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Through Life Management (TLM) FAQs – Producing the Through Life Management Plan (TLMP)

Is the TLMP framework mandatory?

The TLMP Framework is not mandatory, but it is best practice guidance that all projects are recommended to follow. However, the use of TLMP Executive Summaries is mandatory for DE&S managed Cat A to C projects.

Can I use something different in my project?

The TLMP framework has been in use since 1999, and since then nearly all projects have chosen to follow it fairly closely.

Some projects have tailored the framework headings to their own preferences, which they are free to do if they wish. 100% compliance with the framework is less important than making sure that all of the essential characteristics of a Through Life Management Plan are captured in a project’s TLMP, that it meets customer/stakeholder requirements, and is fit for purpose.

Conforming to the framework has the advantage that IPT reviewers, Approving authorities, Customers and external stakeholders see a consistent and familiar structure to TLMP information across different projects.

Is there a standard corporate TLMP template or tool?

The only standard template or tool is the generic TLMP framework.

The idea of a more detailed, standardised TLMP template has been considered, but in practice it would not be workable because of the wide differences in the sizes, shapes and business needs of projects across the Acquisition community.

Individual projects need the freedom to tailor the TLMP to suit their own circumstances. Some have approached the TLMP at a local business grouping level (for example in Air IPTs at Wyton) or at a whole-IPT level (for example in some Cluster IPTs) and have produced their own local templates. These are probably the highest levels at which TLMPs can be standardised.

It is also important that projects go through the TLM ‘thought process’ and construct their own plans around the framework, rather than merely filling the blanks in a pre-defined template.

What format should I choose for my TLMP?

There is no ‘one size fits all’ for TLMP shape and size; it should be tailored to suit your own business needs and accord with your TLM strategy.

Many projects find that a Word document, supported by references and Annexes, is sufficient for their needs. There is no hard and fast rule on the length of a TLMP or the amount of detail that needs to go into it. It’s very much dependent on the complexity and size of the project, although it must meet the needs of the customers and stakeholders.

You may wish to consider adopting a web-based or ‘e-TLMP’ - there is a topic on this in the Best Practice and LFE area of the guidance (Electronic and Web-based TLMPs).

I am creating a TLMP from scratch. Where should I start?

Use the recommended TLMP Framework as your starting point. The six sections are designed to take you through the development of a TLMP in a logical sequence.

You should identify a single overall co-ordinator or editor for the TLMP.

In larger projects and larger teams you should decide whether to nominate lead authors/owners for each main section and sub-section. Identify the lead desk officer responsible for each sub-section of the TLMP and supporting strategies and plans.

Seek out examples of TLMPs from other projects in your IPT and from other IPTs in your Business Unit or Peer Group. The examples most local to you are likely to be the most useful.

Draw up a framework of sub-headings under each of the 6 main sections. Use the guidance, and example TLMPs, as a guide to the sub-headings you need.

Draft Section 1 ( Mission and Objectives) and Section 2 (Stakeholders) before you start to tackle the rest of the TLMP in any detail. These sections give you the essential context that informs the rest of the plan.

Once you’ve mapped your stakeholders, consult the key stakeholders during the early stages of the draft and get their input. It will help you later if stakeholder issues are addressed as early on as possible in the process. See Stakeholder Issues in the FAQs for more on this.

Draw a ‘route map’ of key project milestones - from now through to disposal. A ‘plan on a page’ programme can be powerful way of visualising the through life issues and it gives you a starting point into Sections 3 and 4 of the TLMP.

When the first draft is reasonably mature, circulate it to customers and stakeholders for comment (they will subsequently be required to endorse its key contents).

Section 5, the through life costing is likely to be the final section of the TLMP to be fully populated. See the Through Life Finance guidance and engage the Through Life Finance Centre of Excellence for advice, as early as possible.

Do what is appropriate for your project and make sure your Customers (and other stakeholders) are content. Check priorities with your Customers and stakeholders, if resource constraints delay progress on fully populating the TLMP.

How much detail do I need to have in the TLMP?

It depends. Obviously, if you try to link every item of project documentation into the TLMP then it is going to quickly become very large and unmanageable.

The cardinal rules are:

The TLMP should stay focused on the key information that stakeholders need to know, or may find useful to know.
Keep it simple. Reference out to existing documentation where you can. If your TLMP is set up in a shared area or website then hyperlinks can be used for this. You may want to put important reference material in Annexes to the TLMP - but try to limit this to just the important data that all TLMP stakeholders will need to see.
For each strategy or plan you build into the TLMP, ask the question: Does this have a ‘whole life’ and ‘whole system’ outlook?
Consider using an Executive Summary for larger projects (this is mandatory for Cat A to C projects managed by DE&S) as this will provide stakeholders with a clear overview of the current status of the project.

Much of my project information is sensitive or classified. How to I deal with this in the TLMP?

The objective should be to allow the widest possible distribution of the TLMP among stakeholders, so the classification of the main body of the TLMP should be kept down to the lowest workable level – ideally Unclassified, or not higher than Restricted.

Sensitive information (for example cost data or commercial in confidence information) may need to be protected - in these cases then the best approach is to place it in self-contained Annexes that are only given to the stakeholders who need to see them.

Are there examples of best practice TLMPs?

It would be inappropriate to hold up a single example of a TLMP as best practice. What is a good practice exemplar for a Cat A platform in the assessment phase, for example, may not be the ideal exemplar for a small in-service project to follow. However, the TLM SME’s in TLPM may be able to offer advice on projects of a similar nature which have TLMPs that are currently considered fit for purpose.

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