Financial Services Case Study - Global Reach of PM Best Practice for Major Investment Bank

The Challenge

In the 1990s a global investment bank with trading arms in Zurich, New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney, reviewed their project management practices and uncovered a need for improvement. As a result, they invited Steria Learning Services to work with them to provide training and development services aimed at delivering Project Management best practice. With a large number of staff requiring training, ranging all the way from new graduate recruits, project team members and project managers, through to senior managers, the Bank wanted to offer various training events that could be delivered to all sites within the group. This started with a one day introduction to project management for graduates and progressed through to a recognised qualification in project management for project managers. Senior managers attended short courses that focused on their specific responsibilities within projects.

Steria’s Response

This enabled the take up of the PRINCE2® methodology, and the progress of projects to be seen on a global basis. Relevant case study material was developed in order to ensure delegates related the training directly to their day to day activities. To date training has been delivered to over 1100 staff. Of those taking the PRINCE2® Practitioners course more than 400 have achieved qualification. Staff movement within the industry, coupled with developments within the PRINCE2® methodology, has meant that the training continues to be been run on a regular basis, with managers reporting that they are seeing significant improvement in the project community as a whole.

The Outcome

This approach has led to a common project management vocabulary and approach across the whole group, and projects are now being commissioned in a more disciplined manner, and being challenged for their on-going viability at appropriate intervals.

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