Our assurance gives executive sponsors of high-stakes programmes what they need most; control.

insight

To the programme executive sponsor: Are you in control?

“Are you in control?” is a question I’ve seen posed by boards to executive sponsors of over-running, over-spending, slippage-laden transformation programmes dozens of times over the past three decades: Four simple, yet hugely challenging words. This article examines the good, the bad and the ugly answers.

3 Minutes

insight

“Are you in control?” is a question I’ve seen posed by boards to executive sponsors of over-running, over-spending, slippage-laden transformation programmes dozens of times over the past three decades: Four simple, yet hugely challenging words. This article examines the good the bad and the ugly answers.

To the programme executive sponsor: Are you in control?

5 MIN

The executive sponsor's dilemma

The challenge

How are you supposed to control the complex, fast-moving and sometimes opaque world of programme delivery and still do your day-job?

The solution

Programme assurance does the heavy lifting for you. We provide the line of sight, the insight, the foresight, and crucially, the options that enable you to exercise effective oversight.

The challenge

How are you supposed to control the complex, fast-moving and sometimes opaque world of programme delivery and still do your day-job?

The solution

Programme assurance does the heavy lifting for you. We provide the line of sight, the insight, the foresight, and crucially, the options that enable you to exercise effective oversight.

insight

The executive sponsor's dilemma

High-stakes delivery demands more than oversight; it requires forensic accountability. Explore why modern boards must bridge the gap between executive responsibility and detailed programme assurance to avoid systemic failure.

3 Minutes

What is programme assurance?

Programme assurance - not to be confused with accounting assurance - is the delivery of expert support to a programme, with the full authority of the executive sponsor; a combination of advisory, training, coaching and challenging, specifically designed to alter the odds of a successful programme outcome. And the beauty of it is that it's entirely self-funding, with a very short ROI.

insight

Why programme assurance is for the executive sponsor, not the programme

If a programme goes wrong, it is typically treated like a sudden change in the weather - unexpected, unforeseeable and not really anyone’s fault. The only exception to that treatment is the executive sponsor...

5 Minutes

When should programme assurance be engaged?

First contact between a client and Oxford8 typically happens at one of three moments in a programme’s lifecycle. We term these moments The Outset, The Onset and The Reset.

alignment

From the outset

A clean delivery needs a clean start.

insight

The outset

The outset – the beginning of a new programme - may look superficially like a greenfield experience, but it rarely is. It typically follows rapidly on the heels of the previous programme, which often means that the organisation is freshly scarred by whatever transpired before - the overspend, the organisational burnout, and above all, the belief that “we’re just not very good at change.”

4 Minutes

interception

From the onset

The emergence of initial difficulties isn’t bad news, it’s a great opportunity to intercept visible problems before they become costly mistakes.

Interception, without the drama.

insight

The onset is the point in a programme where initial symptoms of potential failure start to emerge. Anyone who has ever experienced this situation will tell you that it is almost impossible to identify the specific data point or event at which the situation crystalised.

The onset

3 Minutes

recovery

From the reset

If you’ve reached the point of needing to reset, you need to do it quickly, do it once and do it right.

A clean reset in 25 days.

insight

A reset typically occurs when a programme that has been struggling to meet its milestones and control its spending finally exceeds the elastic limit of optimism and cannot proceed any further without major revisions to timeframe and budget. For the executive sponsor, it’s the biggest single test of programme leadership.

The reset

4 Minutes

How we deliver

3-stage approach:

stage 1

discovery

Duration: 5 days

stage 2

action plan

Duration: 20 days

stage 3

Assurance delivery

Duration: Fractional, and to the finish line

  • The upfront application of analysis to provide line-of-sight, insight and foresight
  • Based on existing artefacts and 1-1s
  • Designed to be low-key, unobtrusive, and not distracting or concerning for the programme team
  • Provides a full systemic assessment of the functioning of the programme – everything from the business case and the programme plan to the handling of risks, issues and dependencies.
  • Also provides an action plan for addressing issues found
  • Supported execution of the action plan
  • Active guidance through
  • Implementation of new approaches (e.g. a more rigorous approach to risk management)
  • Training (e.g. in planning),
  • Coaching (e.g. in stakeholder engagement)
  • Facilitation (e.g. re-planning)
  • Education (e.g. target operating model)
  • Results in a performant programme executable plan, a fit-for-purpose risk and management system
  • Rolling engagement to the finish line
  • