Project Assurance services are designed to measure the extent to which a specific project or programme is performing against an agreed set of criteria. They focuses not simply on whether the project is on track in terms of time, quality and budget but also identify areas for improvement. Often, the role is undertaken on behalf of the project sponsor.
We have developed the Project Assurance Methodology (PrAM©) that provides the framework for our analysis and enables us to easily identify quick wins as well as other areas that require longer-term improvements. The best time to introduce this is at the start of the project but it can be introduced at some later point. Where a project is already underway, we recommend starting with a project assessment, which then acts as a baseline for future measurements.
The outputs from the service detail how the specific project or programme is performing against agreed criteria. They also contain recommendations on how to bring about controlled improvements. These will be presented in a positive way since it is designed to be helpful rather than critical. The scope of the assessment would be agreed with the client but would typically include:
- an assessment of whether the project's objectives and scope are clearly understood and communicated and whether they are still relevant
- reviewing of the business case to determine whether it is still valid and relevant
- an assessment of the resource requirements against resource plan and identify any discrepancies
- reporting on the dynamics within the project team and identification of any resource issues
- reviewing of the project plans to determine whether they are at the right level of detail, are up to date and are relevant to the project's objectives
- reviewing and reporting on financial controls and highlight issues
- examining and reporting on project controls to determine whether they are being carried out effectively e.g. regular reporting
- examining the project logs to ensure they are being kept up to date
- report on whether the project methodology is being adhered to and make recommendations
- highlighting areas of strength an weakness
- proposing actions aimed at bringing about measurable improvements
- carrying out a follow-up exercise at a later date to measure the improvement
