The Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) within the Department of Defence is responsible for delivering some of Australia’s most complex capability acquisition programs. As Defence continues to introduce advanced and emerging technologies, effective project planning, scheduling and project controls become critical to successful capability delivery.

To support a major maritime capability initiative, Certitude Australia provided specialist project controls support to assist with the introduction of advanced autonomous and unmanned systems for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Through embedded project controls expertise, Certitude helped Defence manage planning, scheduling and program integration activities within a highly complex stakeholder environment.

The Challenge

Defence capability acquisition programs often involve emerging technologies, multiple stakeholders and complex delivery environments. Consequently, program teams require strong project controls capability to maintain visibility of scope, schedule, dependencies and delivery milestones.

In this case, Defence was introducing next-generation autonomous technologies, including Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). As a result, the project required rigorous planning, coordination and integration across multiple Defence and industry stakeholders.

Furthermore, project leadership required a reliable mechanism to coordinate activities, monitor progress and support decision-making throughout the delivery lifecycle.

The Solution

Certitude provided specialist Defence project controls support through experienced personnel embedded within the client environment. This approach enabled the project team to access project controls expertise while maintaining alignment with Defence governance and delivery requirements.

Integrated Master Schedule Development

A key responsibility involved developing and maintaining the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) using Open Plan Professional (OPP), one of Defence’s primary enterprise scheduling and project controls tools. Consequently, the IMS provided a single source of truth for project planning, coordination, reporting and schedule management activities.

Project Controls and Assurance

In addition, Certitude supported project controls reviews across the broader delivery environment. Using project controls best practice and detailed schedule analysis within Open Plan Professional (OPP), the team helped identify schedule risks, assess project impacts and improve confidence in delivery planning. These reviews helped assess program progress, identify schedule impacts and improve confidence in delivery planning. Furthermore, project control activities supported more informed decision-making and governance oversight.

Cross-Functional Defence Integration

The engagement required collaboration across multiple Defence organisations and delivery partners. As a result, Certitude helped coordinate planning activities and supported the successful integration of new maritime capability into the wider Defence environment.

The Outcomes

Through the provision of specialist project controls services, Certitude helped strengthen planning, coordination and program oversight activities across a significant Defence capability initiative.

Key Outcomes:

• Supported the introduction of first-of-type autonomous maritime technologies into the Defence environment.
• Developed and maintained the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) used to guide project delivery activities.
• Developed and maintained complex project schedules using Open Plan Professional (OPP) to support planning, reporting and decision-making activities.
• Embedded specialist project controls capability within the Defence project team.
• Led project controls reviews across delivery partner activities.
• Supported planning and integration activities across multiple Defence stakeholders.

Supporting Major Defence Projects Through Project Controls Excellence

Certitude Australia provides project controls support, project planning services, scheduling specialists and Defence resourcing solutions to government and industry clients. Our consultants bring practical experience across project management, Integrated Master Scheduling, capability acquisition and Defence program delivery.

By combining technical project controls expertise with real-world Defence experience, Certitude helps organisations improve schedule performance, strengthen governance and deliver complex projects with confidence.

Further reading

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