Embedding a Practical Project Delivery Framework
The Challenge
Silver Jet delivers targeted marketing campaigns using data-driven technology for a diverse range of clients. Every engagement has different objectives, stakeholders and delivery requirements, making a flexible but consistent project management approach essential.
As the business continued to grow, the leadership team wanted to ensure every project was delivered consistently whilst retaining the flexibility to adapt to individual client needs.
Although the team had strong project management experience, there was an opportunity to create a common delivery framework that would provide greater structure, improve consistency and support the continued growth of the business. The objective was clear: develop a practical project management framework that would become part of everyday operations, rather than another process manual that sits on a shelf. It also needed to help the team manage changes in project scope more effectively, ensuring additional client requests were identified, assessed and agreed before work was undertaken.
Our Approach
Blue Dragonfly Business Services worked closely with Silver Jet to design and implement a tailored project delivery framework that reflected the way the business operates.
The engagement included the development of:
- A Project Initiation Workshop to define project objectives and scope.
- A standard Project Management Plan and supporting templates.
- Governance, reporting and project review processes.
- Risk, issue and change management procedures.
- Communication and stakeholder management plans.
- Project controls, document templates and delivery guidance.
- A scalable framework suitable for projects of different sizes and complexity.
Throughout the engagement, the focus remained on practicality. Every template, checklist and process was designed to support delivery teams, improve project visibility and make it easier to manage multiple projects without creating unnecessary administration.
A key element of the framework was introducing clearer scope definition and formal change control. This enables project managers to recognise when client requests fall outside the agreed scope, have informed conversations with clients about the impact of those changes and ensure additional work is properly assessed and agreed before it is undertaken. The result is better client communication, greater commercial control and improved protection of project profitability.
The Outcome
The framework is now being used across Silver Jet's client projects and provides a consistent approach to planning, managing and delivering projects.
Project managers have greater visibility of project progress, improved control over delivery and increased confidence that critical activities are being completed at the right time. Just as importantly, the framework remains flexible enough to accommodate the different ways in which Silver Jet's clients operate, providing consistency without becoming restrictive.
The improved project controls also enable Silver Jet to manage client expectations more effectively. By identifying changes in scope early and agreeing the implications before additional work begins, the business is better able to protect profit margins, reduce unpaid work and ensure projects remain commercially successful for both Silver Jet and its clients.
Client Feedback
"What Rupert has helped us create isn't just a project plan, it's a practical operating framework that is becoming embedded in the way we run the business. Every client works differently, so it's not about rigidly following a process. Instead, the framework provides the structure, prompts and checkpoints that ensure we're asking the right questions, involving the right people and focusing on the activities that matter most.
Even during a particularly busy period, with multiple client projects running simultaneously, the framework has helped us stay organised and maintain control. It gives us visibility of what needs to happen next and keeps important tasks from being overlooked. Both Chloe and I are using it as a reference point in our day-to-day work, and it's influencing how we plan, communicate and deliver projects.
The real value is that it provides structure without becoming restrictive. It adapts to the way our clients operate while still giving us confidence that we're following a consistent and professional approach. As far as I'm concerned, it's doing exactly what it was intended to do."
Key Results
- A practical project delivery framework tailored to Silver Jet's business.
- Consistent project management approach across all client engagements.
- Greater visibility, governance and control throughout project delivery.
- Clearer scope definition and formal change control to manage client expectations.
- Reduced risk of unpaid work caused by uncontrolled scope creep.
- Better protection of project profitability and profit margins.
- A scalable framework that supports multiple concurrent projects.
- Structure that adapts to individual client requirements without becoming bureaucratic.
- A practical operating framework that is becoming embedded in the way the business plans, communicates and delivers projects.
