5 lessons learned from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

What did the Director of Strategic Programmes and Executive Office learn from programme managing the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games? And what will she take with her in her new role as Project Lead at the Commonwealth Youth Games Trinbago 2023?

1. Understand and agree roles and responsibilities. This is especially important at the interfaces of a complex stakeholder environment.

2. Ensure you have an easy and regular reporting system. This must apply across the whole programme and should give sufficient clarity of current status, any issues and risks without putting an undue burden on teams and projects. Automate it as much as possible.

3. Face unpredictability. Where there is uncertainty, ensure you have considered possible scenarios and outcomes and have respective contingency plans in place.

4. Introduce smart governance and assurance to avoid duplication of effort. Scheduling activities and meetings while deconflicting across the programme is fundamental to reducing the burden across all teams. They will thank you for it.

5. Be clear on what’s required. Ensure expectations of delivery and service levels are understood, tried and tested before implementation. Build close working relationships with delivery teams to ensure understanding, capability and capacity are in place for delivery.

For an in-depth interview with Annie Hairsine listen to her APM Podcast (out in December) wherever you get your podcasts.

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE WINTER 2022 ISSUE OF PROJECT JOURNAL, WHICH IS FREE FOR APM MEMBERS.