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Keeping on the front foot, where it mattersNo substitute for experience
Programmes of change are tough for those in the thick of it. It’s a major challenge to cover every aspect as multiple threads move from idea to delivery.
At the top level, your team is constantly managing the expectations of the business, keeping track of changing priorities and ensuring that the programme is still delivering what the business is expecting. At the foundation layer, the team are making technical decisions that may or may not be in line with the future needs of the business. The problem with such technical decisions is that they are so fundamental and once made, so hard to change. And it’s hard to keep on top of the business demands and maintain a technical perspective.
Has your Programme team got ability to step away from the action, the experience to focus on the right areas and the objectivity to honestly answer the questions that you are asking?
A paradox, take a step back to keep on the front foot
The team driving the programme are understandably focused on getting the job done. They rarely see the need to step back, to take in the big picture or to delve into the high-risk areas.
Your board may be thinking of internal audit or some other in-house assessment. Internal audit will deliver a tick in the box for following the process. They will identify some of the obvious issues, but they won’t take away that niggling worry. You need a couple of “been there and done it” individuals who know what to look for and where to find it.
The cost of an independent review is a drop in the ocean in a business critical programme, so if you’ve never done one, choose the programme that really matters, the one that keeps you awake at night, and do it now.