comprises 15 separate programmes at various stages of maturity, aimed at driving a radical transformation of the MPS operating models to deliver a much more effective policing service that achieves the best outcomes in the pursuit of justice and support of victims.
A key part of the transformation is the development of a new estate that will create modern flexible working environments that support the MPS and improve the quality of the working environment, support smarter collaborative working that increases the number of people the estate can support, maximises the value of assets released and significantly reduces the running cost of the estate.
Concerto have been supporting the Metropolitan Police for the past two years. We were initially appointed to review the approach and methodologies used in managing the programme and to provide senior level leadership and support to the programme while a permanent Director level appointment was made.
We carried out an immediate 30-day review of the programme delivery and management approach. This identified a range of challenges, particularly around the governance and management approach that projects underwent and a significant inconsistency in the reporting approach adopted by different external consultants. We identified where additional skills and resources were required and where processes required improvement. In particular it was clear that the internal reporting and project management structures were not strong enough and that the lifecycle model that had been developed had not been updated nor consistently followed.
We supported the Met Police senior team in designing a new resource model. We also carried out a review and redesign of the Met’s capital project delivery lifecycle approach to ensure it reflected best practice and recognised and responded to lessons learned in the delivery of early projects.
As the programmed progressed we provided dedicated resource to drive forward the delivery of a range of complex projects and programmes, ranging from feasibility studies that informed the evolving estates strategy through to the progression of major build projects that were struggling to deliver on time and on budget.
We then identified a number of appropriately skilled resources from within our network to support and strengthen the existing team. These appointments ranging from Delivery Director level leadership and management of large elements of the programme through to operational project management and project support services. A key part of the delivery requirement was working closely with and managing the requirements an expectations of a wide range of specialist functions across the Met and it was crucial that externally appointed staff integrate effectively into and properly represent Met Property Services at both operational and senior level across the organisation.
Concerto were able to respond extremely quickly to identify effective and appropriately skilled staff who could hit the ground running in picking up the project delivery service and who were familiar with the issues and constraints involved in operating in a secure and sensitive operational environment. This provision of targeted, skilled resource enabled a number of significant projects to progress that would otherwise have been delayed and we provided dedicated in-house support and challenge to the Met team.
We also brought a fresh and current best practice viewpoint to the review of the project management approach, introducing a range of tools and management approaches that reduced delivery risk and improved project success.
