In 2013, we had the pleasure in shaping, setting up and managing the Programme Office during one of the most interesting periods in Travelodge’s history. After undertaking a major, commercially sensitive decision to launch a CVA at the same time as investing millions in upgrading the customer experience, Travelodge realised there are not too many acts to follow with this particular path so it was important that it was managed pragmatically and systematically in order to refocus the board on business growth.

The Programme Office was accountable for the associated dependencies; and the governance and reporting schedule from working groups up to the board. In addition, this programme of work required more planning than most due to the number of ‘unknowns’, namely, when and how the business structure would be post CVA and in order to mitigate the challenge, we created the following:

• A comprehensive 45-day transfer plan for an individual site (based on a statutory notice period) to act as an ‘off the shelf’ module which can drop into a timeline as a single or multiple plan at any time.

• A number of modelling tools, allowing the effective planning of both central and field resource taking into account geographical challenges.

• A clear tracking and measurement system, which enables SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, real, timely) tracking of activity across the estate, both centrally and in the field.