Transforming Leadership

of Programmes
Find out how ILX Group in partnership with the
Home Office devised a new accredited qualification
to accredit PRINCE2 and MSP Sponsors.

Project Client
Industry
Challenge
Solution

Home Office
Headquartered in London, UK
Government
The Home Office is the lead government department for immigration, passports, counter-terrorism, policing, drugs
and crime.
To equip senior leaders with the practical knowledge and skills needed to lead the successful delivery of complex
policies and initiatives.
A world-first accredited qualification to measure the leadership of Programmes and Projects at Sponsor level.

Background
The Home Office is a Ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for
immigration, security, and law and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and
the Security Service (MI5). It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as
drugs, counter-terrorism, and ID cards.
In June 2008, ILX Group (ILX) worked with the Home Office to develop and deliver an accredited
qualification for Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) as an industry standard. The programme was the
Worlds first comprehensive training course to measure the leadership of Programmes and Projects at
Sponsor level and is known as APMG Programme & Project Sponsorship or PPS. The qualification is
fully accredited by the APM Group and is open to businesses and individuals across the public and private
sectors.
Based on a series of Executive Briefings developed by ILX for the Home Office, the qualification sees the
briefings equip senior level staff with the practical knowledge and skills needed to lead the successful
delivery of complex policies and initiatives. ILX is the only training provider to support the development
of this product from conception through to launch of the qualification, including an active role on the
APMG exam panel.
To date, over 70 people have attended the briefings and over half of these have now taken the new exam.

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The Solution
The Home Office currently has 35 major projects/programmes in progress
costing in excess of 40 million pounds and many hundreds of smaller ones.
The APMG Programme & Project Sponsorship qualification takes the
training a stage further by testing the key components through a formal
exam. The exam certifies that sponsors are equipped with the knowledge
and skills needed to lead successful delivery of a policy or initiative.
Howard Joseph, head of PPM skills in the Home Office Centre of Excellence
said:

Put simply, the focus is to

provide practical advice to
SROs and other sponsors to
do the right thing at the
right time and to establish
appropriate engagement
with their project team.

Howard Joseph, head of PPM

The SRO Executive Briefings take a new and practical approach to
project leadership by providing sponsors and SROs with the top line
skills, Home Office Centre of
information, cherry picked from the key products that are available. For
Excellence
example, when covering Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) or
PRINCE2, the course doesnt go into the minutiae of the methodologies
themselves; instead it tells the sponsor this is the technique, this is how it can help you, and this is when you
should take an interest in using it.

Put simply, the focus is to provide practical advice to SROs and other sponsors to do the right thing at the right
time and to establish appropriate engagement with their project team.
Following the presentation of certificates to the successful candidates from the pilots of the APMG exam, Sir David
Normington, the Home Office permanent secretary commented:
It is very important that senior managers understand their sponsor role and are able to adopt an appropriate
approach.
In the Home Office we currently have many important projects, so it is extremely important that we
professionalise the role of Senior Responsible Owner. I recognise the value of effective project management
and will be encouraging our project sponsors to take this qualification

The Programme
The two day modular PPS programme - which is also available as 4-6 hours of digital learning - does not have a
course book, but instead a ten page syllabus and reading lists for additional information.
The syllabus contains four training modules:

The role of the sponsor: the more traditional material defining the
role of sponsor
The sponsor working with people: including leadership and
stakeholder engagement
Identifying and establishing a programme/project
The delivery journey: mid-term running and various types of
ending.

The syllabus is methodology independent and uses generic terms as far as

possible. Candidates are assessed with a formal objective testing
examination (OTE), a practical assessment that poses situational questions
based on a given scenario.

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It is very important that

senior managers understand
their sponsor role and are
able to adopt an appropriate
approach
I will be encouraging our
project sponsors to take this
qualification

Sir David Normington, the Home

Office permanent secretary

Eddie Kilkelly, chief operating officer, ILX Group plc, explains:

The focus is on equipping senior leaders with practical skills they need to lead successful programmes, with
training supporting individuals in both the public sector and private sector.
A good illustration of this is that the first candidates to pass the examination came from the Home Office, UK
Borders Agency, the National School for Government and the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Further information and a copy of the syllabus can be found at www.programme-project-sponsorship.com.

About ILX Group

ILX is a world leading accredited provider of professional business technology-led learning and consulting
services. We offer best of breed accredited courses in PRINCE2, MSP, MoP, M_o_R as well as ITSM courses
such as ITIL and BCS Professional Certifications.
ILX Group provides innovative solutions for organisations and individuals to get the best out of learning, as well
as helping companies improve organisational capability. We have delivered learning products and services to
over 5,000 organisations across more than 100 countries, including those in local and national government,
public sector and commercial businesses in almost all sectors.
Our vision is to transform the way people learn and we create formal and informal learning products, utilising
our digital expertise to develop interactive multimedia e-learning, m-learning, games, mobile apps and other
associated learning and assessment tools, as well as employ innovative technology in the classroom.

About the Home Office

The Home Office is the government department responsible for leading the national effort to protect the public
from terrorism, crime and anti-social behaviour. As such it is responsible for the police, immigration
and passport services and MI5. Furthermore it is responsible for government policy on security-related issues
such as drugs, counter-terrorism and ID cards.
The Home Office is headed by the Home Secretary and five other ministers.
The Home Office includes:
the office for security and counter-terrorism, which works with other departments and agencies to ensure
an effective and coordinated response to the threat of terrorism
the crime and policing group, which works with the police service and other partners to reduce crime and
protect the public
the Border Force, which is a Home Office operational command responsible for immigration and customs in
the UK, including controls in France and Belgium
Agencies and public bodies
Three agencies - the UK Border Agency, the Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau provide directly managed frontline services from within the Home Office. There are also a number of
independent services and public bodies.
Find out more about the Home Office agencies and public bodies.

Looking for further information?

Discover how ILX can help
Web www.ilxgroup.com
Tel +44 (0)1270 611600
Email training@ilxgroup.com
PRINCE2, MSP, MoP, M_o_R and ITIL are registered trademarks of the Cabinet Office.

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