Strengthening our foundations

The opportunity, 4 years ago, to be Head of Profession for Project Delivery across government was a dream come true.

As I depart the role and 36 years in the Civil Service, I am proud of so many things the team and I have delivered to make the project delivery function more capable, adept and recognised. I will call out 3 things in particular:

Teal with zeal

We heard a new verb today in a senior meeting – ‘tealbooking it’. My heart sang. It’s hard to believe that 2 years ago we didn’t have The Teal Book. We developed the concept and wrote the first ever comprehensive ‘how to’ manual to delivering projects, programmes and portfolios in government. It’s something we can hold ourselves to account to. The impact of The Teal Book in giving us a single cross government and cross programme reference point has already been immense and there are many more benefits to come.

The way we did it mattered

The Teal Book was written by public servants for public servants. We had great fun along the way choosing the colours and branding for the book and profession. The genius idea (courtesy Owen Kennedy) was to build it on an interactive and searchable website, projectdelivery.gov.uk, so that people can leave feedback and find the most relevant information for the phase of their project, programme or portfolio. 10,000 people a month now use the website, so we know it’s working.

We can keep it up to date

We launched version 3 just a few days ago, updated to reflect the recent updates to the Green Book, the reshaping of the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), the most recent lessons learnt including from National Audit Office and Public Account Committee reports and incorporating the accountability and recent HM Treasury policy changes in how we oversee and manage public money.

We can expand on this

Building on The Teal Book, we’ve since expanded the guidance and toolkits in key complex areas, such as benefits management, and diversity and inclusive outcomes in projects.

The first published version and (printed signed first edition) of The Teal Book will remain on my bookshelf for decades to come, and I will look back with pride at what we created for the profession, to help us be more consistent, more capable and trusted to deliver.

Powering our People

More confident leaders

What we do is difficult – we need leaders to tackle our complex issues, not just technical expertise. The more skilled, confident and connected you are, the better the outcomes and pace of delivery. Alongside the strong technical offer available in the market, over 800 people per year have benefited from the excellent leadership programmes we are continuously improving and deliver. Whatever grade – HEO through to Director General – we offer a project leadership learning opportunity.

Over the past 4 years we’ve introduced new courses – Managing Projects and Leading Workstreams for emerging leaders and Project Delivery Leadership fundamentals for programme directors of complex programmes. Alongside this we’ve strategically overhauled the content for our flagship programmes, Project Leadership Programme, Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) Fundamentals, Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA) and Orchestrating Major Projects in line with the refreshed Project Delivery Capability Framework.

Building our collective expertise

Our Fast Stream is one of the most popular with external applicants and we are proud it’s also one of the most diverse. Over the past few years we have reshaped this line with market forces and leadership expectations. We are so pleased that alongside this so many of you see the benefits of having government specific project delivery accreditation. Over 25% of our profession is now accredited, marking their expertise and knowledge. I have had the absolute pleasure of overseeing many master and senior practitioner panels. During these panels I’ve heard first hand from colleagues how they have developed themselves and others – making them feel ready to take on even greater challenges.

Connecting our profession

Our profession has grown from 16,000 to 21,000 over the past 4 years. It delivers everything from big infrastructure to small-scale digital improvements, across 44 departments and 422 arms-length bodies. The opportunity to share innovation and lessons learnt is immense – we just had to find regular ways to connect and share. The website, regular Project Diaries and Decoding Delivery webinars and the project delivery newsletters were designed to connect, inspire and share learnings. Thousands of you have watched these webinars and are using the website actively as part of your Continual Professional Development.

Data and AI at scale

Just over 2 years ago we were the first function to publish a Data analytics and AI strategy setting out our vision to embed data, artificial intelligence and innovation into the heart of government project delivery. Since then we have been laying the foundations for a more data-driven, AI-enabled future to help us deliver projects better, faster.

Data and AI skills

New digital and data competencies were incorporated into the Project Delivery Competency Framework, helping ensure that data literacy and digital skills became an integral part of professional development. Dedicated MPLA Data Masterclasses have now been delivered to more than 200 SROs, while AI Prompting masterclasses reached 120 Fast Stream participants. Data and AI content has been incorporated into all our programmes. These interventions were designed to ensure that future project leaders understand not only how to use data and AI effectively, but also how to lead teams through technological change.

Experimenting together

The central NISTA data and AI programme team worked with you to identify more than 20 AI pilots across the system and hosted “Show and Tell” events for practitioners to share insights, challenges and lessons learned. These initiatives reflected a core belief that innovation succeeds when people are encouraged to learn from each other and build on what works. The AI focused Decoding Delivery series helped share this learning. The new AI assurance tool, Assure Assist (Scout), is ready to be rolled out soon for use across all projects and programmes.

Improving the quality of our data

December 2025 marked a major milestone with the publication of the first-ever Government Project Data Standard. The standard provides a common foundation for project information across government, enabling greater consistency, transparency and interoperability. We continue to work with implementation leads across departments and industry aligning project management solutions with the standard.

A colossal team effort

I, of course, build on the shoulders of giants, particularly Fiona Spencer, who was Head of Profession from 2019-2022 and have benefitted from the enthusiasm, support, challenge and wise counsel of many of you, especially the departmental Chief Project Delivery Officers and Heads of Profession. The Function, Insight and Professions team have been such good fun and a real stretch to work with, as they (thankfully) always test and challenge my mad ideas. I could not have survived the past few years without Sarah Boutle, Paul Compton, Owen Kennedy and Diane Taylor-Cummings.

The project delivery profession is truly delivering the future of the country. What we do matters. How we do it matters even more. The decisions we make on a day-to-day basis, will impact infrastructure, growth, places and public services for decades to come. Hopefully the improvement we have delivered for you help you be consistent, connected and confident in the choices you make, both personally and for your projects.

I will be cheering for you from the sidelines and leave you in the most capable hands of Alison Baptiste who takes over as Head of Profession on 1 August 2026.