Dayjil Buhle is a Senior Associate Water Resources Engineer who leads the Project Management Technical Community. We talked to Dayjil about the what, how, and why of Project Management Excellence at ATC Williams.
Hi Dayjil, tell us about leading the Project Management Technical Community (PMTC).
When Darren Watt (CEO) asked me to lead a Technical Community in Project Management, I was hesitant – even though my friends and family would say that I love to be organised!
However, before I joined ATCW, my entire career was at a small engineering consultancy, so I did not have a formal project management background.
I am glad I accepted the role, as leading the team has given me the chance to work with a diverse group of people with multiple perspectives. It was amazing to draw on the knowledge of highly experienced engineers who have overseen multi-million-dollar projects, as well as from those earlier in their careers who have fresh and new ideas to offer project management.
As a bonus, I discovered that it was a perfect opportunity to get to know people in other offices that I ordinarily wouldn’t meet.
What are the main challenges of project management?
Early into our PMTC discussions, I realised that project management has a negative association due to the considerable responsibility and what can be seen as a laborious task of tracking schedules and budgets. ATCW is a consultancy grounded in technical ability, and this often drives our desire to work on defining and large-scale projects.
However, technical excellence needs to be conveyed to the client with an equally excellent consideration of project management. There is much more to project management than budgets and schedules. A Project Manager (PM) must be able to think strategically and utilise the resources around them to work out a plan when things go off track.
Primarily, the role is about communication and building both external and internal relationships, which are essential to ensuring the successful delivery of a project.
How did the Project Management Excellence Initiative start?
As part of ATCW’s 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, the PMTC was tasked with producing a Competency Framework for Project Management along with relevant supporting documents. The initial meeting in August 2023 was the first of many brainstorming sessions regarding the way project management was taking place and how we could transform that into Project Management Excellence. The team developed five elements to focus on moving forward. These are Training, Resources, Evaluation, Support Framework and Competency.
Why is the PM Competency Framework important?
The Competency Framework includes the introduction of a Project Director (PD) role and a description of expected behaviours in various competency areas for Entry, Intermediate and Advanced PMs as well as PDs. The Competency Framework recognises that management demands vary project by project and that a suitable PM/PD team should be allocated based on an initial assessment of project risk.
Our ability to deliver a project to a high standard on time and within budget to the satisfaction of our clients is key to maintaining a pipeline of consistent work.
What solutions were developed to create PME at ATCW?
The PMTC drove several deliverables over 2024. First, a two-day external training program from PSMJ was selected as a prerequisite for those managing project delivery at ATCW. We have provided external training for 89 staff members already.
We have also developed a Project Management Toolkit and Guidance material that will support PMs at each stage of a project, including proposal, active and closure.
Project Health Indicators (PHI) are ready to be rolled out alongside our recent progression to Synergy v5. These will assist the project management team in communicating budget and schedule progress with Operations Managers.
Why is ATCW promoting a positive project management culture?
Project management plays a key role in successful project delivery, so the value of a positive project management culture cannot be underestimated. The PMTC advocates for a supportive environment and culture for our project managers, encouraged by project directors and guided by our PHI.
One way we have encouraged a positive culture is with ‘Project Management Shares’, where we discuss scenarios and offer tips and tricks during bi-monthly Lunch and Learns. The introduction of the Project Director role in a more formal capacity encourages regular discussions between the PM and PD, which promotes open communication and requests for support as needed.
How does the Framework apply to careers at ATCW?
We’ve got so many people keen to learn, and the Framework provides a mechanism to support the development of our staff’s project management competencies.
The Framework defines a forward career progression by identifying behaviours that signify accepted levels of experience. The levels are necessary because good project management facilitates how people develop over their careers, which then guides the growth of the company.
Together, the PMTC identified many simple things we can do to make life easier. The Seniors want more responsibility, and our Graduates want to be nurtured and mentored. When we aim to create a happy and healthy workplace where our people want to stay, then the results follow.
What’s next for the PMTC and for you?
In October 2024, Glenn Platt joined ATCW as Business Manager. Glenn has a background in strategic leadership and has been an important contributor to the core deliverables. Glenn is now in the process of developing an implementation plan for the Competency Framework.
Overall, the experience of guiding the PMTC has been challenging and fun. I enjoy the feeling you get when trying to find solutions with a group of passionate team members you care about. The PMTC will take a small step back to be an advisory panel for Glenn to draw on as needed. I’m still very keen to be involved in advocating for our PMs and assisting in the introduction of PDs.
For now, the step back gives me more time to focus on the Surface Water Team and the improvements we can make for project delivery and work satisfaction for our wonderful team members.
