Method Grid and Network Rail: Digital PACE Part 2

How Network Rail leveraged Method Grid

In the first part of our series on Network Rail, we discussed how PACE (Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment) had been previously used. The PACE Product Framework that Network Rail previously used was presented in a spreadsheet format – downloaded and saved for each new project. This spreadsheet then linked to an array of valuable content (templates, guidance and website links) that Network Rail’s project teams are required to use to follow the PACE lifecycle and to fully comply with all related standards and legislation.   

Network Rail’s requirement – the challenge for Method Grid – was to provide a user-friendly platform, easy to maintain and available to everyone involved in Network Rail project delivery for capital delivery investments. 

One of the bigger issues in the past was project team members downloading content found in the spreadsheet to their computers and not checking back in on the primary spreadsheet for updates – thus resulting in the frequent use of redundant and out of date information.  Over the course of 12 months, much of the content may have been updated three or four times, meaning that important information was often lost, and people may have been using out of date, non-compliant versions of a file.  Network Rail wanted one version of the truth, easily accessible and digitised.  

Another requirement for Network Rail was to ensure this knowledge resource was easily accessible to their vast supply chain i.e. thousands of users, covering a wide array of project management roles and information requirements needed to be able to easily access the new Digital PACE.  

 

Method Grid – What we did 

Method Grid went about addressing the challenge by supporting Network Rail in creating a publicly accessible digital framework, specifically for the UK rail industry. This innovative solution was developed using the Method Grid platform and resulted in a framework that is user friendly, easy to maintain and easy to access.  

To achieve this we started by integrating the existing PACE standards, products and a variety of guidance resources. These elements are crucial for industry professionals, and by making them readily available in a digital format, we significantly enhanced accessibility and usability. Keeping the need for a more user-friendly layout in mind, we organised the information in a way that mirrors real life application during the project, ensuring that information is easy to find at each stage. 

The result is a framework where all necessary information can be found, where collaboration and best practice are encouraged and a variety of new content – such as ‘hints and tips’ – that couldn’t be supplied on the spreadsheet before, are now available. 

The framework is full of a mix of video explainers, images and descriptive guidance to help people understand what the requirements are throughout every stage of a project. Visual aids help to bring project control aspects to life throughout the framework. 

This project isn’t finished yet; Network Rail has plans to continue enriching this industry resource through integrating training resources and more. The PACE framework will only be getting enhanced and improved from here, making it an even more valuable tool for those using it in the UK rail industry. 

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Read-Only 

The PACE Product Index has evolved into a digital resource that is now publicly accessible and is now a live resource that can be used throughout the project’s lifecycle.  

We’ve built this digital resource to be publicly accessible, ensuring everyone, from project managers to stakeholders, can gain from the wealth of knowledge it houses.  

We believe that sharing this information widely will foster a better understanding and application of the PACE principles, thus accelerating project delivery while mitigating risks. 

We’ll explain the benefits of Read-Only in our next article. 

 

Method Grid and Network Rail 

Method Grid is an AI-empowered knowledge and project management platform that enables clients to build, deliver, assure and enhance corporate playbooks.  

Using Method Grid, you can develop master playbooks crafted to how you want to deliver projects or a particular service. Once built it is easy to clone and tailor it for each new instance. The result is increased management-ownership for project teams, who can tailor or ‘right size’ a delivery playbook for their specific, local circumstances. With the full Method Grid licence model, this allows such teams to assure delivery – ticking their way through key (evidence attached) controls and, post project delivery, to feedback enhancements to a central ‘master’ playbook – thus enabling a continuous improvement loop.  

Together, the Network Rail and Method Grid collaboration was able to develop Digital PACE – on the Method Grid platform – as an optimised digital playbook for the UK rail industry. In the next article, we will discuss what to expect in the future.