Supply Chain Development Manager Review

I work with the programme delivery team for the Travis Perkins division of the Travis Perkins group. I am assigned projects to manage by the programme director. This involves me leading project teams and managing all of the process and communications required to successfully complete the project, from initiation to project closure. My activities include meeting with stakeholders to capture needs, meeting with project team members to follow-up on agreed actions, issue progress reports, meet with SMEs to understand specific workstreams, maintain accurate project documentation, develop project metrics and create metric reporting, present high level project views to senior leaders to obtain buy-in and decisions and engage operational teams with change programmes, the benefits of them and our needs from them.

Yes, I have developed my project management skills, particularly with regard to assessing Travis Perkins in the context of their marketplace and understanding about business frameworks and why we operate the way we do. I have also learned to prioritise improvement opportunities in terms of their alignment with our business goals and our strategy. Many of the tools I have learned are new to me and have been of immediate use in my day-to-day work (eg requirements table and prioritisation techniques, user stories, lean canvas etc)

I enjoy the programme very much, I find that having the time in my working week assigned to my apprenticeship learning ensures that I apply myself properly to the study. If I was doing the learning and the assignment work in my own time, I would struggle to fit it in and do it properly. I find that I don't always have time to complete the assignments on time, but my tutor is very supportive and ensures that I am given any additional time required to keep the activity stress free and to enable me to maintain a high standard of work. I am also enjoying applying the leanings directly to my day-to-day role, which embeds the learnings and takes it from theoretical into practical

It is structured well, with the course content and timeframes made clear at the outset. The different ways the course is referred to within Travis Perkins (Digital Leaders Programme), within Multiverse (Business Transformation Fellowship) and by the Apprenticeship org (Business Analyst Level 4 Standard) was a bit confusing at the start as it wasn't immediately clear which types of roles within TP it was aimed at. I am led to believe I am part of the first cohort from this provider so I have been sharing my queries and challenges regarding some of the course content with my coach who has been feeding them back to the provider with a view to improving the course for subsequent cohorts. He has been very receptive to my questions and has always come back to me with clarification when required.

My line manager is very supportive of my apprenticeship work and he ensures that the workload I have on the go will not negatively impact the time I need to spend on my apprenticeship and he is also keen to bring some of the new ways of working I am learning about into the wider team. He is appreciative of the new tools I am starting to use. My line manager attends all required meetings with my coach and completes all reviews on time. His feedback has been very positive so far.

My coach is very supportive. As mentioned in a previous reply, I often have questions about the course content or the assignments which my coach always responds to, very thoroughly and promptly. He ensures that the work I submit is to a high standard and will often suggest how I can move it to "exceeded expectations". The provider also provides access to a community of other apprentices along with free online events which help support the course learning and related subjects. Some of these events are cohort specific and are aimed at enhancing the learnings around certain modules, others are more geared towards general workplace or personal skills (building resilience through positivity, imposter syndrome, time management etc)

I have been using the skills I have learned in my current project work and have received some very positive feedback from my line manager and my colleagues about my work. I presented a Lean Canvas to the Operations Board which was very well received, with one of the members saying they were going to use it themselves. My team colleagues have been very complimentary about a progress report which I recently issued, using an amended template from my apprenticeship provider, and I was complimented on how good it was. My line manager has also requested that I share some of these new tools with the rest of the programme team as he sees a benefit in elements of consistency. I have also found that the early work I have done on understanding the issues we are trying to solve, talking with stakeholders and gathering user stores and requirements has given me a great depth of knowledge about the subjects (which I knew nothing of before) and enables me to talk confidently about them to colleagues at all levels of the business. Ensuring that I understand how my projects align with the companys strategy and goals ensures that I can persuade senior colleagues of their importance and ensure that the projects are completed. (I have previously been forced to abandon projects as the desire to complete them has evaporated, likely because the business case was not strong enough to prove alignment with our strategy). I am much happier now that the work I am doing is valuable and necessary to the continued success of our business and this due to the apprenticeship learnings.

There are many DEI groups in our business, some of which I am a member of. Some of these groups organise webinars (during work hours) and some charity events. Social activities tend to be team-based and are usually for a particular event (a leaving party, a christmas meal etc). I believe one colleague conducts a lunchtime walking group for colleagues based in or visiting the central office

Yes

The company culture is good and I am pleased with my salary, my role and my ability to work from home for most of my week. It would be difficult to find this elsewhere. The recent improvements to mental health awareness, the drive on safety and company policy enhancements to maternity and menopause show me the business is trying to be better and to care more about the people who work here. I also enjoy the diversity and am now seeing more of in the business, particularly more women and colleagues with broader ethnic backgrounds and experiences starting to move through the ranks. Also, Travis Perkins provide excellent opportunities to move sideways aswell as up, which is a great way to learn about and try different roles in the business (and broaden knowledge)

Travis Perkins is a great business to work for. As with all businesses, the local culture is set by the manager of the team. I have had both my best ever manager and my worst ever manager whilst I've been working here. I would advise applicants to ensure they like the team they interviewing for as this will determine their enjoyment of their role.