SPOCE - Project Management Limited

Project Assurance Consultancy

 

OVERVIEW

The Project Assurance role in a PRINCE2® environment is key for ensuring that the standards of the method are embedded.  This important function is best carried out by somebody who is independent of the Project Manager, and indeed the project teams, so as to maintain an independent view of assessing the project and the standard of project management applied to the project.  Some organisations experience difficulty in finding appropriate resources to carry out this role, and this is where consideration can be given for project assurance to be carried out by a SPOCE consultant.

 

APPROACH

SPOCE's approach to Project Assurance is usually undertaken using the following steps:

Step 1 – Initial Meeting with the Project Management Team

This is usually an initial meeting with the Project Manager who is acting on behalf of the Project Board.   This initial meeting will essentially be a briefing by the Project Manager (or Executive) to provide the background to the project. 

Step 2 – Requirements definition & Proposal

A follow-up (sometimes at the same meeting described in Step 1 above) will be required for so the Executive and other Project Board members can describe the requirement of the Project Assurance function.  SPOCE will be able to advise the different types of Assurance responsibilities, and identify any responsibilities that should be retained by the Project Board members.

Step 3 – Proposal

SPOCE will prepare a proposal outlining the Project Assurance services that can be provided to the project, and will submit this for approval to the client.  This will explain the details of the undertaking made by SPOCE, with a summary of expected effort and costs.

 

ASSURANCE SERVICES

A summary of some of the Assurance responsibilities that SPOCE can undertake are described below.

Business (Executive)

  • monitor the Business Case against external events and project progress
  • assure that the project remains in line with Customer strategies
  • monitor the business risks to ensure that these are kept under control
  • monitor changes to the Project Plan to see whether there is any impact on the project Business Case
  • assess the impact of potential changes on the Business Case and Project Plan
  • advise the Executive of User and Supplier excesses
  • monitor stage and project progress against the agreed tolerances

User

  • assure that specification of the User's needs is accurate, complete and unambiguous
  • monitor the development of the solution at all Stages to ensure that it will meet the User's needs
  • assure that the impact of potential changes is evaluated from the User point of view
  • assure that risks to the Users are constantly monitored
  • assure that testing of products at all Stages has the appropriate User representation
  • monitor quality control procedures are used correctly so that products meet User requirements

Supplier

  • monitor that any Supplier and operating standards defined for the project are met and used to good effect
  • monitor potential changes and their impact on the correctness, completeness and integrity of products against their Product Description from a Supplier perspective
  • monitor any risks in the production aspects of the project
  • assure quality control procedures are used correctly, so that products adhere to requirement

 

HOW DO SPOCE CARRY OUT THE ROLE?

In practice, to carry out these assurance functions, SPOCE will visit project personnel at the frequency required by the Project Board to assess the status and management of the project. This will be summarised by providing an assurance report to the Project Board, or by adding comments onto Highlight Reports.

To carry out the Project Assurance role effectively usually required SPOCE would dedicate around 2-5 days per month to assess project standards and systems, and to provide assurance reports to the project board.  The time required to be committed to the project obviously depends on the type and size of the project; the extent of the assurance services required; and how the assurance should be carried out (formal, informal, etc).  All of these factors are discussed and agreed during steps 1 & 2 above.

To discuss SPOCE’s Project Assurance services, or to arrange an initial meeting with one of our consultants, call +44 (0)1202 736373, email info@spoce.com or complete the online enquiry form by clicking here.

SPOCE also offer a 1-day Project Assurance training event for Project Board members and Project Assurance personnel. Click here for details.

 

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