We recently added to our portfolio, programme, and project management (P3M) expertise with the hire of Henry Yorke who joined Step5 at the end of last year. An exciting new addition to the team, Henry brings with him a wealth of project delivery experience having spent many years with major global IT company, DXC Technology, where he supported and delivered successful outcomes for a wide range of public and private sector clients across multiple geographies.
We caught up with Henry to hear how he is settling into life at Step5 and to understand how his new role is helping us to deliver exceptional services to our clients.
Invaluable experience
“Over the years I have had the opportunity to experience many different aspects of delivery and had the room to grow, learn from others, and develop skills that enable project managers to become successful.
“I’ve worked in a variety of roles, from standard project delivery support, to providing Deal Assurance on new opportunities, to instilling repeatable processes and developing an award nominated management information system that I used to manage 700+ active projects at a time when I was responsible for global project delivery with Nokia.
“I have been the Transition and Transformation programme manager for the migration of two data centres and 1500 servers to a new multi-tenant environment which 3% of the UK’s GDP was channelled through for the UK Insurance Industry. I was subsequently asked to utilise my experience and lead the PMO function for all UK delivery, instilling commonality, best practices, and breeding the next generation of skilled Project Managers.
“Ultimately, all of this experience has led me to where I now find myself, starting a new challenge with Step5, ready to apply my knowledge to support my new colleagues as we set new standards and drive customer success.”
Expanding horizons
Henry’s vast experience in complex environments has meant he has slipped seamlessly into the Step5 team. Working closely alongside our Head of P3M Services, Ed Arrowsmith, Henry is helping to deliver best-in-class PMO practices using new technologies and tried and tested methodologies.
“I joined the team at Step5 to grow our P3M capability. My previous experience means I have seen where projects have been at risk of failing their objectives by either not having the right skills, knowledge, assets, or support to have ensured success and I’ve often been engaged to provide that safe pair of hands for clients. At Step5, we will provide this important function to clients, as I strongly believe that project delivery is only as good as its PMO. Organisations have a PMO for one or more of the following reasons:
To reduce the risk of projects failing to deliver to time, cost and quality targets
To increase the success of projects and programmes in delivering the business value expected
To make more efficient use of project resources by using a ‘shared service’
To make more effective use of scarce skills and resources across projects and programmes
“As part of my immediate work supporting a Step5-led Business Transformation Programme, I have access to a team which involves a skilled scheduler and a data analyst who will be key in turning gold source data into actionable information using Step5’s Insight Platform. Their work will involve pulling data from standard project assets which we are introducing to capture data on Scope, Change, Schedule, Finance and Risks in order to provide Early Warning Indicators for Control and Quality information to allow the right business decisions to be taken by the client, ensuring they meet their objectives.”
Moving at Pace
“Some might question why after 23 years of service; I would make the decision to embark on a new challenge. There are multiple reasons, but the main one for me is culture.
“I’ve seen first-hand how large companies struggle with legacy structures, infrastructures, and processes which were put in place for all the right reasons but require maintenance to keep them up-to-date and retain their business agility in the modern workplace. This maintenance is often seen as ‘non-revenue generating’ work so is often sacrificed in repeated cost reduction initiatives. Something I see as a big mistake.
“As a PMO person, I strongly believe that an organisation’s repeatable process is essential to provide the framework to support project delivery – a belief and an approach I have adopted and deployed in many guises in previous years, feeding back continuous improvement where I identify there is the opportunity to optimise or enhance.
“Having previously worked indirectly with Step5 in the past, I’ve seen they are a company that can move at pace, a company with influence and an experienced team who share the same values I have. So far, my new position has allowed me to deliver business value faster as our clients recognise the benefits of strong P3M services to support their growth. They have reached out to us for our expertise and innovation, so the appetite for change is stronger, which supports Step5’s customer-centric ethos and Design Thinking approach of understanding the problem and delivering the right solution.
“Joining Step5 was certainly the right move to grow myself, my career and most importantly achieve self-fulfilment.”
To learn more about Step5’s project and programme management capabilities, contact us today.
