Sorry, the publication can not be displayed.

*** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 *** *** | V The Daily Telegraph SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEARNINGFROMPAST MASTERS ALAMY, CORBIS, GETTY THE TACTICS EMPLOYED BY FABLED LEADERS OF THE PAST CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE TIPS TODAY. THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS IS A CASE IN POINT, FINDS ESME McAVOY WHY DID WILLIAM WIN THE DAY? HE WAS PERSUASIVE William, an illegitimate child widely known as “the Bastard”, had no real claim to the throne other than his assertion that the late king had promised it to him 15 years before. He had no witness to vouch for such a promise but he managed to muster support for his cause, regardless. Before he invaded England, he took time to visit the most powerful barons in his homeland, offering them land in his new kingdom to win their support. HE WAS A GOOD PLANNER “William was a meticulous planner — some would say he was a control freak,” says Carver. “He planned his invasion of England with utmost care. He had a plan to back up the plan to back up the plan. When he decided to invade, he went to great lengths to show how much support he had and even managed to secure a blessing from the Pope.” HE WAS EXPERIENCED William had good knowledge of handling rebellion within his own kingdom in Normandy. He had successfully defeated the King of France twice and had managed to fend off other attacks. HE WAS PREPARED TO SEIZE ANY OPPORTUNITY On the day of the Battle of Hastings, things did not go well at first for William and his troops. Despite being well-prepared, their attacks failed to break through the wall of Saxon shields. A rumour spread that William had been killed and the Norman, quick to see the advantage, feigned death, ordering his troops to retreat. His plan worked and the Saxon shields gave way, leaving them open to attack. Harold was killed at dusk, by the legendary arrow in his eye. The surviving English fled into the forest, leaving William victorious. HE DIDN’T MIND BEING UNPOPULAR “William was a fearsome project manager. He was successful but many people were scared of him,” says Carver. With Harold defeated, William was crowned King on Christmas Day, 1066, earning the title, William the Conqueror. “William continued as a strong project manager,” Carver points out. “He steered ambitious projects such as the Domesday Book land survey and the building of Windsor Castle and the Tower of London.” William also established the Exchequer, now known as the Treasury. Yet his controlling approach wasn’t so successful in peacetime. As Carver says: “He couldn’t shake off his domineering management style and ruled by ruthless oppression. He was a thorough planner and ready for anything, but his own people hated him.” W 1 ant to know the secrets of good project management? Then look to the past. That, at least, is the advice of Stephen Carver, lecturer in project management at Cranfield School of Management near Milton Keynes. Take the Battle of Hastings, in 1066, which led to the crowning of the French upstart William the Conqueror. Following the death of Edward the Confessor, three men were vying for the English throne: William himself, Harold Godwinson, Earl of Essex (later Earl of Wessex) and the Viking King Hardrada. Carver believes that the secret of William’s eventual success was good, strong project management. “Each man had strengths and weaknesses, but it was William’s talent for meticulous planning that allowed him to get the task done — and to seize the English throne,” Carver says. Here he analyses the victor’s skills: THREE CONTENDERS , THREE STYLES OF MANAGEMENT: HAROLD GODWINSON, EARL OF ESSEX, LATER EARL OF WESSEX THE LINE MANAGER Harold was the country’s most powerful noble and the brother-in-law of the late king, having himself crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey. “Harold was immensely popular and a good line manager — able to listen to his people and engage them,” says Carver. “He was not too controlling, but not too wild or spontaneous either. Line managers tend to be ethical and good at developing their staff — they take a long-term view.” But Harold didn’t share William’s attention to detail nor his decisive leadership in a crisis. 2 WILLIAM ‘THE BASTARD’, DUKE OF NORMANDY THE ‘PURE’ PROJECT MANAGER William was utterly focused and calculating, making sure that every single contingency was planned for. If opportunities arose, he seized them. “He didn’t care about whether people liked him,” offers Carver. “He wanted to get the job done. If people didn’t like him much, they still respected him — and feared him. England under William was well-managed and progressed a great deal, but he lacked Harold’s human touch.” 3 KINGHARDRADA, THE VIKING KING OF NORWAY AND DENMARK THE CRISIS MANAGER King Hardrada also believed he had a right to the throne, thanks to a link with King Canute. “Hardrada was outrageous — an adventurer who thrived on change,” says Carver. “There was never a plan and he relied on luck and wits instead. He was the ultimate crisis manager, jumping from one drama to another, but his followers loved his enthusiasm. In battle, however, his luck ran out, showing that you can’t rely on power and energy alone.” THE FINE ART WHETHER IT’S AN ART GALLERY OR A GLEAMING CITY BRIDGE, STEERING PUBLIC-SECTOR BUILDING PROJECTS CAN BE A COMPLEX BUT POTENTIALLY PRIZE-WINNING PROCESS, FINDS BARBARA LANTIN OF LEADERSHIP Show time: from left, easy public access was crucial to the Barbican Centre plan; the revamped foyer REVAMPING AN ARTS INSTITUTION The four-year £14m upgrade of the Grade II-listed Barbican Centre in the City of London was directed by Arup. The main aim was to improve the entrances to the building and make the centre more userfriendly while allowing public access during the work. “Keeping the centre open was a brave decision, but it paid off,” says Francesco Biancelli of Arup, who managed the project. “We had to balance the financial benefits of staying open with the premium paid to have S “When funding comes from a number of different sources you can find that all the funders have slightly different objectives,” explains Tim Evans, director of the management division at Mott MacDonald. “Getting them all on board and coordinating their interests and commitment can be as big a job as the development itself.” One funder, for example, may focus on the quality of the displays for precious artefacts, ‘‘ o instantly successful are some of the public arts and heritage projects that we have come to know and love, that they seem to have appeared, miraculously wholly formed, overnight. Think of the Tate Modern in London and Gateshead’s marvellous “winking eye” Millennium Bridge. Yet, while their emergence appears to have been seamless, their success belies the fact that projects on this scale are notoriously tricky. Hence they require the specialised skill and expertise of good project managers in order to ensure that all goes to