HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRPS-10-122 - Project Management PositionREPORT TO: Mayor and Council
DATE OF MEETING: June 28, 2010
SUBMITTED BY: Troy Speck
PREPARED BY: Troy Speck
WARD(S) INVOLVED: N/A
DATE OF REPORT: June 23, 2010
REPORT NO.: CRPS-10-122
SUBJECT: PROJECT MANAGEMENT POSITION
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the creation of a new full-time equivalent (FTE) position for a Director of Project
Integration and Coordination, be approved; and further
THAT the transfer of the Project Costing fund from the capital budget to the operating
budget be approved; and further
THAT funding the Director of Project Integration and Coordination position from the
transferred Project Costing funds, with the balance to be found through the 2011 budget
submission, be approved.
BACKGROUND:
At any given time, the work of the city is carried on through a large portfolio of projects, of
varying sizes, being managed by a variety of staff from across the corporation. The projects
range from simple, to extremely complex. Some projects can be planned well in advance, while
others may come upon us more quickly, and with relatively tight timelines for completion. (ex.
recent Infrastructure Fund projects). In the view of the CAO and General Managers, the ability
to capably manage and deliver on projects will continue to be important for the City's success.
REPORT:
While the City has a number of individual staff who are skilled in project management, what is
lacking is a uniform, corporate approach to project management, including consistent and
repeatable standards, processes and methodologies that can be trained and implemented to
ensure consistency in approach and application of project management principles across the
corporation.
In looking at best practises of other organizations in this regard, senior management have seen
that a number have chosen to implement an internal Project Management Office (PMO) as a
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solution to attaining such a level of consistency in corporate project management. PMOs range
in type, from a PMO that simply makes tools and guides available to project management staff,
all the way to a PMO where the PMO staff themselves do all of the hands-on project
management.
Some of the benefits of having a corporate project management framework can include:
• Consistent and repeatable standards and processes
• Continuity, accountability, oversight, measurement
• Potential for improving quality of work and reducing risks
• Fewer budget and/or scheduling issues
• Having a centralized point of reference for project management
It is the view of the CAO and General Managers that it will be in the city's best interest to build
cross-corporate consistency in our approach to project management by establishing a formal
project/portfolio management framework for the City of Kitchener in order to achieve these
benefits for the city's projects.
It will be important that the City of Kitchener selects aproject/portfolio management framework
that best suits the city's particular needs.
To that end, it is recommended that afull-time position be created, the function of which will be
to begin to examine and develop a corporate model for project/portfolio management, as well as
provide ongoing project management integration services. The position, Director of Project
Integration and Coordination, will work with, and report to, the current Director of Facilities
Management, who has a strong background in project management.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The position will be rated at Grade M3, at an anticipated cost of approximately $160,000 per
annum (inclusive of salary and benefits). It is recommended that the position be funded by
transferring available funds ($109,000 annually) from the Project Costing capital budget, to the
operating budget, with the balance to be found through the 2011 budget submission process.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Carla Ladd, CAO
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