The signals worth acting on
- A second slip with a new explanation. The first slip is information. The second suggests the plan was never right.
- Private and public views differ. If people describe the programme differently in the corridor than in the meeting, the reporting is not working.
- Decisions keep moving right. Particularly decisions that are uncomfortable rather than complicated.
- The supplier is running the governance. If their reporting is the only reporting, you have outsourced the truth.
- Your best people have gone quiet. Experienced people stop raising concerns when raising them has not worked.
What to ask for
Not necessarily a recovery. The proportionate first step is usually a short independent review: two to three weeks, talking to the people doing the work, ending with an honest view of where the programme really is and what it would take to land it. That costs a fraction of a recovery six months later, and occasionally concludes that the programme is fine, which is a perfectly good outcome to pay for.
What to avoid
Adding people to a late programme rarely helps. Neither does replacing the programme manager as a first move, which usually loses six weeks of context in exchange for a feeling of decisiveness. Understand the problem before you change the team.
Who should commission it
The sponsor, not the programme. A review commissioned by the people being reviewed produces a different report.