BUSINESS CASE SUPPORT
Thanks to our extensive experience in the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD’s) CADMID cycle, we were asked to help prepare a range of Assessment Phase planning outputs, which were needed to put together a compelling Initial Gate (now Outline) business case for investment. Our support resulted in the MOD’s business case assurance committee giving the project team a rare ‘green’ (no issues) pass.
The Situation
The Ministry of Defence’s Protector Programme (previously called the Scavenger Programme) will supply the next generation of medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) Unmanned Air-Vehicles (UAV) which will replace the current fleet of MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. This air-vehicle will be designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), as well as attack missions.
The Brief
We were asked to support the production of a compelling business case, to demonstrate why the UK Government should invest in a collaborative, Anglo-French capability.
Our task was to develop a full set of integrated planning products, defining the next phase of the Scavenger project. These outputs needed to clearly articulate the resources, activities, commercial approach, timescales, costs and risks associated with all MOD activity during the project’s Assessment phase.
Our Approach
Working alongside the MOD customer team, we were able to utilise and share our in-depth understanding of the MOD’s CADMID cycle, particularly the Assessment phase, in order to develop a range of project outputs. Strong and clear engagement with senior stakeholders led to the acceptance of the overarching, high-level plan. We then developed and gained approval of the:
-
Commercial strategy
-
Organisation structure and resource plan impacts
-
Risk register including full cost and timescale
-
Detailed schedule, including Monte-Carlo timescale risk modelling
-
Cost model, including Monte-Carlo cost risk and uncertainty modelling
All plans and outputs were produced in accordance with industry best practice and MOD guidelines, providing a clear and well-reasoned way forward for the Scavenger project.
We also transferred our knowledge and skills to the MOD project team staff, so that they felt confident enough to take ownership of their business case and engage with the assurance and scrutiny panels.
The Outcome
The integrated nature of the plans, along with the training we provided, allowed the project team to own their information and manage changes simply, effectively and confidently.
The project team submitted the planning products as an integral part of the Scavenger Initial Gate Business Case, which then received a rare ‘green’ (no issues) report from the assurance body.
Even though our role on the project had finished some months earlier, the team leader was so pleased with our involvement that he invited us to celebrate the occasion with the team.