Role: Project Manager
Duration: 4 months
Overview
As the Project Manager for the Voice of Children and Families project, I led Dorset Council’s first fully Agile project. The primary aim was to establish a framework for co-production and engagement with children and families across the council, with a particular focus on SEND. This project was crucial in addressing feedback from Ofsted inspections that criticised the lack of children’s and parents’ voices in service improvement.
Achievements
- Agile implementation: Successfully implemented Agile methodologies, including Scrum, to manage the project. This included developing a prioritised requirements list (PRL) and iterative delivery through sprints.
- Co-production framework: Established a comprehensive framework for policy, strategy, and governance co-produced with families. This framework ensures that all future visioning work and service improvements are either consulted or preferably co-produced with children and families.
- Inclusion initiatives: Designed and implemented inclusion initiatives to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, could be heard. This included building a culture that values co-production and services shaped by those who use them.
- Quality and experience focus: Developed a quality framework for consultation and co-production. This framework ensures that services are shaped by the people who use them, leading to improved service quality and user satisfaction.
- Rapid deployment: Delivered solutions rapidly to ensure the project was completed ahead of the commencement of a new visioning program. Key solutions included a digital engagement platform and internal communication strategies to keep stakeholders informed and involved.
Impact
- Embedding the voices of children and families across Children’s Services has ensured that services are shaped and informed directly by those who use them.
- Staff now feel confident and equipped to co-produce with children and families, leading to higher levels of engagement and a deeper understanding of families’ wishes and needs.
- Incorporating feedback from children and families into key performance data has facilitated continuous service improvement.
Skills
Project management:
- Agile: Implemented Agile project management techniques, including Scrum and iterative development, to ensure timely and efficient project delivery.
- Stakeholder engagement: Engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including children, families, staff, and partners, to co-produce solutions and ensure their voices were heard.
- Strategic planning: Developed and executed strategic plans to align the project with broader organisational goals and address specific feedback from inspections.
Leadership: