Broadcast: News items

Director of Finance, Allan Spencer

The University is launching a Project Review Group (PRG), a newly formed body to ensure that all projects are considered from inception through to approval in relation to: priority; cost/value; and alignment with strategy.

This will give a clear route into having a project approved at University level and will enable senior leadership teams to have oversight of what is being worked on across the institution and ensure that all work is helping the University reach its strategic priorities.

In the light of the recent challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic, it is vital that staff are focusing on the areas that deliver the most impact whilst maximising value for money.  

The group will also ensure that projects are professionally delivered by project and subject matter experts following best practice as defined in our new project management framework.

The PRG consists of multi-disciplinary representatives who will provide scrutiny, quality assurance and departmental comment on project investment decisions. The cross-functional body will be chaired by Allan Spencer, Director of Finance, who stated: “This is a great opportunity to sharpen our focus on the work that will be commissioned by the University.

“Naturally our priorities will be to undertake work which contributes to our students receiving a transformative, high-quality education and learning experience and to ensure we focus on the University becoming more resilient to wider economic and sector changes.

“As a group we can collectively review proposed projects and ensure that work adheres to our new project management framework.” 

A new Sussex Projects page has been created to support project managers with access to helpful resources.

What is the Project Review Group?

The PRG will review all project submission documents (Project Mandates, Outline Business Cases, Final Business Cases and Single Business Cases) from across the University and recommend progression to the next stage in the project lifecycle.

It replaces the IT Project Board and Capital Working Group and acts as the gateway to Capital Programmes (IT&I) Board and the University Executive Group (UEG). 

The PRG consists of representatives who will provide scrutiny, quality assurance and departmental comment on project investment decisions, while ensuring all project work supports the University’s strategic ambitions and adheres to our new project management framework.

Who sits on the Project Review Group?

• Allan Spencer, Director of Finance (Chair)
• Robert Hutton, Director of Estates, Facilities and Commercial Services
• Jayne Aldridge, Director for the Student Experience
• Sue Angulatta, Director of Research and Enterprise
• Jason Oliver, Director of Information Technology
• Mark Fisher, Senior Lecturer in Accounting, University of Sussex Business School
• Rowena Rowley, Head of Governance Services

When does the Project Review Group sit?

The first meeting will take place in September 2020 and the PRG will continue to meet on a monthly basis, scheduled ahead of UEG and CPIIB meetings.

What do I need to do?

All project proposal documentation needs to be sent to projectreviewgroup@sussex.ac.uk

Documentation sent to this inbox will be automatically forwarded to the next scheduled group. All papers need to be received a minimum of one week ahead of the meeting.

If you have a proposal that you want considered, please capture this in the Project Mandate Template.

At approval, you will be advised what Business Case template will be needed to progress.  

Where do I find more information?

If you have any questions, contact: projectreviewgroup@sussex.ac.uk

For further information about the PRG, how it sits within the University's new Project Management Framework, and to access training materials including the Project Management Handbook, please request to join the Sussex Projects Teams site via this link, where the project team will answer any questions you may have.