About John Howarth

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So far John Howarth has created 60 blog entries.

Do Project & Program Management qualifications have a future?

AXELOS, the custodians of PRINCE2 and MSP have recently published their Power of Professional Certification report into how people perceive and value qualifications. I wanted to write this post as a discussion off the back of the report and delve into some of the topics covered. Professional qualifications (and arguably most assessment based testing [...]

Client Spotlight – Part 1 – The Task Force

In an office, far far away (i.e. on the other side of the lake)… Justine couldn’t believe it. She never thought this could happen. Her dream job. She’d just walked out of the Secretary’s office, with those magic words still floating inside here head “The Minister is right behind this one”. Justine has [...]

By |2019-11-25T23:05:24+11:00June 25th, 2019|Client Spotlight|0 Comments

Is the APS immune from disruption?

Disruptor: “an entity that changes the way an industry or sector operates, especially in a new, more effective and unexpected way. They may create a market where none existed before” - A guide to AgileSHIFT, 2018 Over the last couple of decades there have been a number of notable stories of organisations being disrupted [...]

Can Servant Leadership work for APS transformation?

If you speak with anyone about digital transformation of public services these days the term “agile” nearly always enters the conversation. One of the cornerstones of agile is the concept of Servant Leadership. But can it really work in a public service environment that is deeply-rooted in traditions of hierarchy and management based on [...]

Leading Transformation – Practical Guidance from the Public Sector

The complexity and scale of business transformation taking place now is completely unprecedented, with huge changes taking place in all sectors – private, public and not for profit. While transformation through projects and programs is not new, it is important for any organization to invest in building their capability to successfully lead, manage and [...]

Enhancing Digital Transformation Capability in the Public Sector

A guide to leading, managing and enabling digital transformation The recently published initial findings from David Thodey’s review of the APS are clear. The success of the APS is crucial for Australia and its people, but it also faces a huge challenge to adapt to the rapidly changing world in which it operates. This eBook [...]

By |2020-10-26T11:35:48+11:00March 25th, 2019|eBooks|0 Comments

Meeting-free Projects – how to put productivity through the roof

Late last year I wrote a blog about a simple way to double the transformation and implementation capacity of the APS overnight. I would now like to offer another way to dramatically increase productivity – by never having any meetings on your project. Meetings defined A quick Google search gave me the following definitions: [...]

By |2019-11-25T05:54:54+11:00February 28th, 2019|Leadership, Project Management|0 Comments

A simple way to double the transformation and implementation capacity of the APS overnight

A recent survey of over 800 state and federal employees recently conducted by Professor Peter Shergold and highlighted by The Mandarin suggested that nearly three-quarters of public servants believe the public service is too hierarchical. I agree. There is a very simple way to translate this disquiet into a dramatic increase in management capacity [...]

By |2019-11-25T05:55:10+11:00November 29th, 2018|APS, Leadership, Program Management, Project Management|0 Comments

How to Manage Digital Transformation using PRINCE2 Agile

The government has a clear vision for digital transformation: It will be simple and fast to get things done with government, through any channel. Government resources will be deployed with agility, and performance better measured. Under the digital transformation agenda, government departments and agencies will deliver a range of initiatives that will provide benefits [...]

By |2020-10-27T11:11:46+11:00November 26th, 2018|eBooks|0 Comments

Public sector agility requires good culture and proper governance

Almost everyone in Australia is aware of the banking royal commission. It issued an interim report about a month ago. The following extract from the report caught my eye: “Good culture and proper governance cannot be implemented by passing a law. Culture and governance are affected by rules, systems and practices but in the [...]

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