How Verto Helps You Manage Risk

You’ll have noticed in our blogs that we often talk about risk and how important it is that you manage it well.

 

In our last blog we described effective risk management as being aware of everything that could go wrong, having plans in place to respond quickly if something does go wrong and updating these plans as the project progresses and the risks change.

 

Others say that risk management is about anticipating what could happen between where you are and where you want to be.

 

This means looking at:

 

  • What you’re aiming to do
  • What might go wrong and why
  • If it does go wrong, what would happen
  • What you can do to stop it happening or make it have less impact

 

You should identify potential risks as soon as you start to plan your project. And you should monitor them throughout the life of the project.

 

Verto can help you do this.

 

A quick and easy way to manage risk

 

One of the greatest risks to any project is poor communication. For example, John finds out that in order to meet the deadline for a bid a member of his team needs some information. He’s out of the office when he’s told this, so makes a note to sort it out when he gets back. However, events overtake him and his note gets lost in the pile of other things he has to do. The deadline passes and his project ends up short of funds.

 

With Verto, wherever John had been when he first heard about this risk, he could immediately have sent a message to however many members of his team he needed to. And they could have picked it up, wherever they were.

 

He could also have created a task to remind them what they needed to do and by when. He could then have set an alert to let him know when the task was complete or if it was at risk of being missed.

 

A quick and easy way to monitor risk

 

Of course, you’re aware of some risks from the start of a project.

 

Let’s look at another example from John. He’s managing a project and has six months to complete one part of it. From the outset, some of his team warned that it could take much longer than this. However, the management team chose not to restructure the whole project. Instead they asked for weekly progress reports and for John to have a contingency plan in place.

 

If John were using Verto he would have a clear and detailed view of all his projects, in one place. This would make it easy for him to keep a close watch on the part of his project that was at risk of overrunning. Verto’s automatic notifications would also alert him straight away if anything began to fall behind. So John would be able to step in and take immediate action. And he would be able to produce and share an accurate progress report so his management team were always well informed.

 

While this wouldn’t remove the risk, Verto’s tools mean John could stay in control of the situation rather than just respond to it.

 

After all, it’s better to manage a risk than manage a crisis.

 

To find out more about how Verto can help you manage risk please call us on 0844 870 8785 or message us here.


Our Top Ten Tips for Project Management Best Practice

However many projects you manage, no two will ever be the same. Even where projects share some aspects, they are unlikely to be totally alike. For example, the project team, stakeholders, funding streams or key targets could all be different.

 

However, some areas of best practice apply to all the projects you manage. Have a look at our top ten tips and make them part of the way you work. You’ll find your job will become easier and your projects will be more likely to succeed.

 

1. Plan your project properly

Thorough planning before the project starts will help you be clear and realistic about what the project is meant to achieve. This means you can set well-defined success criteria that you can measure and report on.

You’ll be able to make sure you have the right budget, the right resources and the right skills on the project team. It will also help you identify and plan for potential risks and set realistic timescales.

 

2. Start your project properly

To help set the tone for your project and create some energy around it, start it formally with a meeting or event.

Invite all your stakeholders and use it as an opportunity to remind everyone of the project’s aims and the part they’ll all play in its delivery – and ultimate success.

 

3. Keep in touch with all your stakeholders

Once your project is up and running make sure you communicate regularly with everyone involved. Let them know what’s going on, including any problems, risks and delays. Be sure to share successes too, like when milestones are reached, to acknowledge people’s input and say thank you.

How you share information can include anything from a simple message to one person right through to a formal report to the project board. What’s important is to make sure everyone is as up-to-date on the project as possible.

 

4. Ask for feedback

Alongside keeping in touch with everyone involved in your project, ask them to share information with you too. Encourage people to give their feedback, as this will help them stay involved with the project and keep you in touch with what’s going on.

You can also use feedback to help you learn and improve your own performance.

