SERVICES
FRAMEWORKS & RECOVERY
When a struggling programme feels like a binary choice - keep going or cancel
The Challenge
Without a standard delivery framework, project quality varies significantly by team and individual project manager, making outcomes inconsistent and difficult to compare across the organisation.
Fit-for-purpose, not off-the-shelf. Framework built around your project types and organisational maturity — not a generic methodology import.
Templated, not theoretical. Delivers usable templates, gate criteria, and document standards, not just a methodology document.
Trained for adoption. Includes practitioner training so the framework is actually used, not filed away.
Governance-integrated. Designed to plug directly into existing or newly designed PMO and governance structures.
FAQ
Will this replace the methodology our teams already use?
It standardises and formalises what typically already exists informally — most organisations have partial practices in place; this makes them consistent and organisation-wide.
Does this work for both agile and traditional project types?
Yes — frameworks are built to accommodate a mix of delivery approaches rather than forcing one methodology onto every project type.
The Challenge
When a major programme is significantly behind, over budget, or has lost stakeholder confidence, organisations often face a binary choice they've been presented with: continue as-is, or cancel. Neither is usually the right answer.
Diagnose before deciding. A rapid root-cause assessment before any recommendation on whether to reset, restructure, or stop.
Honest options, presented plainly. Including the option to stop — we do not have a financial incentive to recommend continuation.
Reset with new governance. Recovery is never just “try harder” — it comes with revised governance and controls to prevent repeat failure.
Stakeholder confidence, rebuilt deliberately. A specific plan to restore sponsor and steering committee confidence, not just technical delivery.
FAQ
Do you ever recommend stopping a programme?
Yes — when the diagnostic supports it. Recovery engagements are structured so the recommendation isn’t biased toward continuing work that benefits us financially.
How quickly can a recovery engagement start?
Given the urgency typical of these situations, diagnostic phases are usually scoped to start within days of engagement, not weeks.
The Challenge
Large strategic programmes - spanning multiple teams, vendors, systems, and timelines - require a different kind of management than individual projects. The primary risk is not within any single project but between them: dependencies mismanaged, resources contested, and no single point of accountability for the overall outcome.
Senior delivery leadership from day one. The programme lead assigned is a former practitioner with direct experience of programmes at equivalent complexity - not a coordinator managing upward.
Dependency management as a primary discipline. Cross-project dependencies are identified, owned, and actively managed - not added to a register and reviewed monthly.
One accountable outcome. The programme has one stated business outcome, defined at Gate 1, against which all project-level decisions are made. Scope changes that do not serve that outcome are not accommodated.
Integrated reporting. One unified view of programme status, produced weekly for the programme director and monthly for the steering committee in the Board Reporting Framework format.
FAQ
What is the difference between programme management and project management?
Project management governs individual projects — scope, schedule, cost, and quality within a defined boundary. Programme management governs a collection of related projects as a system — managing interdependencies, shared resources, and the collective business outcome. The skills and focus are materially different.
Can you take over a programme already in delivery?
Yes — though we always conduct a Programme Health Check before assuming accountability, to establish an honest baseline and surface any existing issues before they become our responsibility without our knowledge.
Do you replace the client’s internal programme team?
Not typically — we work alongside internal teams, providing the senior leadership and governance infrastructure that the programme requires. Where the client has no internal programme capability, we can provide a more comprehensive resource model.