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The London 2012 Olympics

Knowledge Asset Overview

Started: 29 Mar 06 by CT00275   -  Medias: 0   -  Views: 7769   -  Subscription:

The Challenge 

With 6 years to go and such a large budget, it is tempting to believe that there will be time and resource to get everything right. Those who have been involved in any major programme will understand the ways in which size and complexity demand disproportionate time and will recognise that 6 years is, in fact, a very compressed timescale during which things will not go to plan, issues will build up and the money will be in very serious danger of running out.

Click here to access our recently published magazine article on some of the Project and Programme Management challenges

The Need

• Have ‘done it' (or something like it) before
• Understand what they are delivering AND why AND how 
• Plan realistically and manage uncertainty effectively under time pressure 
• Contract effectively with each other internally and commercially by 
  • Creating effective relationships, alliances and partnering arrangements 
  • Managing their own risks 
  • Keeping the commercial layer as ‘thin’ as possible whilst maintaining control. 
• Tackle issues head-on from top to bottom of the wider organisation 
• Provide effective assurance, enabling governance to be kept simple

The public sector and the organisations delivering (or bidding to deliver) services into the Olympics programme will be challenged to find these high-calibre resources. If and when they do find them, they cannot afford to waste valuable funds in paying excessive consultancy rates – even £12Bn will soon run out at the day rates charged by many large organisations now claiming to offer consultants.

What we are doing about it?

At the Knowledge Practice, our focus is on helping individuals and organisations to understand the practical issues involved in delivering the Olympics and to deploy the capabilities needed to address them cost-effectively.  We already provide a low-cost way for the public and private sector to access pragmatic, senior-level management consultants who have proven they can deliver successfully on a large scale.  We do so via:

• Consultancy – understand and fix the business/technical/management problem (but only using very experienced people -no learners- and at agency rates) 
• ‘High quality agency’ – understand and fix the resource problem 
• ‘Virtual in-house consultancy’ – allow clients to engage our consultants directly as an effective, low-cost, outsourced ‘virtual internal consultancy’

Many of the construction engineers and project/programme managers with the most relevant experience of successful delivery are working outside the UK.  We have thus formed an alliance with the Expat Network to identify, engage and bring home the best British construction talent. Teamed with our core group of management consultants, this will offer both public and private sector, what we believe to be the broadest, deepest and most affordable source of high quality talent available to meet the specific challenges of London 2012.

The Knowledge Practice works by creating communities in which selected organisations and independent practitioners collaborate to define and offer solutions to the key issues and/or to offer their services. For the Olympics we are focused on the following issues:

• Governance and Programme Management – how do all parties ensure that the full benefits of the games and its legacy are successfully delivered? 
• The Games – what are the important aspects of the 17-day event itself and how are they delivered? 
• The Legacy – what will it take to deliver the promises made in the bid around urban regeneration and to boost British business? 
• Construction Projects – how do construction projects as large and complex as those of London 2012 get delivered to time, cost and quality? 
• Infrastructure, Systems & IT – what do the support infrastructure, information systems and IT look like and how do they come together? 
• Transport and Logistics – how does the Transport and logistics come together? 
• Media and Marketing – how does the programme, the games itself and the legacy agenda use the global media and how does it market itself?

We will be establishing communities around these issues and will be engaging with the major organisations and stakeholders over the next few months.

What can I do to engage?

Membership of Knowledge Practice communities is by invitation. If you believe you or your organisation have something to contribute, please contact us via: olympics@tkp.co.uk

If you or your organisation are responsible for any aspect of delivering the games and you would like more information please contact us via the same e-mail address: olympics@tkp.co.uk.

Where can I find out more?

The preparation and staging of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is the joint responsibility of:

• The Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG): http://www.london2012.com/en
• The Lord Mayor (working with the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority): http://www.london.gov.uk/
• The British Olympic Association: : http://www.olympics.org.uk/

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets Policy around sport in the UK and drove the production of the Olympic bill: http://www.culture.gov.uk/sport/2012olympicgames/.

See the Olympic bill here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmbills/045/06045.i-iv.html

Sport England’s mission is to ‘make England an active and successful sporting nation’ and they thus have an interest in the way the Olympics will develop British Sport: http://www.sportengland.org/

The International Olympic Committee provides news at the Global Olympic level at: http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp

Other stakeholders include the London Borough of Newham who will host a large proportion of the facilities: http://www.olympics.newham.gov.uk/

The BBCs general page on London 2012 is at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/default.stm