The Preparatory phase Management structure
The management system that HiPER will use (shown in the Figure below) is essentially conventional in structure and follows best practise but is tailored to the particular needs of the HiPER project. It reflects in a more formal manner the informal structure that has been used over the last few years during the feasibility study and to develop the HiPER FP7 proposal, albeit with some important additions. Consequently, communication between most of elements involved is already well established and forms a solid base on which to build. The headquarters of the HiPER project will be established at RAL with a second management office established at the ILP in Bordeaux. Management meetings at appropriate levels (detailed below) will occur at regular intervals and these actually form part of the formal milestones of the project. HiPER has already had a significant catalytic effect within the European laser community and as such many synergies already exist amongst the partners which will be leveraged to enhance multi-lateral communication. Modern technology, such as personal and collective video conferencing will be used extensively to address, in part, the geographical issues that arise with such a multi-site project. The current policy of co-locating certain HiPER specific meetings at major international conferences will also continue.
The roles of the various organisational elements in the management structure are detailed below.
Click at the diagram for a larger size.
- HiPER Council
- HiPER Executive Board
- International Advisory Committee
- HiPER Programme Management Team
A formal HiPER Council will be established which will be the ultimate decision making body for the project and consortium. Its rules of operation, procedures, mandate etc will be established through the Consortium Agreement in the very early stages of the HiPER preparatory phase project. The membership of the Council will reflect the various primary stakeholders that are part of the project and will include one formal representative per participating nation of the preparatory phase and a representative of the European Commission as an observer.The Council will also contain observer members such as those representing other international associated institutions and external independent advisors drawn from the legal and financial sectors etc and a representative of the European Investment Bank (EIB). The HiPER Council will meet on an annual basis to perform top level financial, strategic and technical Gateway Reviews of the project.
The strategic management of the project will be devolved by the HiPER Council to a steering body known as the HiPER Executive Board. The exact Terms of Reference for the HiPER Executive Board will also be established in the Consortium Agreement early in the PP project. This Board will act in an oversight manner ensuring that the project is progressing as per the timetable and scope defined in the contract established with the European Commission. It will also be the primary body responsible for holding to account the Project Coordinator (a formal EC role) and authorising any necessary significant action or changes to keep the project on plan. The HiPER Executive Board will meet formally every 6 months.
International Advisory Committee
An International Advisory Committee (IAC) will be established early in the project. The IAC will be a small committee of senior international figures drawn from the scientific, industrial, managerial and financial sectors which will meet on a 6 monthly basis to provide appropriate independent advice and guidance to the HiPER Executive Board as required.
HiPER Programme Management Team
A Project Management team will be established by the Executive Board for the day to day management of the project. It will be headed by the Preparatory Phase Coordinator who will act in a Programme Manager Role and will be supported by a significant management team. The Coordinator’s primary role will be to nurture the environment in which the HiPER project operates, acting primarily as a team builder and advocate for HiPER mission and charged with catalysing a positive body of opinion amongst senior European governmental decision makers (ministers, funding agencies etc). The Coordinator’s primary responsibility during this preparatory phase will be as custodian of the political and scientific argument that will enable HiPER to proceed to the construction phase. He will have overall responsibility for delivering the project and for managing risk and change in an effective manner. The Coordinator will ensure that the HiPER mission is able to meet and successfully pass appropriate gateway reviews as may be required by national governments prior to major funding decisions. The Coordinator will also act as the primary conduit between the HiPER project and the EC, as well as the various European scientific funding agencies that currently or will have in the future an interest in HiPER. The Coordinator will also work with indirectly related stakeholders, such as some of the other preparatory phase projects, ITER and other International projects to ensure that the HiPER mission can be achieved in a cohesive and integrated manner. The Coordinator will formally report to the HiPER Executive Board.
To form his programme management team the Coordinator will assign a work package manager for each of the work packages (except WP1), drawn from within the institutions that are involved in the particular work package. Each work package manager will be charged with the primary responsibility of co-ordinating the tasks and activities that are contained inside the work package and to act as the main reporting link between the work package and the programme management team.
To complete the programme management team and to assist in the delivery of the HiPER project, the Coordinator will also draw upon a significant management resource. For the internal management of the project, the Coordinator will delegate and rely on a full-time senior project manager (PM) recruited from the scientific sector, with appropriate experience of large scale project management in complex environments. The PM will act as a point of pivot between the various elements that form the preparatory phase project, balancing the internal demands and risks of the project whist providing an appropriate response to ever changing external stimuli. Monitoring project progress through regular assessment, taking appropriate, balanced corrective action will be essential in this role. A full time deputy project manager will assist the project manager with the day to day management of the project. A technical requirements manager will also be appointed on a part-time basis to the project management team to provide key scientific and strategic advice as required. A full time project assistant will be appointed to look after the formal implementation and reporting aspects with respect to the European Commission contract and other stakeholders. A full time communications assistant will also be appointed to provide the necessary communications support for the Coordinator including the management of its internally and externally facing web sites.
The project Coordinator will maintain and control a central pool of nationally funded contingency based on the value of un-awarded contracts, and will oversee the balanced allocation of funds to each partner. Release of contingency funds, changes to work package allocations or the introduction of new partners will require the written approval of the HiPER Executive Board, and authorisation by the EC as determined by the contract.
The project expects to pull in expertise in areas where this is required either through external consultants or through the use of “in house” expertise within the partner institutions.