 

5. Keep an up-to-date and detailed work plan

A detailed work plan will help everyone know what they’re responsible for and will make it easier for you to measure progress, hit milestones and meet deadlines.

These days, cloud-based applications make it easy to share documents. So update your work plan regularly and store it in the cloud so everyone can work off the current version.

 

6. Record everything that happens

Make sure you record everything that happens on your project and use it to improve performance across the board. You can learn from what has worked as well as from what hasn’t. You’ll also build a valuable source of data to help with your reporting and future planning.

 

7. Learn to say no

When someone asks you to take on more work or responsibility it’s tempting to say yes, especially when you know that’s what they want to hear. But always saying yes can easily lead to overload and a reduction in performance across the board.

So only say yes to new tasks or commitments when they won’t have an adverse effect on the priorities you’ve already agreed. Even small changes can accumulate over time and have a significant impact on your project.

 

8. Always document and agree any changes to the scope of the project

It’s likely that at some point in the life of your project, its scope may need to change. This may improve the overall benefit of the project but it can also have a negative impact.

So, before you go ahead with changes to the scope of your project, make sure the project board understands their potential impact and agrees to them. Finally, make sure you document the changes and update your project plan.

 

9. Be ready to respond to risk

Risk is a normal part of any project so you should build risk analysis in from the start. You can manage risk and minimise its effect by having a clear view of all the project’s potential risks, and mechanisms in place to let you know as soon as one arises.

The quicker you respond to risk the less impact it will have and the more likely it is that your project will stay on track.

 

10. Take time to reflect on the project when it’s ended

When your project has ended, involve the whole project team in reflecting on how it went. Look back in detail on how the project ran, its key events and issues. Learn both from what went well and what could have gone better.

Ask, for example, if the project delivered what it set out to achieve? Could it have done more and delivered bigger benefits? What went wrong and how could you have avoided these problems?

 

Use this learning to improve your own practice and share it with others to help future projects succeed. 

 

Verto’s cloud-based software makes managing projects easy for you. For example, its instant messaging tool, flexible reporting, instant updates, inbuilt version control and instant access to your documents and lessons learnt will all help you put these best practice tips into action.

 

For more information please message us here.


Who can benefit from Verto’s project management software?

You can benefit from Verto’s collaboration and project software, even if you don’t have the words programme or project management in your job title.

It doesn’t matter if you work in the public or the private sector either.

 

The benefits of our cloud-based software extend to a wide range of roles in a wide range of organisations, such as:

  • Private sector companies from SMEs to large corporates
  • NHS STPs
  • Other NHS organisations and health authorities
  • Local authorities including county, city and borough councils
  • Fire and Rescue Services
  • Government departments
  • Shared services organisations

 

Any PMO, organisation or individual who manages a number of different projects will benefit from using our software. For example, Peterborough City Council was managing 70 individual projects when we started working with them.

And any organisation working in collaboration with others will benefit from Verto’s shared platform too.

 

Verto can help you with:

  • Service delivery
  • Performance planning
  • Client and stakeholder engagement
  • Programme control and governance
  • Risk analysis
  • Shared practice
  • Managing resources
  • Flexible working
  • Costs and timesheets
  • Measuring project delivery
  • Business intelligence and reporting

 

We don’t just provide the software either.

We can train you and your team how to use Verto, and train you to train others in your organisation too.

We can help you move your operations to the cloud.

We can configure Verto to suit your individual requirements. For example, we can help NHS organisations run their QIPP reports and ISFE returns.

We can help you manage corporate transformation programmes.

We can help you manage your capital portfolio.

We can help you improve levels of governance and visibility across your projects.

And we can help you manage resources more effectively and make savings – to date we’ve helped our clients plan and track savings of £13.2 billion.

 

We could go on, but the best way to find out how Verto can help make your work easier is to talk to us. Please message us here.


Three Key Ways Verto’s Project Management Software Will Help Your Projects Succeed

Managing a single project can be hard, never mind the challenges of being responsible for several projects at once.

