Meetings

Gareth Watts (Head of Internal Audit) was welcomed to the meeting to present the findings from the internal audit report on the HR/Payroll project. The review examined key aspects of the governance and project management of phase 1 of the project, and identified areas to be addressed before proceeding to phase 2. The project had delivered payroll and partial HR self-service functionality despite difficulties, such as slippage in delivery timescales. The report identified some factors that had contributed to the difficulties and Gareth invited the Board’s comments on the report’s recommendations.

The Board agreed that there was a need to understand why issues had occurred and shared their views on the lessons learned and how these could be applied to future projects. The following recommendations were made:

·      Investment and Resources Board to confirm the resources required, investment, staffing expertise and scope of all major new projects;

·      adopt the key challenge and scrutiny questions, compiled by Gareth Watts, as a tool to assess future projects, including phase 2 of the HR/Payroll project;

·      implement a mentor system for new project managers and develop a process of selection and training for staff, including SROs;

·      ensure key messages to staff are clear, setting out reasonable expectations; gain feedback through user testing; and

·      ensure those involved in dealing with contractors are experienced and equipped to properly challenge as necessary.

The Audit and Risk Assurance Committee would receive the report at their next meeting on 10 November.

Actions:

·      Gareth Watts and Virginia Hawkins to consider how to communicate the lessons learned to staff, including feeding into the community of practice for project managers, and preparation of a message for staff; and

·      Review guidance and formally adopt; include a job description and delegation letter from the Chief Executive to all new SROs outlining the responsibilities and expectations.