For the past four years, I’ve been embedded as a Triad Delivery Manager within Justice Digital at the Ministry of Justice. It is a massive, incredibly complex organisation—a major UK Government Department responsible for overseeing the country’s justice system, with over 90,000 people working across more than 450 sites. The technology driving this scale is managed by Justice Digital, which is where I spend my days.
The fascinating challenge for me is that every single department operates a bit differently. Yet, they all share the same positive, optimistic, “can-do” approach. As a consultant, my absolute favourite part of the job is being parachuted midway into a highly challenging scenario. I might not know the team at this point, and I might not fully understand the systemic problems they face. But because the culture at the MoJ is so collaborative, all I have to do is ask questions, and the team will do everything they can to help me find the answers. For a problem solver like me, it’s a dream environment.
No two projects are ever the same
Before joining Triad, I spent five years working on cloud project management, helping clients migrate on premise workloads and infrastructure to data centres. Eventually, that work became less challenging for me because most corporate infrastructure requirements look very similar.
At Justice Digital, the exact opposite is true. The sheer variety of work means no two projects are ever the same for me. While I always find it tough to leave a team once I’ve built a strong relationship, the excitement of the next challenge always keeps me looking forward to the next assignment.
Managing projects: From digital services to bricks and mortar
My passion for technology started early. My father was a professor of human-computer interaction, and I was hooked from the moment he brought home a computer chip literally larger than my hand. I was ten years old when Dad bought me a handheld computer to start programming with. And the fascination grew!
I graduated with an IT degree during the 1992 recession, fought my way into the industry through temporary tech-deployment roles, and eventually moved into programming and project management. I’ve committed to keeping that learning loop open ever since—whether maintaining my PMP certification or currently exploring how AI fits into a project management context.
Lately, I’ve been putting those exact same project management principles to the test in my personal life. My partner and I have been managing a major personal project: building our own house. To save budget, we decided to tackle the internal fit-out ourselves. It quickly reminded me that whether I am delivering a digital workflow or laying floors, the core principles of delivery management don’t change:
- Resource Management – I must thoroughly research, source, and manage the right people and materials for the job.
- Quality Control – I have to maintain an uncompromising eye for detail.
- Timeline Alignment – I need to keep all stakeholders mindful of their specific roles and deadlines. (No, we are not going to be on Grand Designs!)
The importance of patience
If I were to give one piece of advice to anyone starting out in project management, it would be this: be patient.
Patience is an active skill in IT. You will spend a lot of time chasing updates and pushing blockers, and there will be days when it feels like you are getting nowhere. The real art I’ve had to learn is knowing when to push hard and when to step back and let the process play out.
When you’re unsure, lean on your network. At Triad, our MoJ delivery team connects three times a week to share advice and solve problems together. In my profession, you are never truly on your own – there is always an experienced colleague nearby who can act as a trusted advisor. Lean on them, build your network, and over time, you’ll instinctively know exactly how and when to leverage it.
If you have a question for Claire or the Triad team, please get in touch.
