Project Management Policy

Corporate Services
CORP_44

Purpose
Whitsunday Regional Council delivers a diverse range of Projects on behalf of and for the benefit of the
community. Council has a responsibility to ensure that its Projects are appropriately managed to achieve
intended service outcomes, in accordance with its quadruple bottom line outcomes.

The purpose of this policy is to set out Council’s principles for the management of service programs and
associated projects by implementing effective and efficient practices and processes across the project
lifecycle in accordance with Standards Australia AS/NZS ISO 21500 Portfolio, Program & Project
Management series: Principles and Guidelines, to;

• Enable decision-making processes to determine strategic priorities, actions, and outcomes, consistent
with the Community Plan and Corporate Plan, by establishing a common approach for identifying,
understanding, prioritising, and balancing of opportunities to provide clear mandate for delivery of projects
that optimise service value to our community.
• Establish appropriate levels of management control and governance over delivery of approved projects
by bringing together and applying Council’s management, governance, economic and technical better
practice activities to the project lifecycle.
• Commit to legislative compliance as well as continual improvement in project decision making and
transparency of performance across the organisation.

Scope
The policy applies to all Projects identified and delivered through Council’s Corporate Plan, Operation Plan
and associated long-term financial plan that meet the definition of a Project under this policy, being:

• Capital projects which are required to renew & upgrade existing assets to meet defined asset
performance standards which enable delivery of approved levels of service to the community
• Capital projects which build new community assets in line with strategic outcomes of the Community
Plan to improve current level of service and/or create new services for a better community.
• Change projects which improve Council’s capacity and capability to deliver defined levels of service
to our community as well as meet regulatory and legislative obligations, including:
o Service defining and improvement Initiatives, including service strategy development,
Community precinct planning and associated Asset master planning, o Optimising the
management and performance of our Services and associated enabling Assets. o Developing
our people and resourcing capacity
o Creating a better Council through implementation of better contemporary practices for process,
practices, and tools.
This policy applies to all staff and contractors.
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Policy Statement
1. This policy sets out the requirements for the project management and governance of all Projects being
delivered by Whitsunday Regional Council.
2. The objective of this Policy is to mandate the Whitsunday Way for project management to ensure effective
management control and governance of Council Projects:
2.1. To ensure consistency in the planning, delivery and governance across Council’s Portfolio and
programs of projects; (Doing Projects Right)
2.2. To provide high quality project benefits / outcomes that align with the project objectives approved
by the Project Sponsor aligning with current Council policies and strategic objectives; (Doing the
right Projects)
2.3. To deliver value for money for the Whitsunday Regional Council and the community in the delivery
of Projects considering the trade-off between levels of service, whole of life costs and risk; and
2.4. To provide transparency and visibility on Project performance to enable effective decision making
regarding the optimal use of resources.
3. Efficient and Effective Project management will be achieved through the following principles; Principle 1
- Our Community and our people are at the heart of our Projects.
Principle 2 - Alignment to our Service Strategy and Risk Appetite ensures we are “doing the right projects”.
Principle 3 - Transparency of Performance continually justifies Council’s investment in service value
creating projects.
Principle 4 - Clearly defined roles build a Collaborative Team Environment
Principle 5 - Management Control and Governance reflect project complexity (value & risk) to ensure
Council is “Doing projects right”
Principle 6 - We all Lead by example and learn from experience to continuously Improve

Applicable Legislation
This policy refers to (include specific section if relevant) the following:
• Local Government Act 2009
• Local Government Regulations 2012
• Competition and Consumer Act 2010
• Public Sector Ethics Act 1994
• Trade Practices Act 1974
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
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Risk Appetite Alignment:

This Policy seeks to enable Council to meet the following obligations under its Risk Appetite Statement:
Knowledge Area Risk Appetite

Scope & Benefits • Moderate appetite to risks that may result in strategic objectives not being
achieved

Schedule • Effective management of projects is important to Council and consequently there is

a no appetite for project time overruns exceeding a 20% variation

Financial • Low appetite for activities that threaten the long-term financial stability of the
Council.