Because even the simplest project will involve different people and activities. And more complex projects may also involve different organisations, teams, stakeholders and funding streams.

When you add in budget constraints, challenging time-scales and the need to produce accurate reports, it’s easy to see how projects can go off the rails.

To help your projects succeed you need to keep in touch with everything that’s going on and everyone who’s involved, while maintaining a clear focus on each project’s intended outcomes.

Verto’s project management software will help you do this.

 

Instant messaging

 

Because Verto is cloud-based software, you can use it on most devices, wherever you are and whenever you need it.

 

This means you can use Verto’s instant messaging tool to easily keep in touch with everyone involved in your projects.

 

Imagine you’re in a meeting and suddenly need a budget update from someone else on the project team. All you have to do is send them a message and straight away they can get back to you with the most up-to-date figures.

 

Whether you need to quickly check something with one person, brainstorm with a particular team or update a whole group of people, Verto lets you do this.

 

So you and everyone else involved in your projects can share information and ask questions, in an instant and at the exact time you need to.

 

Direct document sharing

 

Along with keeping in touch with everyone involved in your projects, having the most up-to-date information is also critical for success.

Verto makes this easy too.

 

Because you can store all your project documents in the cloud, you can access them wherever you are, whenever you need them. You can read the latest versions and make changes without having to go back to the office.

 

Anyone who needs it can have access to read or update documents. And because Verto has a clever, automatic document control tool, you can be sure you’re looking at the most recent version.

 

Get real-time updates

 

Another of Verto’s clever tools is its real-time updates.

 

You can set Verto’s notifications to keep you and other members of the project team on top of your tasks and on-schedule with daily notifications and updates.

 

And if things do start to fall behind on a project’s to-do list, Verto will let you know straight away so you can take action immediately.

 

 

Of course, there’s much more to Verto. From risk analysis to flexible reporting, performance planning to resource management, Verto gives you all the tools you need to manage your projects from start through to successful completion.

 

For more information on how Verto can help your projects succeed please call us on 0844 870 8785 or message us here.


21 Reasons Why You Should Use Verto for Your Project Management (as told to us by our clients)

We’re lucky enough to have received some great testimonials from our clients over the years.

And, like you, we listen to all the feedback we get and use it to help us continuously improve what we do.

Here are 21 reasons you should use Verto as your project management software, taken from what our clients have told us.

We’ve summarised their comments but you can see them in full here.

  1. Verto is a flexible management tool that will support your PMO.
  2. It means you can easily keep all your project documents up-to-date and secure in one place.
  3. It’s easy to navigate.
  4. Verto gives senior leadership improved visibility of projects across the whole organisation.
  5. You can easily see exactly what is going on in a particular business or service area.
  6. Everyone involved in the project can access the system to view and update it as appropriate.
  7. It removes the risks of silo working and makes it easier to work collaboratively.
  8. It will help you improve communication.
  9. It will help you improve accountability.
  10. It will help you improve stakeholder involvement.
  11. Verto will give you a clear view of all project budgets.
  12. Verto will give you a clear view of all project risks and help you manage them effectively.
  13. Verto will help your PMO allocate their time more efficiently and effectively.
  14. Verto is preset with best practice templates and controls to help ensure the integrity of your data.
  15. Its reports are quick and easy to customise, update and run.
  16. It will help you produce your corporate and strategic plans.
  17. We can tailor Verto to your exact needs, for example by creating bespoke reports.
  18. Verto gives you automatic document control.
  19. It’s good value for money.
  20. We’re continuously improving Verto’s scope, tools and functionality.
  21. Verto is backed-up by fantastic support from a first-class team.

 

For more information on how Verto can help you please call us on 0844 870 8785 or send us a message.

With thanks to Brent Council, Camden Council, Cheshire West Council, Denbighshire County Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Harrow Council, Horsham Council, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Basildon Council, Newham Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council, Wolverhampton Council, York Council, Central Eastern CSU, Thurrock CCG and Basildon CCG.