Using Reviews and Assurance

To Manage Programme and Portfolio Risk

Graham Oakes (graham@grahamoakes.co.uk) December 2013

Outline

• Projects fail

• That’s OK

• Portfolio mgt is easier than project mgt…

• … provided you can get the right information

• Setting up an assurance programme

Why do projects fail?

Simon Schoeters

Christiaan Triebert

We lose touch with reality

Simon Schoeters

Failure becomes obvious when we run back into reality

Failure is OK!

L Gnome

There are 2 types of failure: Inherent & Unnecessary

macrophile

Statistics don’t work for project managers

Steve A Johnson

Statistics do work for portfolio & programme managers

James Bowe

Portfolio & programme managers have more tools

veryuseful

But they often don’t have the information they need

Jeroen_bennink

The role of assurance is to provide validated information

owenwbrown

How do we set up an effective programme of reviews?

Colin_K

1) Make reviews the norm

Lars P.

2) Be clear who you’re serving

Bird Brian

3) Tune investment to risk levels

digitalmoneyworld

4) Use a mix of review types

vie_ascenseur

5) Negotiate clear objectives for each review

Richard_of_England

Recommendations to improve review artefacts

Review execution

Inputs

Artefacts & otheritems to review, plus supporting details.

Outputs

Improved artefacts.

Go / No - go decision.

Baseline Criteria Reference Models

Control parameters

Feedback to improve reference models

Analysis Loop

6) Run a structured process

Simon Schoeters

7) Focus on evidence

Simon Schoeters

8) Manage logistics

strudelt

9) Minimise overheads

jcroninone

10) Train people

One Laptop per Child

11) Act on findings

mikebaird

12) Monitor effectiveness

SearchEnginePeopleBlog

13) Disseminate lessons learned

The U.S. Army

Assurance supports stakeholder communications

Keoni Cabral

Summary

• We engage with risks to achieve rewards

• Sometimes the risks win

• Aim is to eliminate unnecessary failure

• Program & portfolio mgrs have a lot of tools

• They need information in order to use them

• Reviews & assurance provide this information(provided they’re set up appropriately)

Unnecessary Failure…

… happens when people with the skills, resources and authority to act effectively don’t

get full, validated information about project status and issues.

The role of reviews and assurance is to provide this information.

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Thank You

graham@grahamoakes.co.uk@GrahamDOakes