Guidance

Senior Responsible Owner - Executive-Level Development Programme (HTML)

Updated 18 April 2024

Introduction to the programme

The Senior Responsible Owner Development Programme is a new and dynamic executive- level development programme of stand-alone modules. It is an essential resource that will aid decision-making and judgement in key areas such as risk, governance, team dynamics and contract challenges to ensure project and business objectives are met.

This development programme is for both senior responsible owners and senior business owners. In this document we use the term senior responsible owner to represent both roles.

Who it is for

The modules are aimed at senior responsible owners. The first module is open to all and therefore can be used for career development for other professionals.

Aims and objectives

The strategic programme will enable senior responsible owners to better understand the significance of their role when dealing with the contract management issues that are central and integral to the success of a project, policy objective of business process.

It has been designed to give senior responsible owners a much deeper understanding of the strategic challenges of contract management.

Through the concise, sharp and relevant modules, delegates will:

• gain strong understanding of all issues arising from managing contracts
• become aware of the key challenges faced by a senior responsible owner
• help to shape a community of practice to exchange ideas and knowledge
• enhance their strategic thinking within the field of contract management
• share experience of managing diverse project teams
• gain high-level knowledge of contract resourcing and governance

Benefits

Flexible two-tier programme

This is a flexible, executive-level development programme.

The first module is the baseline and will be of interest to senior responsible owners and other suitably experienced professionals alike. It is a development opportunity which gives full insight into the role of a contract lead.

The second phase includes modules two to five. These are for senior responsible owners specifically and can be undertaken as a programme of modules or chosen singularly depending on learning needs. They take a deeper look into the essentials of the lead role.

Benefits for individuals

The programme uses blended learning. The benefits for senior responsible owners are:

• the programme modules combine technical understanding with peer exchange of good practice
• discussion-rich sessions will be strong on examples, providing a forum to look at how others approach the key issues, problems and challenges
• participation in the programme reinforces that your organisation intends to have skilled personnel leading your projects and contract managers
• sessions are tailored and will cover the different challenges that group members from different backgrounds and situations will face, so they will be relevant and engaging
• self-contained modules allow for either completion of the whole programme of all five modules or just selecting those most pertinent to your role

Benefits for the organisation

Participation in the programme has wider benefits for organiations such as:

• demonstrating a commitment to setting and maintaining contract management professional standards
• promoting wider development through networking, engaging with peers, and a deeper understanding of managing contracts over and above existing accredited training available
• the modules being recognised by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply and WorldCC and concentrating on central government contracts, so your focus will be UK government- specific rather than generic ‘global’
• accreditations and training products within the programme being CPD-endorsed, which helps with wider career development

Format, duration and order

Format

Modules two to five will be led by an instructor who is both an experienced senior responsible owner and contract management expert.

The instructor will deliver content designed specifically for senior responsible owners, lead the interactive elements of the session and respond to any specific questions that arise. The sessions feature individual learning and peer discussion groups.

Duration and order

There are five half-day modules. There is a suggested programme order but as the five modules are asynchronous these can also be undertaken in any order or as stand-alone modules of interest.

Senior responsible owners will get the most benefit from completing the programme as a whole, but development needs can be met by selecting some single modules after the introductory module.

Modules

Module one: contract management as a senior responsible owner

Introductory module on the specific role of the senior responsible owner when dealing with different contract management issues at the various stages of the contract management life-cycle including:

• the key issues and typical challenges that will be faced
• contract management terms and managing various risks
• high-level understanding of resources and governance

Module two: posing the right questions

A stand-alone module that provides a solid understanding of the questions and challenges that should be posed to the customer team, contractors and other stakeholders to ensure effective management of a contract.

Module three: teams and governance for contract management

A stand-alone module that covers contract resources, governance, information flows and how specialist teams should work together. This will enable:

• an awareness of capabilities, capacity and skills needed
• the ability to spot gaps or weaknesses in the contract
• knowledge of governance arrangements for both routine contract management matters or during significant change

Module four: assessing trade-offs (arising from crisis or policy)

A more strategic module, looking at the impact of making fundamental decisions on the direction of a contract due to a crisis or policy change and how to assess the potential trade-offs involved.

It will focus on the considerations and judgements that will need to be made, prioritisation,and getting the foundations in place to prepare for the inevitable challenges.

Module five: contract management as a senior responsible owner

A stand-alone module that explains how a senior responsible owner can anticipate the relevance, probability and likely impact of different risks during the exit and transition period.

It also covers exit and transition plans, better engaging with stakeholders, obligations and behaviours, and the contractual approach to common issues.

Entry pre-requisite:

• module one is open to all
• modules two to five are for senior responsible owners who have completed module one

Delivery method:

• module one is e-learning
• modules two to five are virtual facilitated sessions (high-speed internet and headphones are required)

Duration:

• all modules are half day (three to four hours)

Cost:

• none, the programme is fully funded

Cost and process

Cost

Normally the cost of delivering this programme is

£65 for module one and £109 per module for the others - a total of £501.

However, this cost will be covered by the Government Commercial Function on behalf of departments and wider agencies. The funding is in place for the whole programme.

This means that there is no cost levied on any organisation or the delegate, with the cost of their development needs being met by Government Commercial Function.

As such, all suitably experienced professionals are most welcome to register for the programme.

Process

There is a short registration process to initiate your entry to the programme. The modules can then be self-selected.

After nomination for the programme we will be in touch with guidance on how to register, the relevant dates for the modules and how to access and undertake each of the programme’s modules through the Government Commercial College.

Further information

For access you will need:

• internet: strong high-speed wired or wireless internet connection
• audio: speakers or headphones compatible with your computer

For more information about the programme and how to register, contact our team by email at: govcomcollege@cabinetoffice.gov.uk