Given the long-term nature of Partnerships Victoria projects, the personnel involved in management of a project are likely to change several times through the project lifecycle. New personnel will need time to become familiar with a project before they can effectively manage it.
The government party should establish a succession plan for key personnel to manage personnel changes efficiently by:
• limiting concurrent departures;
• ensuring that the team has a good mix of experience levels; and
• integrating its contract administration manual (Chapter 6) and knowledge and information management systems (Chapter 7) into succession planning.
The importance of having a detailed, up-to-date and easy to use knowledge management system with good record keeping to ensure smooth succession planning cannot be over-emphasised.
The succession plan must be sufficiently flexible to provide quality ongoing management and accommodate change, including:
• the possibility of personnel choosing to leave their positions prematurely or being absent on extended leave;
• the need for incoming personnel to complete appropriate training (preferably with the involvement of the incumbent contract director); and
• the likelihood that roles and workloads will change over the lifecycle of a Partnerships Victoria project.
The need for a comprehensive succession plan is related to broader government objectives of supporting contract management as a recognised career path and the career advancement of contract management personnel.