Eighty eight civil servants across Government are taking part in ongoing business case development workshops led by United Kingdom private sector trainers, from 5-15 October, 2015.

These sessions have aimed to hone the skills necessary to research, produce, present and assess business cases in individuals involved in Project Future, the Cayman Islands government reform programme.

“Through Project Future, we are introducing business cases as a management tool for transparent, evidence-based decision-making within the civil service. This will require new skill sets and ways of working, from both the political and administrative arms of government,” Deputy Governor, the Hon. Franz Manderson, explained.

Mr Manderson added, “These workshops are part of our commitment to capacity-building, which is an important part of the Project Future implementation strategy.”

Following its development of the first standardised business case templates and guidance documents for use across the civil service, the Strategic Reform Implementation Unit (SRIU), which oversees Project Future, partnered with the Civil Service College to deliver sessions aimed at embedding the use of these templates across the service.

andpartnership, a UK-based firm that specialises in improving business performance, with a focus on the human side of change, facilitated the training.

Senior Consultant David Parton is among the members of the andpartnership team presently working with the SRIU.

Commenting that the new SRIU business cases have been written to high standards, Mr Parton stated: “We are delighted to be a part of the Project Future development process. The business case templates and guidance developed by the SRIU are some of the best we’ve ever seen, in our work with private and public sector clients. It is now a matter of the civil service utilising these tools intelligently and appropriately, to deliver great business cases.”

“Our workshops are designed to help participants understand their roles, the requirements of this new process, and to encourage them to make the necessary personal commitments to play their full part in this major change agenda,” Mr Parton went on to say.

andpartnership Director Anne Lashmar is also among the workshop leaders.

Separate workshops were held last month for Cabinet and the Project Future Steering Committee, Chief Officers, and the Project Future Business Case Review Panel.

The SRIU is a unit within the Office of the Deputy Governor and is led by Mrs Mary Rodrigues.

IMAGES:

(L-R) Chief Officer and Solicitor General, Ms Jacqueline Wilson; Deputy Governor, the Hon. Franz Manderson; and Chief Officer, Christen Suckoo, participate in a business case development workshop that focused on their roles as coaches and mentors for business case writers.

Participants in a workshop for business case writers engage in a small group discussion

Participants in one of four workshops for potential business cases writers within the civil service, with trainer Anne Lashmar and SRIU Chief Advisor, Mrs Mary Rodrigues

The SRIU was established by Cabinet in October, 2014, to provide strategic oversight and support for public service reforms.
The SRIU’s responsibilities in relation to Project Future include:
• Establishing a framework and methodology for the implementation of Project Future
• Delivering tools and templates for use by project teams
• Facilitating capacity-building
• Monitoring and reporting on projects