26th April 2023
Sanctuary Supported Living
A day in the life of Project Manager, Toni, means being prepared for anything and everything as she manages internal change and business transformation projects for Sanctuary Supported Living.
At the end of October 2022, Toni Gardner joined Sanctuary Supported Living’s Projects and Programmes team. From innovatively re-designing internal processes to introducing new software and cutting-edge technologies, managing projects across the business is a major undertaking, and Toni’s focus is to streamline best practises for colleagues in our supported living, retirement living, and technology enabled living services to support our frontline teams to be their best, and improve customer experience.
“There really is no typical day as a Project Manager, as my tasks can vary day to day depending on project needs, and the best thing I’ve learned in this job is that anything and everything might happen at any time. That’s the beauty of project work - it keeps me on my toes! I like to start the morning by checking my emails so I can prepare accordingly and prioritise and organise my tasks as best I can.
“It's always a good day if I'm visiting services because I get to see the results of our projects in action and how they really make a difference”
“If I’m working from home, it’s likely that I’ll have a project meeting scheduled to catch up with my team and review our latest progress. As well as delivery and results, our team culture encourages collaboration, communication, and camaraderie. After our meeting, I’ll cascade any important information to anyone else involved in the project so that we’re all on the same page and moving forward together.
“After a cup of tea, I’ll continue with admin - updating other project documents and responding to emails – and I might be back on calls for the remainder of the day. I’m lucky to meet colleagues from across all areas of the business, whether it’s by the power of Microsoft Teams, or face-to-face. I do some travelling as part of my role, so I’m frequently visiting Sanctuary’s office in Worcester, or the technology enabled living team in Chester. Sometimes I’m out and about visiting services; it all depends on what projects I’ve got going on.
“It’s always a good day if I’m visiting services because I get to see the results of our projects in action and how they really make a difference to both colleagues and customers. I’ve just finished rolling out a project with the Hospitality team, and I’m currently working on the implementation of digital technology to support customers to live as independently as possible at learning disability service, Oak Lodge. Every day is different, for sure! There are always new and exciting projects to work and new things to learn. At Sanctuary Supported Living, the opportunities are limitless.”
