Programme Assurance

Programme assurance is an independent review of a technology programme's health, governance, risks, and delivery trajectory. It gives boards and executive sponsors confidence that their investment is on track, or early warning that intervention is needed before problems become crises.

Elisabeth Butler provides independent programme assurance for organisations that want objective oversight of their technology investments without the cost and complexity of engaging a large consulting firm.

What Programme Assurance Covers

• Governance review: Are decision making structures effective? Is change control working? Are programme boards functioning as intended?
• Risk assessment: Are risks being identified and managed proactively? Are mitigation plans realistic and being executed?
• Vendor performance: Are suppliers delivering against contractual commitments? Are resource levels adequate? Are quality standards being met?
• Financial health: Is the programme tracking to budget? Are forecasts reliable? Are there hidden cost risks?
• Delivery trajectory: Will the programme deliver on time? Are milestones being achieved? Are dependencies being managed?
• Benefits realisation: Is the programme set up to deliver the business benefits that justified the investment?

How Assurance Works

Elisabeth conducts assurance reviews over a defined period, typically two to four weeks depending on programme complexity. She reviews programme documentation, interviews key stakeholders, attends programme boards, assesses vendor deliverables, and audits programme finances. The output is a board ready report that provides an honest assessment of programme health with specific recommendations for improvement.

When to Use Programme Assurance

Programme assurance is most valuable at key decision points: before a programme moves from planning to delivery, at major milestones where significant investment decisions are being made, when the board has concerns about programme health, or as a regular health check for high value programmes.

Related reading:

• IT Governance Frameworks for Complex Programmes
• Risk Management That Actually Works