DELIVERY CENTER OF
EXCELLENCE
FIRST DRAFT
By Saurabh Sardesai
www.starvaluemodel.com
October 2014
Objectives
 Establish a Delivery governance structure within the
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organization and ensure stakeholder participation
Project delivery must be treated as a core business
function that adds value to the overall business
Access relevant knowledge and skills from a central place
facilitating optimal utilization of resources
Assist decision makers, senior stakeholders and project
members to plan for and assess delivery effectiveness
and its impact on internal and external stakeholders
Position the COE as a important component of strategy
to increase operational efficiency and project success
rate as well as increase customer satisfaction
Stakeholders
 Board of Directors and C level executives
 Internal customers
 External customers
 Project members
 Delivery managers
 Program managers
 Project managers
 Other company business units
 PMO office and staff
Plan of action
 Initiate consultations with relevant stakeholders to
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get their opinion & feedback
Establish a governance structure for the
functioning of the Delivery COE
Define stakeholders roles, authority and decision
making hierarchy
Define key performance indicators for the COE
Identify and mitigate associated risks
Establish mechanisms to track delivery schedule,
progress and execution from the COE perspective
Engage relevant stakeholders continuously to
improve the customer delivery experience.
Benefits of recommended model
 Standardized approach to project delivery
 Increases the long term potential of the program
and individual projects
 Provide project visibility to the leadership team
 Track and report deliverables in a planned
manner and avoid any overruns
 Standardized templates and reporting
 Alignment with business strategy
 Faster issue and risk resolution
 Assist PMs in attaining project goals
Measuring COE success
 Delivering the project to the client on time and within the
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dates specified in the agreement, taking into account any
amendments or approved change requests
Achieving the financial objectives set forth for the project,
taking into account any amendments or change controls
Meeting all expectations related to quality and fulfilment of
delivery requirements
Adhering to an established delivery methodology
measured by a joint governance board
Achieving overall client satisfaction and repeat business
Known within the organization as a reliable component of
project/program execution having earned its trust and
confidence
Delivery governance structure
 A compelling business case, stating the objects of the
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COE and specifying the in-scope and out-of-scope
aspects
Define a clear communications and reporting protocol
for all external and internal delivery communications
Centralized delivery execution and metrics reporting
Effective functions for management and senior
stakeholder oversight and control
Define and develop periodic reports for KPI analysis
Manage and mitigate any risks or issues related to
delivery or project management
Define and manage the budget for the Delivery COE
Centralized Delivery Mechanism
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Key delivery tasks
Key project delivery milestones
Execution of multiple projects at the same time
Dependencies related to the delivery
Assigned responsibilities in delivery plans
Key deliverables of the project & schedule
Delivery tracking and control mechanism
Actual v/s Expected delivery metrics
Measurement and analysis of any deviations
Delivery Risk Management Plan
 The risk management plan is used to define
the tolerance for risk throughout the delivery
life cycle
 Define the methods for identifying, recording
and addressing risk throughout the program.
 Suggest solutions to common delivery
problems like time and cost over run etc
 Maintain a risk plan, risk log and history of
steps taken to resolve or mitigate the risks
Business Strategy Objectives
 Throughout delivery planning and execution,
managers must ensure that the program
sustains a connection to the business
strategy.
 Clear communication about goals and
objectives must be made to all relevant
stakeholders
 Proper oversight should be provided by
senior management to the delivery process
COE – Strategic Review
 Delivery excellence metrics
 IT goals and strategy
 Financial goals and expectations
 Delivery resource planning
 Consulting partner review
 A business strategy review
 Project goals alignment
Delivery execution reviews
 As the program proceeds, the program plan and
schedule should provide for periodic strategy
reviews by the program sponsor(s) and / or steering
committee for meeting the delivery related targets
 A annual or bi-annual analysis must be done for all
deliveries done for that period and issues and risks
identified should be recorded and resolved
satisfactorily
 Throughout any program, risks are bound to become
issues needing resolution in accordance with the
strategy defined in the risk management plan.
COE monitoring & control
 Event log (includes identified risks, issues,
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changes, decisions and action items)
Governance and execution procedures and
policies that everyone needs to adhere to
Standard reports and metrics management
and dissemination to stakeholders
Delivery lessons learnt sessions
Surveys and feedback sessions with relevant
stakeholders to improve the delivery process
Conclusion
 Establishing a Delivery (COE) is a significant
activity requiring participation from all the
relevant stakeholders
 It should be treated as a critical component of
your project execution and operations
 It must liaise with other business units such as
the board, senior mgmt, HR, PMO etc
 It should be a central place from which all
deliveries are managed
Thank you