We are a Project Management Consultancy based in Scotland and running projects internationally. We provide advice, training and project management services. So often, running important projects can be a stressful chore rather than an exciting and developing experience. We can make it both effective and fun enabling you and your organisation to gain the most from using the most effective business change tool available - a clearly defined project management methodology that takes the stress out of organisational and business changes.
Upper Quartile has significant experience in developing and managing projects where additional experts are secured to deliver component elements. Among Upper Quartile’s pool of 14 associates are people with skills in business development, mentoring, training, people management, event design and delivery, marketing and networking.
Project Examples
Yorkshire Forward
When the Business Link contract for Yorkshire was re-tendered in late 2007 it was reduced from 4 separate, sub regional contracts with all the attendant overheads into a single contract held by a joint venture between Exemplas PLC and Reed in Partnership. The integration and on schedule re-launch of a Government Support contract in a politically charged environment was difficult. Upper Quartile were asked to manage two aspects of the change management – the working groups with existing employees to ensure consistency of approach across Growth Enterprise, Social Enterprise management, High Value Companies and on the cross-cutting issues such as Diagnostics, Market Segmentation, Lifestyle businesses. Following this we were asked to supervise and manage the services tender run in advance of the start-up. This contract was to assess the Pre Qualification Questionnaires, recommend the short-list, brief the tendering companies in an open briefing session, evaluate the tenders and provide written feed-back on the tenders to unsuccessful tenders on behalf of the client. Upper Quartile are proud to have managed the entire process on behalf of a demanding client in a politically sensitive environment with absolute professionalism and a clear set of ethical guidelines.
CzechInvest
CzechInvest has been voted the most successful Investment Agency on several occasions; following accession to the European Union the European Commission committed € 3 million to a project to develop SME Competitiveness in the Czech Republic. Upper Quartile provided the in-country Project Director responsible for designing and delivering the project and ensuring the transfer of capacity from specialist consultants to the local economic development staff of CzechInvest. The programme had over 3,000 man-days of specialist support with a combination of Czech and multi-national team of European consultants contributing to a 3 component programme lasting almost 2 years:
- Consultancy Register – set up a web-based Consultancy Register for 1,000 Czech SME consultants (300 registered, 500 with learning plans); included training for the assessors to ensure sustainability and the delivery of specialised training for the 500 consultants with learning plans in SME skills
- Develop an internet Benchmarking system to allow domestic and international benchmarking of Czech SME’s and benchmark 250 Czech Companies
- Design, run and manage an internet based € 500,000 cost-sharing grant scheme for SME’s and develop Structural Fund compatible application and management procedures in advance of Structural Fund usage
Scottish Enterprise
Account Managers are the front line between the agency and its customers. When it was decided that all Account Managers were to be employed there was a perceived need in the Central Belt region that more flexible part-time contracted Account Managers be used. Upper Quartile selected and ran a team of four part time Account Managers who were deemed to be effective and beneficial both in cost and quality terms for the delivery of this work. Upper Quartile has again won a tender to supply this work in the Grampian region. Upper Quartile demonstrated ability to select and train appropriate consultants, project manage and monitor their work along with effective reporting and communication to the client.
