring that the programme continues to meet the Defence Council criteria.11
- Ensuring that the programme is subject to OGC Gateway™ reviews at appropriate points in its lifecycle; taking appropriate actions in response to the review team's recommendations; and reporting the results of reviews and actions taken to the IAB at approvals points, to the Defence Operating Board (for DCP programmes and projects) or the JCB at regular reviews, and to the relevant TLB holder. Note: in the event of "red" review reports, the individual undertaking the SRO role will be required to provide a report to the Defence Operating Board, JCB or TLB holder as appropriate copied (for all major programmes or projects with Designated SROs) to PUS.
- Engaging in the OGC Gateway peer review process in accordance with MOD policy.12
- Ensuring that the programme addresses all the relevant Defence Lines of Development on a through-life basis and takes account of issues concerning process and culture or behavioural change.
- Ensuring the realisation of benefits to Defence, including those that fall outside the SRO's own management or command chain.
- Helping the Department to build delivery capacity and capability for the future by identifying implications for skills and training of staff and trainers and reporting these to the DOB, JCB and/or Director Civilian Personnel and Director Training & Education as appropriate.
- Learning lessons and avoiding common causes of failure.13
__________________________________________________________________________________
9 General Responsibilities are taken from OGC Guidance
10 Specific Responsibilities apply to SROs in MoD
11 Defence Change Programme Version 2.0 dated 31 October 2005
12 D/VCDS&2nd PUS/7/3/1/ 17 Dec 08
13 OGC/National Audit Office common Causes of Failure can be a accessed on the OGC website