The document discusses project assurance and provides definitions. It summarizes outputs from the APM Assurance SIG, including guides on integrated assurance, assuring agile delivery, and project auditing. It asks what stakeholders need assurance on and describes common assurance activities. It addresses when assurance is needed, who can provide it, and how to build stakeholder confidence through a credible method. Finally, it outlines current APM Assurance SIG workstreams and closes by questioning whether a hug can provide assurance.
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A valid approach to Project Assurance
1. 1
Sometimes all you need is a hug!
A valid approach to Project Assurance?
Presentation to
APM Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire
Branch
on 10th April 2019
Dave Lovitt and Roy Millard
APM Assurance SIG
V5
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Summary of SIG outputs to date
• Assurance Definitions – 2009
• Guide to Integrated Assurance - 2014
• Measures for Assuring Project Toolkit - 2016
• Guide to Assurance of Agile Delivery - 2017
• Guide to Project Auditing - 2018
APM Assurance SIG
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What is Assurance?
P3 assurance:
The process of providing confidence to stakeholders that projects, programmes
and portfolios will achieve their scope, time, cost and quality objectives, and
realise their benefits. (Source: APM BoK6)
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)
Some definitions
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What is Assurance?
For the purposes of this exercise:
Assurance is giving stakeholders confidence
about particular aspects of a project
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Who needs confidence, in what?
⚫ Sponsors
⚫ Funding body
⚫ Regulatory authorities
⚫ Project management team
⚫ Audit committee
⚫ Customers
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“I need
assurance
because....
...I need to know that everything is
under control”.
...I need to know whether what I am
being told is correct”.
...I need to be confident that I am going
to get what I want”.
...I need to know whether the project is
going to finish on time and within
budget”.
...I need to know if things are going
horribly wrong and whether I should
can the project!”.
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Pre-requisites for assurers
⚫ Skills
⚫ Knowledge
⚫ Experience
plus
Clear method
Combine to establish credibility of assurance
How do you go about creating
confidence ?
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When is assurance needed?
⚫ At key points in lifecycle
⚫ When stakeholder perspective changes
⚫ In response to real world events / triggers
⚫ According to risk
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How much is enough?
⚫ Risk based
⚫ Mandatory and Discretionary
⚫ Real cost vs perceived value
⚫ Integrated approach to maximise impact
⚫ Lessons from history
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Lessons from history
Common causes of project failure
⚫ Published 2005
⚫ Office of Government Commerce (now IPA)
⚫ Endorsed by National Audit Office
⚫ Underpins Gateway Review process
⚫ Many commercial alternatives
.
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What does the Future hold?
A few themes:
• Integrated Assurance – Still a LONG way to go, but ...
• Changing demands on assurance – AGILE, Hybrid projects
• IPA Review of assurance in Public Sector
• Progressive Assurance
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Where can you get more help and advice?
⚫ Colleagues and peers
− Portfolio office
− Internal Audit
⚫ IPA web site
⚫ APM
− Body of Knowledge
− ASIG
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Current workstreams:
• Project Auditing
• Measures for Assuring Projects
• Integrated Assurance
• Assurance of Agile
• Business Case for Assurance
• Assurance Training
• Assurance of Business Change
• People
• Assurance Maturity Model
• Standards
APM Assurance SIG