Project and Programme Effectiveness
Business Assurance projects can be long, complex and costly, and often require management skill sets that are not readily available within organisations’ existing project management teams. Successful projects require experienced project managers and project office staff who understand the risks, issues and dependencies that are specific to security, assurance and continuity work.
At ECA we work with our clients to ensure that our recommendations and strategies are delivered on time, on budget, and to the required quality. From independent executive advice through to project office support, ECA can assist all sizes of Business Assurance project. Typically our clients will ask us to provide:
- Feasibility and business case support: ECA will prepare or review proposals and business cases for new systems and processes before expensive projects are approved, thus assuring key decision-makers that the project addresses the business need, that it can be delivered as required, and that it represents value for money.
- Independent executive counsel: ECA’s team will work with executive management to provide confidential strategic support throughout the project lifecycle: acting as mentors who can give an independent appraisal of the project and ensure that managers know what questions to ask and what actions to demand of their project team.
- Project management: where appropriate, ECA can provide project management experts who can bolster existing project office teams to ensure that they have the right mix of management and business assurance content, and that the project team is better able to interface with delivery staff and technology vendors.
- Delivery expertise: ECA can review and revise business processes and project designs to ensure that they support the business properly; develop and document key Business Assurance procedures; and select and train end users where appropriate.
- Outsourcing and vendor relationship management: Business Assurance projects almost invariably depend upon external vendors, whether just as technology suppliers or as full outsourcing contracts. ECA can assist with the selection, contracting and management of third party organisations to ensure that external dependencies don’t become critical project risks.
As project advisors and managers, ECA’s skills and experience ensure that your Business Assurance activities are subject to expert oversight through to delivery and beyond.
Restoring Projects in Crisis
At ECA we recognise that sometimes project risks become real delivery issues. When this happens ECA can provide an independent Project Risk Assessment - and review of likely success. No matter how small the risk may seem, problems on a technology project may go unnoticed until it’s too late. ECA will then work with your team to bring a project back on track. Among other things, the team will consider:
- Is your project still viable?
- Are its aims and objectives deliverable?
- Has the business strategy moved on?
- Are your business and technology teams working together?
- Are the Project Manager and his deputy up to the job?
- Are there enough correctly skilled resources to deliver the job?
ECA has successfully diagnosed and cured more than 25 ailing projects in similar circumstances.