Statement of personal achievement

Example 2 – Jack Jones, Pin: 199999F

Fellowship plan

When developing my Fellowship plan, I did not expect my role within the ISA project to be sufficient for my major achievement. I agreed with my manager to research ‘change management within the insurance industry’ and produce a dissertation as the basis of my application.

I planned to complete the business ethics programme early in 2000 and start work on my dissertation after the first phase of the ISA project was implemented in April 2000. On reflection, this was not realistic as my involvement increased. The knowledge I had developed was used for post implementation support, introducing the remaining functionality and launching a new fund. In addition, Year 2001 testing delayed some ISA system functionality from being introduced until May 2001.

Changes to Fellowship plan

Although the subject of change management appealed to me, I changed my Fellowship plan. This was due to increased responsibility within the ISA project, particularly from October 2000 when I took over the lead of the user acceptance testing team. Following completion of the project, my manager agreed that the experience gained from development through to implementation, including a leadership role, would be sufficient to submit as my major achievement. This change was also influenced by heavy work demands and the decision my partner and I had made to start a family.

Key learning points

The two years secondment to the project was extremely challenging and allowed me to apply the skills I had developed since 1997 as a business analyst. This project allowed me to increase my knowledge base beyond non-life insurance products. My initial involvement included reviewing existing procedures for Life, Banking and Unit Trust business areas and specifying the correspondence and security requirements for ISA. The knowledge gained with this work and reviewing user requirements and functional specifications was essential when testing the system and providing support to other analysts with their testing.

Key skills and knowledge acquired

I consider the most important development areas were better time management, leadership and project management skills. These skills helped me take the lead of the user acceptance testing team when the Principal Analyst moved to another project. One aspect I found particularly challenging when becoming team leader was the delegation of work. Although my technical skills had strengthened, there was a need to change my approach by letting go of some of the technical aspects. This was needed to make progress in my new role.

I became responsible for drawing up work plans and had to meet objectives through the successful working of the project team. This was evidenced by the delivery of systems within extremely tight time-scales.

I feel my communications skills have improved when representing the department on cross-departmental working groups/project teams and I feel more confident when dealing with senior management. I have developed the use of an analytical approach to problem solving and decision making; reviewing alternatives, considering best/worst case scenarios and assessing risk before moving towards a decision/solution. I learnt how to write Structured Query Language (SQL) to cover gaps in reporting mechanisms. This helped identify data problems, provide management information and data to the Compliance department in advance of regulators’ visits.

This project allowed me to develop a breadth and depth of knowledge and a good understanding of the business environment and strategy. At the end of the project I was promoted to Principal Business Analyst in recognition of my achievements.

CPD activities have focused on development opportunities via project works and formal courses including demonstrating the use of skills and knowledge developed. Following an assertiveness course in August 1999, I practiced these skills when negotiating for resources and making requests of others. The time management course was of particular value, given the time-scales imposed by the government for launching ISAs. I reviewed material from the course attended in 1997 and further developed these skills and the discipline to perform higher priority tasks first.

One major CPD activity was the ‘First Line Managers’ course in July 2001. This enabled me to practice a wide spectrum of competencies and receive ‘360-degree’ feedback. Previous training meant I was comfortable with areas such as change management, presentation skills and report writing. The practice of handling difficult situations has increased my confidence in business practices. Although ‘balanced’ leadership styles were alternated to suit, feedback indicated I could use the ‘telling’ style more often.

Intentions for the future

I will continue to be challenged in the fast paced environment of ISA administration. I feel rewarded by the freedom to act and responsibility given for leading and developing a new project team. I have been given another opportunity to participate in a high profile project and lead the user acceptance testing team (this time from day one) in replacing the Unit Trust legacy system.

Following my annual training and development review with my manager in October 2001, an action plan was agreed. I will continue to keep up to date with changes in the Financial Services Sector, including technical reading (ISA managers guidance notes, compliance manual, etc.). IMRO requires a three-stage examination process for employees supervising administration functions. I decided to take these exams to gain credibility in the eyes of my team, peers and managers. Two exams are planned for May 2002 and the remaining exam will be taken when the Financial Services Authority introduces its new rulebook later this year.

Microsoft Access training provided late 1998 helped to specify and build various systems (tracking of tests and errors, interrogation of data, etc.). These skills will be further enhanced by an advanced course planned for July 2002. Other courses planned for 2002 include project management and advanced Microsoft Excel.

I feel project management and leadership skills are the key areas to develop as my career progresses. Initially, I gained an awareness of these areas in my ACII studies and have now supplemented this with further reading and practical application.