“Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes” – Thomas W Higginson

How many of us have checked over work – for what feels like a hundred times - only for a colleague to read it once and point out a few things that need updated? Most, if not all of us.

A fresh pair of eyes almost always brings a new perspective and new ways of thinking to the table, providing valuable external insight that helps us see clearly.

And that’s why we’ve invited professional services firm PwC to undertake an independent and unbiased review of the Council of the Future change programme.

The global firm will also provide recommendations on how to implement zero-based budgeting (ZBB) - a form of financial control that aims to align company spending with strategic goals – in two key areas, transport and education.

At the Make it Happen (MIH) Board on 1 December, board members heard PwC’s initial thoughts, which will form part of its report.

Experts from the firm will also run a series of workshops on key aspects of transformation to support project managers and sponsors.

Project reporting is back!

The pandemic may have caused a lull in our transformation but, with new council priorities and a heightened need to deliver change and savings quickly, monthly reporting is back.

Written by project managers, the reports aim to provide workstream boards with regular updates on progress made and highlight any issues that need escalated to the MIH Board.

However, members of the board heard that the break in reporting had resulted in many of November’s submissions having to be reviewed and fine tuned to ensure clarity.  

Stuart Ritchie, Senior Responsible Owner, Council of the Future change programme, said:

“We need to think about how we’re reporting each of these projects so members – and our employees - have a good grasp of what projects are about and what they will deliver, both in terms of transformational change and budget savings. Some work still needs to be done to ensure all reports are meaningful.”