British Council deploys Bestoutcome’s PM3 to enhance project and portfolio management

Use of PM3 throughout programme management to support Corporate Risk Management standards

London, UK, 5thDecember 2013 – Bestoutcome, the leading consultancy specialising in change management for large organisations, is pleased to announce the rollout of its PM3 project portfolio management tool by the British Council. This follows a successful three-month pilot. The organisation is now implementing the solution across its Business Solutions team.

The British Council creates international cultural and educational opportunities for people in the UK and other countries. Its Business Solutions portfolio includes over 25 projects with a combined value of more than £10 million.  Previous to PM3, it had been reporting on these projects using a number of Excel spreadsheets and other reports produced manually, which was proving inefficient. Portfolio managers needed a solution that would allow greater visibility and reporting consistency across the portfolio.

“After reviewing a number of tools, we selected Bestoutcome’s PM3 because it is so easy to use and also enables us to reinforce best practice in project and programme management within the British Council,” says Simon Pearson, Head of Programme Management for the British Council.

Following the successful pilot of PM3, the British Council is now extending PM3 to support its Corporate Risk Management standards. Training is taking place to ensure that the British Council can report fully on the Business Solutions portfolio from October 2013.

Mike Pryor, Principal Consultant at Bestoutcome, says: “It has been fascinating to learn about the British Council’s business both in the UK and overseas, and to see how a common portfolio management tool can add value and assurance to the delivery of substantial change programmes.”

PM3 focuses on 'top down' planning, governance and realising value from projects and programmes. By planning each project as a series of outcomes and promoting key risks, issues and milestones up to programme level, PM3 takes a unique approach to provide an outcome-driven view and keeps the management team focused on what really matters: delivering and maximising the business value of all project investments.

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About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 7000 staff – including 2000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year teaching English, sharing the Arts and in education and society programmes.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than a quarter of our turnover which last year was £781m.  The rest we earn from English teaching, UK exams and services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with other institutions, brands and companies.  All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and creates prosperity and security for the UK and the countries we work in all around the world.

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org

About Bestoutcome
Bestoutcome specialises in complex change management for large organisations operating in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, retail and the public sector. Its approach is based on delivering specific business outcomes within a uniquely transparent, risk managed and open framework. This is achieved by using highly experienced consultants combined with PM3 – an elegant and flexible toolset – and ODPM, an outcome-driven project management methodology. Bestoutcome’s starting point is always the client’s ultimate business goal. And it never loses sight of this.

Bestoutcome was formed in 2000 by a group of highly experienced change management consultants from PriceWaterhouseCoopers and a team of senior technical specialists. Together, they have worked with a variety of blue chip clients to successfully deliver some of the most demanding change projects in modern times. For more information please go to: www.bestoutcome.com

Media Contact
Amy Redhead
Aspectus PR
020 7242 8867
bestoutcome@aspectuspr.com