Establishment & mobilisation of PMO’s & P3O functions and fit-for purpose project delivery standards
Project Portfolio Management
Organisations that invest in proven project management practices waste 28 times less money because more of their strategic initiatives are completed successfully. Successful project management not only relies on delivering projects on time and to budget – ultimately projects must also deliver benefits which are aligned to the organisational strategy.
Rachel will work with you and your team to derive the best value from your business and any project investments by employing ‘fit-for-purpose’ PPM (Project Portfolio Management) best practice, ensuring line of sight from strategic goals to project outcomes and a solution focused delivery approach for projects, programmes and PMOs.
Rachel offers a pragmatic, honest and collaborative approach to all aspects of her working partnerships. She thrives on embracing change and delivering operational excellence with integrity. By utilising her strong leadership experience and extensive PPM (Project Portfolio Management) capability she will help you gain full clarity and structure across your change initiatives and projects.
The journey to increasing your PPM capability is just as important as the destination – You don’t need to see the whole staircase, you just need to take the first step
Rachel Shaw – Project Portfolio Manager / Management Consultant
Rachel is a seasoned professional in delivering change across ambiguous and complex environments. She is very passionate about all aspects of PPM (Project Portfolio Management), particularly the benefits and value that a structured project delivery framework and mind-set will bring to your organisation.
Having worked across numerous fast-paced and dynamic industries in both New Zealand and Ireland, Rachel is most familiar with the challenges faced by organisations struggling to improve performance and achieve business benefits whilst maintaining operational momentum, and mitigating change fatigue.
Rachel’s expertise is built upon years of project management and leadership experience. She has established Programme and Project Office’s and Project Delivery Functions across both the public and private sector. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds practitioner qualifications for Management of Portfolios (MoP), Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P3O), Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) and Projects in Controlled Environments (PRINCE2).
Rachel is action-oriented, she ensures the work gets delivered and is able to give clear direction and communicate what needs to be done in a compassionate but directive manner
It’s important to have the right people with the right skills and capability well positioned from the start
The right solution for your organisation will depend on the size, complexity, duration of your projects, and the current and envisaged future levels of project management maturity in the organisation.
Getting it right means greater project and strategic success. Rachel has the experience to help you with all aspects of your business, whether that is delivering specific projects, setting up a PMO or reviewing the functionality of your existing project portfolio.
No matter the deliverable, you can count on a work ethic which is sincere, professional and collaborative. Rachel will work with you to define and deliver the right outcomes, enabling your organisation to gain value and to move forward with greater transparency and confidence.
Assigned roles include
Take a look at
My most recent projects
Rachel has delivered a wide-range of business services and projects within central and local government, I.T. security and software, the energy and utilities industry, telecommunications and the financial services sector.
Click on any one of my project portfolios below for more information.
What our clients say about us
Rachel is a consummate professional and an asset to any organisation. Rachel has a focused work ethic which garners results noted at the leadership level. This was evidenced by her secondment to an acting Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) General Manager role which she handled with ease.
Rachel engaged successfully with both senior leaders and staff. She provided clear and insightful leadership, building a productive and cohesive team. Rachel brings a strategic perspective and the ability to ensure follow through at a detailed level. Together we planned a comprehensive programme framework spanning the transition and decommissioning of CERA. Rachel was instrumental in gaining Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet agreement to the framework’s scope and approach.
Rachel has worked in my team within the Project Management Unit of Christchurch City Council from June 2010 until June 2012. She managed her projects well, receiving glowing feedback from the sponsors and client representatives. From my perspective she has worked to understand what is required, developed and agreed appropriate systems with her sponsors, and then implemented and managed those systems well. She has sought input and advice when appropriate, but has used her own initiative and efforts to progress her projects.
Rachel is a very professional and a highly skilled project / PMO manager. Rachel’s work is of the highest quality and standard and always delivered to scope within the agreed timelines. Rachel strives with determination and passion to deliver streamlined documentation, budgeting and governance advice and solutions as possible.
Rachel is a very pleasant and outgoing person who is an effective manager and leader. I would fully recommend Rachel as a very competent and highly experienced project and or PMO manager.
Rachel’s approach and management of the Meridian Energy Retail PMO is some of the best I have seen in my career, dedicated and highly competent it was a delight to have Rachel as part of my team. I would strongly recommend Rachel to any prospective employer and hope to have her on my team again in the future.
Rachel has been responsible for instigating and managing the Heritage Building Reinstatement programme from the investigative stage through to the successful completion of repairs and the subsequent handing back of the heritage building to the responsible asset unit. This has involved designing and implementing processes for the effective operation of the programme along with systems and innovation to assist with decision making and prioritisation.
Rachel has liaised with internal and external stakeholders, insurance assessors along with reporting on these assets to Council, keeping everyone informed of progress. I have been immensely impressed by her knowledge and commitment to her work. She is highly skilled in planning and organising, is dependable and is an excellent negotiator with excellent communication skills. Rachel has made such a significant contribution to this programme that it is now used as a template for other reinstatement programmes within the wider Council.