Independent Delivery Assurance
Independent second-line review and control assurance — objective, evidence-based reporting that gives boards and regulators confidence in how risk is actually managed, delivered by a practitioner who understands both the framework and the front line.
What to expect — Baseline Assurance Review:
Mobilisation — scope and governance access confirmed
Documentation & stakeholder review — programme documentation reviewed; sponsor, programme manager and workstream leads interviewed
Assurance assessment — scope control, schedule realism, cost/benefit tracking, risk management, quality and governance assessed
Reporting & readout — baseline assurance report with RAG rating, delivered as a board-ready executive readout
Optional: Periodic Assurance Cycle — once the baseline is complete, ongoing monthly or per-gate reviews are available: a document/gate review, stakeholder check-ins and an updated report with trend commentary each cycle, quoted separately on request.
Typical baseline duration: 2–3 weeks
Why independent programme assurance
Boards and audit committees increasingly expect independent challenge on major technology and transformation programmes — not because one specific rule mandates it, but because programme status reporting has a structural conflict of interest built in: the person telling the board "we're on track" is usually the person accountable for it being on track. That's not a dishonesty problem, it's a proximity problem, and it's exactly what an independent assurance function exists to correct.
This service is that independent view — assessed against a standard assurance framework (scope control, schedule realism, cost/benefit tracking, risk management, quality, benefits realisation, governance), delivered as either a one-off baseline review or an ongoing periodic cycle.
Is this for you?
This is for a programme that is:
High-value or high-risk enough that the board or a risk committee wants independent assurance, not just the programme's own status reports.
Showing signs of drift — schedule slippage, scope creep, or unclear benefits tracking — where an outside view can cut through internal politics.
Subject to a governance requirement for independent assurance on major change, whether from an internal audit charter or a board risk committee mandate.
Approaching, or has just passed, a major gate or funding decision, where the sponsor wants a clean-sheet check before committing further.
Typical buyers: Programme Sponsor, PMO Director, CIO/CTO, or a Board Risk Committee overseeing a major technology or transformation programme.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from our own PMO reporting?
Independence. The programme manager and PMO have a natural interest in reporting progress positively — not through dishonesty, but through proximity. This assurance reports directly to the sponsor or board, separate from programme leadership, specifically so the answer isn't shaped by who's accountable for the outcome.
How long does the baseline review take?
Around 10 person-days, typically 2–3 weeks elapsed depending on document access and stakeholder availability for interviews.
What do we get at the end?
An assurance framework tailored to your programme, a baseline assurance report with a RAG rating, an executive/board-ready readout, and an escalation log for anything serious enough to flag outside the normal reporting cycle.
Do we have to commit to ongoing assurance?
No. The baseline review is a bounded, one-off engagement. A periodic assurance cycle (monthly, or per governance gate) is offered afterward, only once the baseline has shown its value — never sold as an open-ended retainer up front.
Does this cover technical or architecture quality?
No — this assesses governance, planning, risk management and delivery discipline, not solution design or technical architecture. A technical review can be scoped separately if that's what's needed.
What does it cost?
Scoped and quoted after a short call — there's no published price. A periodic assurance cycle, if taken up afterward, is quoted separately and scaled to fit the baseline review. Get in touch and we'll confirm scope and cost together.
Independent second-line review and control assurance — objective, evidence-based reporting that gives boards and regulators confidence in how risk is actually managed, delivered by a practitioner who understands both the framework and the front line.
What to expect — Baseline Assurance Review:
Mobilisation — scope and governance access confirmed
Documentation & stakeholder review — programme documentation reviewed; sponsor, programme manager and workstream leads interviewed
Assurance assessment — scope control, schedule realism, cost/benefit tracking, risk management, quality and governance assessed
Reporting & readout — baseline assurance report with RAG rating, delivered as a board-ready executive readout
Optional: Periodic Assurance Cycle — once the baseline is complete, ongoing monthly or per-gate reviews are available: a document/gate review, stakeholder check-ins and an updated report with trend commentary each cycle, quoted separately on request.
Typical baseline duration: 2–3 weeks
Why independent programme assurance
Boards and audit committees increasingly expect independent challenge on major technology and transformation programmes — not because one specific rule mandates it, but because programme status reporting has a structural conflict of interest built in: the person telling the board "we're on track" is usually the person accountable for it being on track. That's not a dishonesty problem, it's a proximity problem, and it's exactly what an independent assurance function exists to correct.
This service is that independent view — assessed against a standard assurance framework (scope control, schedule realism, cost/benefit tracking, risk management, quality, benefits realisation, governance), delivered as either a one-off baseline review or an ongoing periodic cycle.
Is this for you?
This is for a programme that is:
High-value or high-risk enough that the board or a risk committee wants independent assurance, not just the programme's own status reports.
Showing signs of drift — schedule slippage, scope creep, or unclear benefits tracking — where an outside view can cut through internal politics.
Subject to a governance requirement for independent assurance on major change, whether from an internal audit charter or a board risk committee mandate.
Approaching, or has just passed, a major gate or funding decision, where the sponsor wants a clean-sheet check before committing further.
Typical buyers: Programme Sponsor, PMO Director, CIO/CTO, or a Board Risk Committee overseeing a major technology or transformation programme.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from our own PMO reporting?
Independence. The programme manager and PMO have a natural interest in reporting progress positively — not through dishonesty, but through proximity. This assurance reports directly to the sponsor or board, separate from programme leadership, specifically so the answer isn't shaped by who's accountable for the outcome.
How long does the baseline review take?
Around 10 person-days, typically 2–3 weeks elapsed depending on document access and stakeholder availability for interviews.
What do we get at the end?
An assurance framework tailored to your programme, a baseline assurance report with a RAG rating, an executive/board-ready readout, and an escalation log for anything serious enough to flag outside the normal reporting cycle.
Do we have to commit to ongoing assurance?
No. The baseline review is a bounded, one-off engagement. A periodic assurance cycle (monthly, or per governance gate) is offered afterward, only once the baseline has shown its value — never sold as an open-ended retainer up front.
Does this cover technical or architecture quality?
No — this assesses governance, planning, risk management and delivery discipline, not solution design or technical architecture. A technical review can be scoped separately if that's what's needed.
What does it cost?
Scoped and quoted after a short call — there's no published price. A periodic assurance cycle, if taken up afterward, is quoted separately and scaled to fit the baseline review. Get in touch and we'll confirm scope and cost together.