• Effective management of projects is important to Council and consequently there is

a no appetite for project cost or time overruns exceeding a 20% variation.
Quality • No appetite for non-compliance, breaches of legislation or regulatory requirements
or non-reporting of breaches and non-compliance to appropriate authorities.

• No appetite for not fulfilling its obligations to the built and natural environment

• Very low tolerance to not fulfilling the obligations and needs to manage
environmental risks
Procurement • No appetite for non-compliance, breaches of legislation or regulatory requirements
or non-reporting of breaches and non-compliance to appropriate authorities.

Resourcing • Seeks opportunities to develop a multi-skilled workforce

• No appetite for employees performing duties for which they are not suitably qualified
or trained or acting outside of their delegated authority.
• No tolerance for work practices that result in major injuries or fatality.

Stakeholders &• Low appetite for reputational risks that may result in substantiated complaints from
Communication the community and/or key stakeholders.

Roles & Responsibilities

Under this policy, the following roles have specific responsibilities and accountabilities;

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has overall operational responsibility for the successful delivery of projects,
including reporting to the Council.

Project Control Group (PCG) established based on complexity and risk profile of individual projects or
program of projects, entrusted with the governance / oversight responsibilities for the project, within the
relevant Financial or Procurement Delegated Authorities.

Note: Program Control Group is where a Control Group is established to oversight a program of projects.
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Project Management Support Office (PMSO) responsible for maintaining and continuously improving the
Project Management Policy and associated Project Management Framework as well as providing ongoing
reporting, assurance, training and support in the methodology and tools for project teams and sponsors.

Project Manager responsible for the day-to-day planning and delivery of the project service value, by the
management of processes and leading the people to ensure delivery and balancing of expectations across
scope, schedule, financial, resources, procurement, quality, and stakeholder management outcomes.

Project Sponsor accountable for the successful delivery of project and associated service benefits
realisation, being the Chair of the PCG.

Definitions
CEO refers to the Chief Executive Officer of the Whitsunday Regional Council appointed in accordance with
the Local Government Act 2009.

Council refers to the Whitsunday Regional Council

Employee refers to any employee, contractor, volunteer etc. of the Council.

Project: generically refers to a temporary organisation that is created for the purpose of delivering one or
more business products according to an agreed business case.

Program: generically refers to a temporary, flexible organisation structure created to coordinate, direct, and
oversee the implementation of a set of related projects and activities to deliver outcomes and benefits related
to the organization’s strategic objectives. A programme is likely to have a life that spans several years.

Portfolio: generically refers to the totality of an organisation’s investment (or segment thereof) in the changes
required to achieve its strategic objectives.

Project Lifecycle: refer to the stage gated process established to ensure a whole of council consistency in
management of its projects.

Related Documents
ISO 21500:2021 Portfolio, Program & Project Management - Context and Concepts
ISO 21502:2020 Portfolio, Program & Project Management - Guidance on Project Management
ISO 21503:2017 Portfolio, Program & Project Management - Guidance on Program Management
ISO 21504:2015 Portfolio, Program & Project Management - Guidance on Portfolio Management
ISO 21505:2017 Portfolio, Program & Project Management - Guidance on Governance
ISO 19650:2021 Organisation & digitization of Information about Buildings and Civil Works
Risk Management Policy - LSP_CORP_62
Risk Management Framework 2021
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Procurement Policy - LSP_CORP_73

Local Preference Policy - LSP_CORP_74
Asset Management Policy - CORP_86
Asset Management Strategy 2022 - 2026
Community Engagement Policy - LSP_OMCEO_33
Asset Accounting Policy - LSP_CORP_19
Project Management Framework (under development)

Human Rights Compatibility Statement

This Policy has been assessed as compatible with the Human Rights protected under the Human Rights Act
2019.

COUNCIL POLICY
Date Adopted by Council Council Resolution
Effective Date Next Review Date
Responsible Officer(s) Revokes CORP_75
Public Consultation: Yes / No
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