Laurence Archer

Laurence Archer is regarded as one of the few top trainers in Asia-Pacific for PRINCE2, MSP and P3O.

 

He is Principal Trainer in these methodologies at ALC Group and is highly acclaimed as a trainer and facilitator, consistently achieving outstanding evaluations. As well as being fully accredited in these three subjects, Laurence also holds the Manager’s Certificate in IT Service Management (ITIL Masters), the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, is a Rational Unified Process (RUP) practitioner and consultant and is qualified in the Oak’s Change Management Framework and BRME (Benefits Realisation Management Environment).

 

Laurence first entered the IT Industry in the UK in 1974 and has explored most of its facets, filling roles of computer programmer, business analyst, project manager, consultant, business developer, technical director, infrastructure manager, trainer and facilitator.

 

In 1977 he became involved in the field of Artificial Intelligence, developing what was possibly the first commercially available training course on methods and techniques for developing rule based expert systems. He was one of the early pioneers of object orientation, use-cases and iterative software development.

 

Since moving to Australia in 1994 he has focused on developing and implementing IT governance policies and procedures, facilitating full life-cycle benefits realisation management and implementing methods and frameworks such as P3O, MSP, PRINCE2 and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

 

Prior to joining ALC in 2010 Laurence worked for the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) where, as Lead Trainer for PRINCE2, he had full responsibility for defining, agreeing, planning and managing the PRINCE2 Training programme including developing all training material and course management procedures and delivering much of the training himself.

 

He subsequently transferred to the IT Directorate of NSW DET in the role of PMO Consultant, defining and planning a programme to establish a PMO for the IT Directorate based on the P3O Architecture, and also acting as coach and in the project assurance role for the first project to be initiated within this programme.

 

From 2005 to 2007 Laurence worked as a PRINCE2 trainer with leading consultancies Lucid IT and Codarra. Prior to that he was with the NSW Attorney General’s Department as an IT Governance Management Contractor where he developed and delivered a series of training sessions on topics such as project management, project stakeholder management, project risk management, benefits realisation, planning iterative software development projects, effective communication for project managers and the interaction between the Project Management process and the ITIL processes. He also established the program management framework for the AGD’s ITIL implementation program, acted as the liaison between the Department and the ITIL Consulting Organisation that managed and acted as consultant on the process implementation projects, reviewed the focus, scope and direction of the ITIL Program and provided recommendations related to realigning the program to the effective needs of the business.

 

Whilst in the UK Laurence was two years with Oak Management Services Ltd where he undertook a study designing how to integrate PRINCE2 and the Rational Unified Process, and produced a paper entitled “Implementing Rational Unified Process Within A PRINCE2 Environment”, which won the award of best presentation at the Rational User Group conference in London in October 2001. This paper has been published by Oak Management Services, and is available on request.

 

Over the past ten years or so Laurence has actively managed a change in career focus, gradually moving away from full-time project management towards a position as trainer, coach, facilitator and consultant on portfolio, programme and project management as well as methodology implementation and integration.

 

Laurence has also developed a strong interest in applied philosophy and the area of personal effectiveness. He obtains great satisfaction in empowering others to make a difference in their own life and environment, mastering their circumstances and living a life they love.