Insights and experience
from National Grid
Decarbonising the energy system and delivering cheaper and more secure energy supplies is one of the biggest challenges facing our world. National Grid have a critical role to play in the acceleration towards a cleaner future.
James shared that the Great Grid Upgrade is the largest overhaul of the grid in generations and will future proof the grid for years to come, facilitating the transition to a secure, clean and affordable energy future. There are 17 network reinforcements identified by the regulator, OFGEM, as ‘essential’ to meet UK Government’s net zero targets. These network reinforcements are needed to meet:
UK Government target of connecting 50 GW of offshore wind and increases in solar and nuclear generation by 2030
Government’s target to decarbonise the power system by 2035
Demand from the increased electrification of transport and heat – set to increase by around 50%
Change and the modern PMO
The work will also ensure that National Grid continue to deliver electricity safely, reliably and efficiently to the customers and communities they serve – all while working towards building a cleaner, fairer and more affordable energy system for the future.
We all understand that the complexities, resources and commitment to deliver such huge infrastructure projects is ambitious so hearing from project professionals was invaluable.
Biggest challenges in change and project delivery
Vaibhav highlighted how the PMO community and Strategic Infrastructure (SI) collaborate to enhance value by prioritising the client voice. By integrating project controls within SI and leveraging a unified data environment, they have developed a widely used, centralised dashboard. This dashboard not only streamlines project controls but also strengthens assurance, enabling more informed decision-making and greater transparency across projects.
James followed up with the fact that capability assessment and development, organisational capability enhancements and career pathways also needed to be considered not only to retain the best talent but also to attract new talent into National Grid. CITI is working closely with National Grid SI and Electricity Transmission currently to “Build tomorrow’s workforce today”.
Next steps...
National Grid is actively planning for the future, recognising a cultural shift marked by new energy, excitement, and a strong appetite for change within SI – an infectious momentum. There is also a clear understanding that communication is key. With so much transformation underway, strong leadership and effective management are essential. Continuous development is a priority, ensuring that people have access to learning opportunities, skill-building, and pathways to professional qualifications or chartered status, should they choose to pursue them.
The audience responded really excitedly to how Strategic Infrastructure at National Grid are developing and working collaboratively with PMO and using new systems and technology to make data driven decisions. The aim is to cascade the energy into other areas of the organisation and drive change forward to deliver projects effectively and efficiently.
National Grid shared great insights of their real-world infrastructure projects, so thank you to them.
How can we help?
Project delivery can be complex, a project leader must demonstrate skills that enable them to influence, engage, challenge, analyse and deliver.
Taking a business partnership approach whereby the PMO or equivalent will be relationship building, understanding project problems, become internal experts and partners in project delivery who not only support and guide the wider project community, but also enable the development of skills and talent, provide a consultative approach, coach, mentor, enable people to make decisions raising confidence and building a successful community of practice, profession or centre of excellence.
Speak to CITI Limited about the PMO and change management, understanding change leadership and resilience within the delivery community, business partnering, portfolio profiling and prioritisation, assessing complexity, capability assessments, problem solving and decision making.
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