APM Awards, Project Cetus, Vampires beware,
Benefits management, A post project review,
Great British Nuclear, Hydrogen engines, Hen Harriers
in Wiltshire, birds and otter protection in the Shetlands
REPORT
By Miles Shepherd
Executive Advisor & International Correspondent
Salisbury, England, UK
INTRODUCTION
The last month seems to have been rather slow from a Project World perspective, or perhaps I have had my mind on other things (shocking thought, I know but as the Festive Season looms, there are distractions). So we have some good news (at last), some Bad News (as usual) and a short round up of other items.
GOOD NEWS
November proved to be a good month for some as the Association for Project Management (APM) held its annual Awards event at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London on Monday 21st. Sponsored by RPC UK Ltd and compered by the well-known comedian Hugh Dennis, awards were presented to a variety of projects, programmes and individuals. Several hundred people attended the event which was also live streamed which allowed members all round the world to feel part of the action. I’ve enjoyed several of these galas over the years but have to say it is not quite the same when you are sitting in the home office with a glass of wine but no crowd (except on the screen)!
The outstanding Achievement Award went to Nick Smallwood, Chief Executive Officer of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and Head of Government’s Project Delivery Function, in recognition of his many achievements during a celebrated career in project management and delivery. He commented: “It’s a great honour to be presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award.
APM President Sue Kershaw, Nick Smallwood & Hugh Denis (Image: APM)
“I find great satisfaction in working within a profession that truly transforms the country that we live in. Projects ultimately deliver the public services that allow the UK to thrive, innovate and prosper – and people are of course at the very heart of this.” The full results are available at https://www.apm.org.uk/apm-awards/ .
Defence Projects. We have previously reported on pilotless sub-sea vessels, particularly those used for exploration and environmental research. Now comes news of another use as a new project for the Royal Navy has been approved. Project Cetus is a £15.4 million project; the Cetus is named after the mythological sea monster that was slain by Perseus. It consists of a pilotless battery-powered drone able to cover up to 1,000 miles in a single mission. It joins the Navy’s crewless mine-hunting capabilities and driverless Pacific 24 sea boats which are currently undergoing sea trials.
Image: The Times
Cetus has been purchased to strengthen the navy’s ability to protect underwater infrastructure. Due for delivery in two years’ time, it would help the UK to “dominate the underwater battlespace” according to Admiral Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord. The Royal Naval press release claims that “it will move stealthily through the oceans, monitoring hostile activity, listening out for ships or submarines which may pose a threat to the Fleet, or to key national infrastructure such as deep-sea cables and pipelines.”
More…
To read entire report, click here
How to cite this report: Shepherd, M. (2021). UK Project Management Roundup, report, PM World Journal, Vol. XI, Issue XII, December. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PMWJ124-Dec2022-Shepherd-UK-Regional-Report.pdf
About the Author
Miles Shepherd
Salisbury, UK
Miles Shepherd is an executive editorial advisor and international correspondent for PM World Journal in the United Kingdom. He is also managing director for MS Projects Ltd, a consulting company supporting various UK and overseas Government agencies, nuclear industry organisations and other businesses. Miles has over 30 years’ experience on a variety of projects in UK, Eastern Europe and Russia. His PM experience includes defence, major IT projects, decommissioning of nuclear reactors, nuclear security, rail and business projects for the UK Government and EU. His consulting work has taken him to Japan, Taiwan, USA and Russia. Past Chair and Fellow of the Association for Project Management (APM), Miles is also past president and chair and a Fellow of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He was, for seven years, a Director for PMI’s Global Accreditation Centre and is immediate past Chair of the ISO committee developing new international standards for Project Management and for Program/Portfolio Management. He is currently Chairman of the British Standards Institute project management committee. He was involved in setting up APM’s team developing guidelines for project management oversight and governance. Miles is based in Salisbury, England and can be contacted at miles.shepherd@msp-ltd.co.uk.
To view other works by Miles Shepherd, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at http://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/miles-shepherd/
