The annual report of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority is available here.
This year the report references the good work undertaken by the IPA and covers:
- The IPA Customer Charter
- Guidance on the Role of the Senior Responsible Owner
- Project Delivery Functional Standard (2018)
- Lessons from Transport for the Sponsorship of Major Projects (2019)
- The IPA Early Development Pool (EDP) before projects move onto the GMPP, EDP Case Study is the Future Borders Programme
- The Project Initiation Routemap (Case study: Heathrow Expansion (DfT/Heathrow)
- Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP)
- Best Practice in Benchmarking guidance
- Leadership Development Programmes
- Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA)
- Project Leadership Programme (PLP)
- Orchestrating Major Projects Programme (OMP)
Case Studies
- Broadband Delivery Programme (DCMS), now Building Digital UK, (SRO: Raj Kalia)
- DWP People and Locations Programme, (SRO: Karen Gosden)
- Logistics Commodities Service Transformation (MoD), SRO: Roger West
- National Proton Beam Therapy (DHSC), SRO: Cally Palmer)
- Home Office Biometrics Programme (HO), SRO: Brendan Crean
- A400M Atlas Transport Aircraft (MoD), SRO: Air Commodore Simon Edwards
- South West Route Capacity (DfT), SRO: Farah Sheikh
- 30 Hours Free Childcare (DfE), SRO: Michelle Dyson
- Sellfield Model Change, SRO: Duncan Thompson
- Future Borders Programme (HMRC/Border Delivery Group), SRO: Haroona Franklin
- Heathrow Expansion (DfT/Heathrow), SRO: Phil Wilbraham
Notable Projects
- Dreadnaught Submarines (MoD)
- High Speed Rail 2 (DfT)
- Crossrail (DfT)
- Rail Franchising Programme (DfT)
Lessons from Transport
There were five common themes from the Transport lessons report.
- Accountability must be unambiguous
- Behaviour matters more than process
- Control schedule and benefits as well as cost
- Deal with systems integration risk
- Enter service cautiously
The three key lessons raised were.
- Behaviours and culture are just as important as process – having a blind commitment to succeed without a balanced perspective. Investment in relationships between project leaders, delivery organisations and suppliers encourages joint decision-making and problem-solving.
- It is important to pay close attention to projects, even when things are going well – building the spirit of optimism in a team and protecting against the potential for complacency or denial.
- Need more emphasis on managing increasing technical complexity – Complex systems integration failures can arise late in a project lifecycle, but the conditions for success should be established right at the start.