plan. The mix of dealing with multiple funding sources (some involving complex applications) and sensitive development sites in the public eye, can be challenging. In addition, the final product has to please not only the client, funders and planning authorities, but, the most important critics of all — the public. “The main challenge with arts or heritage ventures is recognising the unique nature of each organisation you are dealing with and that the work will be a project of a lifetime for them,” says Catherine Wells, associate director at Arup, named Project Management Company of the Year in last year’s awards. “It is, therefore, extremely important that their aspirations are met.” Securing funding is obviously ‘‘ key: Arup’s successful stage-three lottery funding application to the Arts Council England for the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in south-east London has been recommended by the Council as a best practice guide for applicants. The main challenge with arts and heritage ventures is recognising that each project is a one-off while another may dwell on how much new revenue visitors to a project will bring to the region. Satisfying the planners can also be tricky if the development is in a sensitive site or close to listed buildings. Then, once work begins, heritage sites can produce extra snags, such as archaeological remains, or the need to respect existing architecture. Public sector projects have a poor record for coming in late or over budget, as a research report carried out by Mott MacDonald for the Treasury revealed. “Usually, the reason is that the project was not fully scoped before the client committed to it,” says Evans. “It is essential to make sure the scope of the work is fully understood at the outset.” A very close eye needs to be kept on a scheme’s progress, which may mean taking hard decisions. “You have to recognise when you need to make changes to the design team,” Evans continues. “These projects are highly complex and sometimes people who are fantastic concept designers are not the best ones to carry through to the implementation stage. It is better to appoint new people than let the venture run out of control.” Whatever happens, the task leader needs to keep everybody happy, says Francesco Biancelli, senior project manager at Arup. “Creating a culture where ideas can be exchanged freely and the needs of various disciplines are managed is a vital part of the project manager’s role.” contractors working in a more challenging environment. But no event that had been booked had to be cancelled, which is quite an achievement.” Arup devised a masterplan based on the events taking place at the centre. A traffic light system determined the time and location of planned work. “Red meant no work could commence at that time and place, amber permitted certain small works and green meant no restrictions. “Every week we organised a meeting of representatives of the various departments — concert hall, art gallery, theatre and cinema — and the contractors, to look at the coming week so that everybody was up to date with what would happen.” Work took place behind highquality hoardings to ensure the safety of clients and maintain the integrity of the building as an arts venue. “I suspect that in some cases people attending performances had no idea that what they were looking at was a temporary hoarding put up to conceal building work,” explains Biancelli. CREATING A NEW MUSEUM The £70m Museum of Liverpool, which is due to be completed next year (with access to the public in stages from 2010), will showcase the city’s heritage and culture from early times to the present day. Mott MacDonald is managing the construction. The museum is on Mann Island, a World Heritage waterfront site between Albert Dock and the famous Liverpool Pier Head area. This meant gaining the approval of English Heritage, the City Council and Unesco, among others, before the planned development could go ahead. “The Muesum is positioned in an extremely sensitive site surrounded by Grade I-listed buildings,” says Tim Evans, who directed the initial phases of the project. “It’s got to be pretty spectacular to hold its own in a place like that — and it is. It’s a modern design with dramatic windows at each end. It has also got to withstand some pretty hostile weather conditions.” The project is fully expected to come in on time and within budget. “The credit for that must be shared between us and the client, the National Museums Liverpool. Not all public sector clients are as good as they have been — they know exactly what they want.” Left, an impression of how the finished Museum of Liverpool will look in 2010; above, the site today *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH *** *** Magic moments THE SPECIAL SKILLS IT TAKES TO GET THE JOB DONE page 2 History repeating LEADING TACTICS FROM PAST BATTLES page 5 Healing hands MANAGING GLOBAL RELIEF EFFORTS page 7 ILLUSTRATIONS THROUGHOUT BY MARK LAZENBY Project management CAREERS IN THURS *** II *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW The Daily Telegraph MODERN WIZARDS today, some as consultants; others employed as “in-house” staff. All need to be eminently flexible and ready to take on fresh challenges. “The job can change *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 *** *** | III The Daily Telegraph PEOPLE CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT Xlang Jing’s “Your Body” is currently on show at the Saatchi Gallery TAKING A BROAD NIGEL HURST DIRECTORANDCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFTHE SAATCHIGALLERY PERSPECTIVE FROM *** IV *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 *** *** | V The Daily Telegraph SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEARNINGFROMPAST MASTERS ALAMY, CORBIS, GETTY THE TACTICS EMPLOYED BY FABLED LEADERS OF THE PAST CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE TIPS TODAY. THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS IS A *** VI *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AWARDS AND TRAINING THE PRIZE WINNER JIMMY ZAMMER, OF UK CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS DAVIS LANGDON, WAS AWARDED THE ASSOCIATION FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT’S YOUNG PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 200 *** *** THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 *** *** | VII The Daily Telegraph GLOBAL ASSIGNMENTS CAREERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIME FOR A CHANGE? Searching for a career change that reflected her own ethical values, Wooster’s first experience of charity work was when she volunteered *** VIII *** *** THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 THE DAILY TELEGRAPH | *** PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRANSPORT Rail finders: the Docklands Light Railway The Daily Telegraph TRANSPORT TO THE 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS WILL NEED TO BE AS PRECISELY PLANNED AS THE EVENTS THEMSELVES, SAYS GABRIELLE COLLETT-WHITE C