APM event hosted by the Scotland Branch on 13 July 2023 Speaker: Roy Millard We all know what Project Assurance is, don’t we? Well actually, no, we don’t. Typically it’s a term that has a much broader meaning than most people think. This event was held on 13 July 2023. No, it isn’t just about project reviews. Assurance provides scrutiny, insight and confidence that your project is being well managed and that the benefits and anticipated outcomes identified remain on track. Assurance is forward-looking, acting as an early-warning system, helping to uncover current and potential problems. Additionally, it forms an important component of project governance inherently considering risk and impact, and informing decision-making. In this Face to Face event sponsored by the APM Scottish Branch we will hear the good and the bad from Roy Millard who is a national authority on how to achieve efficient and effective assurance arrangements within projects, programmes and portfolio’s.  In this talk, Roy gave some insights, based upon 40 years of working in projects, into really what is, and what isn’t, Project Assurance; what gets in the way of getting good Project Assurance; and how to avoid making costly and damaging mistakes. Where confidentiality (and memory!) allows, he made reference to his experiences of where Project Assurance has been done well, and not so well. The session covered: What is Project Assurance? Why do we have it? Who does what to whom? How to avoid too much / too little Project Assurance? How to get the most out of Project Assurance? Project Assurance – the emerging profession. Benefits of attending: Assurance promotes transparency and accountability, and helps assure the realisation of your business or project benefits. We can all benefit from learning about assurance. https://www.apm.org.uk/news/making-project-assurance-work/

1. Making Project Assurance Work
A talk by Roy Millard, APM Assurance SIG
13th July 2023

3. Aim of my talk…
© 2022 Association for Project Management 3
• What is it, and why do we have it?
• Definitions
• Perceptions
• Who does what to who, and for whom?
• Providers & receivers
• How should we organise it?
• Just another element of P3M
• Integrated Assurance
• How do we get good at it?
• Dimensions & principles
• Why does it go wrong?
• Heathrow T5
• LU Signalling Contract
• Crossrail
• How do we get the best value?
• What’s the future for Project
Assurance?
• Professionalising
• Use of data / AI
“To improve understanding of Project Assurance”
effective
^

4. What is Project Assurance?
© 2022 Association for Project Management 4
Who is asking?

5. What is Project Assurance?
Assurance n. Emphatic declaration, guarantee; self-confidence, assertiveness; insurance esp. of life; certainty.
(Source: The Pocket Oxford Dictionary.)
Assurance
• noun
1. the act of assuring
2. the state of being assured; sureness; confidence; certainty
3. something said or done to inspire confidence, as a promise, positive statement, etc.; guarantee
(Source: www.yourdictionary.com)
Assurance:
“The process of providing confidence to stakeholders that projects, programmes and portfolios will achieve
their objectives for beneficial change.” [APM BoK7]
Definitions

6. Who does what to who, and for whom?
© 2022 Association for Project Management 6
Providers
Internal Audit
External
Audit
Quality
Assurance
Health &
Safety
IPA Reviews
(Prev OGC GatewayTM)
Independent
Engineer
reviews
PMO/PMCoE
Control Self
Assurance
NAO
Policies
Standards
Processes
Systems
Project
Audits
Contract
Audits
Peer Reviews
Continuous
Assurance
Progressive
Assurance
Information
Assurance
P-Rep
Security
Audits
Data
Compliance

7. Who does what to who, and for whom?
© 2022 Association for Project Management 7
Customers
Audit
Committees
Sponsors
Project Boards / SROs
Programme Boards
Governing Bodies Shareholders
Investors
Public &
media
Central
Government
Investment
Committees

8. Organising Project Assurance
• P3M Training & qualifications:
• PRINCE2
• MSP
• Building trust through assurance (APM Learning module)
• Assurance SIG publications:
• Guide to Integrated Assurance
• Measures for Assuring Projects
• A Guide to Auditing Projects & Programmes
• A Guide to Assurance of Agile Delivery
• APM BoK7
• Assurance training:
• ‘Assurance for PMO Professionals’, PMO Learning
• ‘Project Assurance Practitioner’, Wellingtone
© 2022 Association for Project Management 8
Just another element of P3M

