APM chosen as official ODA Learning Legacy partner

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has chosen the Association for Project Management (APM) as one of the official Learning Legacy partners. APM will be amongst a number of contractors, professional institutes, government bodies and academia who will officially share the lessons learned from the construction of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Learning Legacy, launched last month, is a collaborative approach between the ODA and the associated industry organisations that looks to build on the ethos set by the ODA of setting targets well above the industry benchmarks, meeting the majority of these and, in a number of cases, exceeding expectations.

It marks the first time that a construction project in the UK has sought to capture intellectual capital on this scale.

The programme, which is set to be a major showcase for UK plc as the Government looks to capitalise on the positive effect the London 2012 construction project has had on the industry, will see APM take ownership of one of the ten themes to help businesses raise the bar in project management.

To aid in sharing best pratice lessons learned from one of the most successful British construction projects of our time the APM will run a series of four events in 2012 that will support the active dissemination of the Learning Legacy framework and will set out how the ODA tackled issues such as getting more women into construction, building better health and safety records, creating a green landscape from a former industrial site and completing projects on time and within budget.

The Learning Legacy website will also be able to be contributed to over time; becoming a comprehensive online library for companies of all shapes and sizes to refer to. It will go some way towards the ODA’s own legacy of sharing best practice and ensuring that the valuable lessons learned on the project can be replicated by others.

ODA chairman John Armitt, who is an Honorary Fellow of APM, said: “The Learning Legacy framework is the embodiment of a new benchmark that has been created in delivering Europe’s largest construction project to the ultimate deadline and within budget. The scale and speed of the coordinated UK effort to build the venues and infrastructure is unprecedented and the knowledge and lessons gained during construction will both benefit the industry and act as a catalyst for inward investment.”

Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The Olympic Park is a showcase for the best of British design, engineering, construction and project management. We want companies to win new contracts off the back of this success story but also to share the best practice across industry as a whole. Learning Legacy will ensure that important lessons are shared throughout the industry.”

APM chief executive Andrew Bragg said: “APM is proud to be playing a leading role in ensuring that the lessons learned from this world-class project are made available to the widest possible audience.”

The programme is centred around a website that outlines the programme and provides case studies and reports across the ten industry themes including design and engineering innovation; equality, inclusion, employment and skills; health and safety; masterplanning and town planning; procurement and supply chain management; programme organisation and project management; sustainability; systems and technology; transport; archaeology. It has been created from over 250 papers put together by the ODA and its supply chain, in addition to including independent research by industry bodies and academics.

The majority of themes are broken down into the following sub-sections:

• Micro reports: Short examples of lessons learned, best practice and innovations from the construction programme by the ODA, its Delivery Partner, contractors and industry partners.
• Case studies: Peer reviewed papers on lessons learned, best practice and innovations from across the Programme by the ODA and its Delivery Partner, the supply chain and industry.
• Research summaries: Summary reports of research projects undertaken by academia and industry on the London 2012 construction project.  These organisations will also publish full research papers as they are finalised throughout 2012.
• Champion products: Examples of tools and templates used successfully on the project.

The APM will announce the series of four Learning Legacy events open to all to attend in the near future, please keep an eye on the APM website for more details.