How We Think

The Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme is a little bit like the game, Monopoly – and specifically the Go Green edition. How? The ACCUs are the Australian ‘policy version’ of the ‘greening game,’ with financial incentives to buy green technologies and initiatives – and disincentives for polluters, with the goal of cleaning up the planet. With ACCUs, Australian businesses receive credits for projects that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. This requires projects to meet and follow integrity criteria to ensure that issued ACCUs indeed do avoid or decrease emissions. That’s the official rulebook, but the reality of how the game is played can be a bit different...

In the complex interplay of project deadlines, budgets, work packages, blended teams and deliverables, Agile methodology has become increasingly prominent. But is it truly the holy grail of project management?

Why are procurement and contracting practices adversarial? And more pressingly – Should Commonwealth procurement practices be adversarial? This is a question that has dogged me for longer than I care to remember, particularly as the answer appears to be a resounding ‘yes.’

Has a software provider ever handed you a EULA and you didn’t know what to make of it? And no, EULAs aren’t medical devices or quantum physics particles. While End User License Agreements (EULAs) can appear to be as inscrutable as quantum physics, they don’t have to be.

Benefits Management is an important component in the effective delivery and implementation of projects and change initiatives. It’s a framework and process that helps you ensure you’re doing the right thing, the right way, for the right outcome.

Having been and worked with Government Procurement Officers (GPOs) who leave their procurements to the very last minute, I understand the stress that comes with the end-of-financial-year and as Christmas shutdown approaches. Having lived through 5+ complex procurements that all had to be completed in 2-month periods (and less), I’ve also made my fair share of EOFY and New Year’s resolutions that start with the words “… Never again…” But then “never happens” again. And again. And not completing procurements on time can lead to very serious financial and legal implications for GPOs and the organisations they represent. As a ‘survivor,’ I can offer some simple strategies that can potentially go a long way to making “never again” a reality.