3Capability
11.The theme of civil service capability is one to which we, and our predecessor Committee, have returned to on a number of occasions.10 Project delivery is one of the areas singled out for criticism in the past and where capability improvements have been prioritised. The 2012 Civil Service Reform Plan (CSRP) noted that:
Government’s past performance on major projects has been poor, with around a third being delivered on time and on budget. Much of this failure has been because policy gets announced before implementation has been fully thought through, and because civil servants have not been given the skills and tools needed for good project management.11
12.Elsewhere, Lord Maude, the then-Minister for the Cabinet Office responsible for introducing the CSRP, was highly critical of the UK’s record of managing major projects which he described as “lamentable” and argued that poor project management has seen “countless millions” being “poured away”.12 In response to such concerns, project management has been one of the areas where improving capability has been prioritised.
13.In addition to Project Management Functions and Professions, which are headed from the IPA,13 the most notable amongst these efforts to improve capability has been the establishment of the Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA), a joint initiative with Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. Attendance at the MPLA is a requirement for those wishing to progress to senior levels in Project Management in the Civil Service. More than 600 have enrolled to date.14 The Project Leadership Programme (PLP), delivered in conjunction with Cranfield University, trains Civil Service project managers below the Senior Civil Service grades. Over 1000 have graduated from the PLP thus far.15
14.The steps the Government has taken to improve its project delivery capability were viewed positively. Hannah Vickers, CEO of the Association for Consulting and Engineering (ACE)), told us that “I think that [the MPLA] has done well in terms of upskilling project managers with generic project management skills.16 Similarly, Professor Denise Bower of the Major Projects Association (MPA) told us that “investment in initiatives such as the Major Projects Leadership Academy has helped to equip those involved in major projects much better than they were previously”.17 However, these positive views, though broadly reflective of the evidence we received, are largely impressionistic and there has been no formal evaluation of the MPLA to date.
15.Improvements in the Civil Service’s project delivery capability have been a priority of government over the last decade and we welcome this investment in a greater skills base for the delivery of major projects. Due to the curtailment of this inquiry, it is difficult for the Committee to know whether this increased training has translated into better delivery of projects and suggest that any inquiry in this area by a successor Committee should look at this.
Churn
16.The level of churn—officials moving quickly from post to post—has been extensively highlighted as a problem for the Civil Service.18 The detrimental effect on capability of a rapid turnover of staff has been highlighted as contributory factor in a number of major projects where problems have arisen, including Universal Credit.19 Professor Bower of the MPA told us that a high turnover of staff could lead to inertia on a project:
While new people are brought up to speed, are familiarised, and become confident in the information they are presented with and are taking on responsibility for it, a kind of inertia can sometimes come about.20
17.The Cabinet Office has drawn up proposals to address the problem of churn (discussed in the Committee’s report on Civil Service Effectiveness) and the IPA and Project Management Profession have worked to mitigate the impact.21 The IPA has highlighted the falling rate of churn amongst Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) on major projects.22 Nick Davies of the IfG also noted the lower rate of churn.23 However, Hannah Vickers of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering cautioned against focussing excessively on the rate of churn. Projects should not rely on individuals, she warned, and the detrimental effect of churn was most keenly felt where robust governance is lacking.24
18.Major projects often last many years and it is inevitable that there will be a turnover of the staff involved. Indeed, in some instances, the expertise needed to progress a project will change as it develops, and it is important that this is reflected in the turnover of staff. However, this differs from the rapid rotation of staff between posts. It can be mitigated through ensuring a steady pipeline of replacements and good knowledge management but its impact will still be detrimental. The Government is evidently conscious of the issue of churn on its major projects and steps taken to reduce the turnover of project SROs are to be welcomed. However, churn is an issue throughout the Civil Service and not only at SRO level. There is also a need to consider what conflicts of interest can arise as a result of this churn. The Government is introducing measures to combat it. It is too early to tell whether these have been successful, and it is something our successor Committee could return to.
10 E.g. PACAC The Minister and the Official: The Fulcrum of Whitehall Effectiveness HC497 5th Report of Session 2017–19; PACAC Strategic Leadership in the Civil Service: Sustaining Self-Governance and Future Capability while Supporting the Government of the Day 19th Report of Session 2017–19 HC 1536
11 HM Government The Civil Service Reform Plan July 2012, p. 18
12 Major Projects Authority Annual Report 2013, p.1–2
13 We discuss cross-departmental Functions and Professions in our report, The Minister and the Official: The Fulcrum of Whitehall Effectiveness HC497 5th Report of Session 2017–19
18 PACAC The Minister and the Official: The Fulcrum of Whitehall Effectiveness HC497 5th Report of Session 2017–19, paras 59–80
19 NAO Universal Credit: early progress HC 621 Session 2013–14 paras 3.29–3.31
21 See PACAC The Minister and the Official: The Fulcrum of Whitehall Effectiveness HC497 5th Report of Session 2017–19 paras 59–80
22 IPA Annual Report 2017–18 p.14. SROs are the senior officials who are ultimately accountable for a particular project.
Published: 5 November 2019