PM Services

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) is a primary Executive Agency of the DfE.  The EFA manages £54 billion of funding per year to support all state-provided education for eight million children aged 3 to 16, and 1.6 million young people aged 16 to 19.

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) is a primary Executive Agency of the DfE.  The EFA manages £54 billion of funding per year to support all state-provided education for eight million children aged 3 to 16, and 1.6 million young people aged 16 to 19.

The Situation

The EFA required a project management service to successfully deliver project management of work streams as part of the EFA’s Capital, Customer Exchange, Data & MI and Finance and Funding Programmes. These programmes were two key enablers for the EFA to achieve successful delivery against its ICT Investment Plan.

Reporting into the EFA Programme Managers, the service was accountable to deliver key project work streams, including the management of:

• Project effort estimations
• Management of project resources
• Management of suppliers/partners
• Management of customers
• Planning and milestones
• Detailed delivery estimates
• Budgetary Management
• Alignment to strategic technical goals and objectives
• Input to the overall success of the programme

The service was split into three core work packages.

1. Project Management of Customer Exchange projects.
2. Project Management of the Enabling Funding and Payments Technical Integration and Data projects
3. Project Management of Capital projects.

The Solution

The Russam team established and managed project teams capable of delivering work streams according to agreed scope, budget and timeline.

Created work package delivery cost estimates and reports on spend (actual and estimated) and resolved issues or risks threatening successful delivery to budget.

Identified and resolved risks and issues threatening the successful delivery of the project work stream.

Created and managed a detailed delivery plan for the project work stream.

• Identified all documentation required and completed within the allotted timescales for successful stage gate approvals.
• Ensured projects adhered to Delivery Solutions and Government Digital Service Gateway Requirements.
• Created weekly and monthly project reporting to agreed structure.
• Management of Change Requests through the Delivery Solutions Process.
• Works effectively with suppliers when the delivery of project objectives is dependent on third party interaction. Is accountable for ensuring suppliers deliver according to the project objectives
• Engages with key stakeholders to determine requirements specifications, functional and technical designs and testing requirements.
• Communicates plans and progress with the Programme Manager and Delivery Solutions leadership team and governing bodies
• Ensures that effective governance mechanisms are established for the projects for which the Project Manager is accountable for
• Utilises existing specialism within Knowledge and Information Management to support promotion and development of collaborative technology within the education sector

Outcomes

• Successful creation of delivery strategies and project documentation – including Brief, PID and business cases and funding requests.
• Successful creation of detailed delivery plan in MSP including:
  – Specification
  – Development
  – Test
  – Go-Live
  – Post Implementation
  – GDS Service Standards

• Successful go-live in line with agreed plans.

“Russam worked hard to develop themselves into one of my primary suppliers alongside Microsoft and Cap Gemini.  Their interpretation of my teams work package needs was insightful,  their experienced account team understood exactly what was required, quickly and accurately.  We could rely on Russam’s undivided attention and support to help us deliver at pace.”

Adrian Tucker (CTO – Education Funding Agency)