13th Branch corporate advisory group (BCAG) meeting

There was a mix of old and new faces at the 13th Branch Corporate Advisory Group (BCAG) meeting held on the 25th March at BAWA, Bristol.  This was an encouraging sign – the BCAG exists to further the interests of the local corporate and higher education institute (HEI) members and it was good to see an increasingly wider cross-representation of the membership.

Gary Mainwaring of General Dynamics gave us an update on the Branch’s Project Challenge and a review of the lessons learnt so far so that we can take them into planning the Challenge for next year.  We’re going to be circulating information to interested parties earlier – especially so we can engage with more HEIs, and we are looking to set up a specific website to advertise the challenge.

Bob Eldridge of DE&S, and the Branch Corporate Rep, led the discussion on the role of what is termed the corporate liaison officer and its relationship to the BCAG, the local interaction with corporates, and the work of the Corporate Leadership Management Group (CLMG).  The BCAG is working to reinforce its role in ensuring that the work of the Branch reflects the needs of corporate and HEI members as well as individuals and to form links not only with the wider APM organisation but also between each other (particularly industry-HEI).
We also had the benefit of a presentation on organisational project management by Trevor Band of Montydog Consulting.  This was a fascinating insight into the importance of organisational environment to the success of projects in dynamic situations, and an example of the knowledge sharing that occurs at a BCAG.

The next meeting will be held in Bath, on the 16th September, at the BMT Hi-Q Sigma office on Lower Bristol Road.  We will be looking closer at the role of the CLMG, systems thinking in P3M and current research at UWE amongst other things.  Any corporate or HEI representative is welcome – it’s a great opportunity to share experiences and shape the direction of your local APM branch.  If you wish to attend, please contact Bob Eldridge (https://www.apm.org.uk/users/bob-eldridge/contact).

The slides from the BCAG meeting can be seen below.