9. Organising Project Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 9
Relationships with Governance and Risk Management
Governance
Boards
Organisational structure
Roles & responsibilities
Processes, procedures, standards, etc.
Delegated authorities
Standing orders
Risk Committee
Strategic risks
Operational risks
Project [aka Investment] risk
Enterprise risk arrangements
Risk appetite
Audit Committee
Internal audit
Quality Assurance
HSES Assurance
Commercial Assurance
Project Assurance
© Roy Millard, P3RA
The GRA Trilogy
The ‘other’ project
management ‘Iron Triangle’

10. Organising Project Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 10
Taking an integrated approach
Dimensions of Assurance
Three Lines [of Defence] Model
Assurance Mapping

11. Organising Project Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 11
Principles of good assurance

12. With all this Assurance around, why do projects still keep going wrong?
Some examples:
• Heathrow T5
• London Underground Signalling Contract
• Crossrail
Two systemic reasons:
• Weak 2nd line Assurance
• Behaviours (deliberate & unintentional)
© 2022 Association for Project Management 12

13. Delivering value from Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 13
Assurance
adding
value
Best value
Assurance
Value
of
Assurance
Portfolio Level Project Level
Programme Level
‘Doing projects right’
• Link to governance:
➢ Supports decision-making
➢ Mechanism for stopping projects
➢ Catalyst for change
• Link to risk management
➢ Confidence that risks are under control
➢ Early identification when they are not
➢ Spotting the unspotted
➢ Mechanism for identifying opportunities
• Link to corporate assurance
➢ Confidence in meeting business priorities
• Manage the outputs:
➢ Terminology / language / being meaningful
➢ Visibility at the right levels and the right places
➢ Timeliness
• Business partners
• Proportionality
• Don’t be expensive
• Use for Stakeholder Communications
• Custodian of corporate knowledge
• Good relationships & communications
• Skilled & knowledgeable Assurance staff
• Positive actions taken
• Close link to project lifecycle
• Assurance an intrinsic part of P3M
• Integrated Assurance
• Use of data and AI (Predictive
assurance)
‘Doing the right projects’
Maximising organisational benefit
Getting best value

14. Delivering value from Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 14
Value drivers
Remove
Delivery
Cost
Increase
Delivery
Speed
Avoid
Business
Risk
Reduce
Business
Cost
Maintain
Business
Value
Increase
Business
Value
Accelerate
Benefit
Delivery
© 2019 Lloyds Banking Group plc and its subsidiaries
Example 1: Lloyds Banking Group Example 2: Network Rail
1. Does it provide early identification of project
/ programme issues?
2. Does it support successful delivery of
projects and programmes
(cost/duration/benefits)?
3. Does it target the most critical / complex /
high reputation?
4. Is it proportionate and affordable (cost and
input)?
5. Are the outputs aligned with key
stakeholders – duplication and sharing of
intelligence?
6. Is the activity and output trustworthy?
© T Robins, Network Rail

15. Professionalising Project Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 15
The problem of functional fit

16. Professionalising Project Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 16
What makes a profession?
Main components
Standards
Competence
Training
Body of Knowledge
Qualifications
Professional body
Other aspects
Measuring effectiveness/value
Knowledge management

17. Professionalising Project Assurance
© 2022 Association for Project Management 17
Components of a Profession Status for Project Assurance
Standards Various guidance available, e.g. APM
Some UK & international standards refer to Project Assurance
Discussions with BS ongoing for stand-alone standard for Project Assurance
Competence Some organisations (e.g. NDA) have developed their own
House of PMO Competency Framework (Competence 19 – Assurance)
Early stages of developing guidance on implementing APM Competence Framework for Project
Assurance roles
Training ‘Assurance for PMO Professionals’, PMO Learning (www.pmolearning.co.uk)
‘Project Assurance Practitioner’, Wellingtone
Body of Knowledge Initial version in development (Governance, Risk & Assurance in Projects, Programmes & Portfolios LinkedIn group)
Qualifications TBA
Professional body TBA (do we need one?)

18. Further Help and Support
• Discussion & collaboration:
• P3RA: https://www.p3ra.co.uk/forum (New!)
• APM Community: https://community.apm.org.uk/topics/28687/feed
• LinkedIn: Governance, Risk & Assurance In Projects, Programmes & Portfolios LinkedIn group
• Current practice and guidance:
• APM Assurance SIG: https://www.apm.org.uk/community/assurance-sig/
• Contacts:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-millard-9545852/
• Email: roymillard@p3ra.co.uk
• Mentoring, coaching and advisory
• P3 Risk & Assurance: https://www.p3ra.co.uk/
© 2022 Association for Project Management 18