Summary

Governance teams tend to be more comfortable with the project delivery stage as they can see “real progress”. However, if the project set up and planning stages have not been done well, this delivery stage can be a nightmare!

Just as with any building, if the foundations are unstable, what you build on top can become increasingly shakey. This is why repeated research has found that around 30-35% of project activity is rework, repeat work, revisions and corrections. Additional cost with no additional value added.

Also, during the delivery stage the project can go ‘off the rails’ quickly or surreptitiously one degree at a time. It can also become late, one day at a time. It can be progressing well ‘on the surface’ but disintegrating or mis-focused within. Progressive decisions made in good faith can, over time, partly, significantly or completely destroy the value of the project. External events can also destroy some or all of your project’s value.

So, the delivery stage is a time when all members of the governance team need to ensure the project is heading in the right direction, is ‘healthy’ and will deliver the value expected.

This Guide is, therefore, essential for all members of the governance team — Sponsor and Steering Committee.

From the project team’s point of view this is the time when the governance team needs to make some key decisions fast, keep their ‘eyes on the (value) prize’ and assist the project to deliver.

“How to govern project delivery” guide ensures you are in control of what can easily become a ‘runaway train’. You need to be involved, active and decisive. You also need to be informed and knowledgeable. This Guide tells you how to perform your role easily and effectively.

Importantly, we focus on protecting the value of the project — what you need to do (or not do) to ensure that the value associated with your project does not seep away as the project details are designed, developed and implemented.

This may sound obvious, but significant (if not all) value can be lost during this stage.

Benefits

This Guide

1. equips you with the knowledge of the key project levers that you can direct, manage or monitor to ensure your project is successful
2. focuses you on the key areas you need to manage (eg ‘gives’ and ‘gets’ and critical path) so that your attention is not diffused
3. gives you a new focus on the financials to help you come in under budget
4. equips you to act well when things go wrong or the project is found to be ‘unhealthly’
5. informs you as to what reporting you should expect and what reporting you need to give your peers and board
6. equips you to govern your project’s value so as to ensure its successful and full realization.

During project delivery the ‘rubber hits the road’ — this guide ensures your project remains road-worthy!

Who should read

This Guide is designed to be read primarily by all those in project governance roles (Sponsor/Steering Committee) but the Guide is also useful for key Stakeholders, the PMO and Auditors to understand what should happen at the governance level at each stage of the project.

Contents

1. Understanding the end-to-end value delivery process
2. Understanding project delivery governance
3. Understanding your project delivery roles and accountabilities
4. Understanding what can trip you up
5. Understanding when to get expert help
6. Understanding when to commission a ‘project health check’
7. Understanding what to do when things go wrong
8. The end-to-end project delivery governance process
9. How to manage your ‘must haves’
10. How to govern to the ‘critical path’
11. How to govern project quality
12. How to govern your project’s stakeholders
13. How to govern your project’s financials
14. How to govern the ‘contingency funds’
15. How to govern your project’s risks
16. How to govern your critical success factors (CSFs)
17. How to govern your project’s issues
18. How to monitor your project’s inter-dependencies
19. How to govern external consultants
20. How to govern your project resources
21. How to monitor your project’s status
22. How to report project progress to your Executive/Board
23. How to monitor that your Project Delivery stage is complete.

In addition, we also provide you with some additional supporting tools and resources to make use of this Guide easy and effective.

Bonus

Death by 1000 cuts
A value delivery management article by Jed Simms that illustrates by way of a fictitious story how a project’s value can be progressively destroyed by small decisions made here and there — all individually valid in isolation IF they are not considered from the value point of view.

Condemned to completion
A value delivery management article by Jed Simms that explains, by way of a fictitious story, why projects that are failing are continued and what should be done about it.

Seeing Red
A value delivery management article by Jed Simms that explains the importance of the Sponsor and Steering Committee’s reaction to and manage of ‘red-rated’ reported items if you are to encourage honest reporting.