Programme and Project Assurance

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Programme and Project Assurance

• David Marsh
• M-M-P.co.uk

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Agenda

• The Reason why Programmes and Projects go
  Wrong
• What do the Recent Failures Tell us?
• What is Programme and or Project Assurance?
• When is it Needed?

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The Reason why Programmes and Projects go Wrong

• Whos programme or project is it anyway
• What's the Business Case got to with it?
• Cone of Uncertainty
• Delivery of a programme or project not the
  programme or project
• Is it management or technical
• BIG BANG - Never works!!!!!

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The Reason why Programmes and Projects go Wrong

• Control documents out of date
• Roles understood not understood
• Managing the programme or project deliverables
  rather than the programme or project
• Monitoring the plan not the business case
• Uncertainty not reducing

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What do the Recent Failures Tell us?

• LAS (1992) 9 million to rectify
• SWANWICK 6 years late
• (took longer to build then it will be in
  operation)
• Pathway 1 billion abandoned
• Courts Service 178 million abandoned
• Immigration service 77 million abandoned

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What do the Recent Failures Tell us?

• Ownership
• Poor project management
• Unrealistic project objectives
• Scope creep
• Contracts
• Too tight - Not output based
• Too loose - Not a relationship
• What contract ?

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What is Programme and or Project Assurance?

• To assure the Programme or Project Commissioning
  Authority and other key stakeholders that
• The programme or project is being managed
  appropriately
• the objectives of the programme or project will
  be met satisfactorily

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When is it Needed

• Before the Programme or Project is commissioned
• As it is commissioned
• As it is delivered
• regular reviews
• key decision points
• at the end

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Who should Provide the Assurance

• Senior
• Independent
• Respected
• Authoritative
• Face Validity
• Clout
• Trust

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The Assurance Team

• Review Team Leader
• Programme or Project Management Assurance
• Programme/Project Business Integrity Assurance
• Programme or Project Operational Assurance
• Programme or Project Design Assurance

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Published Standards or Recommendations for this
Function

• Gateway review (OGC)
• Programme assurance (MSP99)
• Project assurance (PRINCE2)

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Summary

• Need for this is overwhelming
• 1 in 4 IT projects is truly successful
• 2 out of 4 less than successful
• 1 in 4 outright failure
• Need to have this as part of the management
  methodologies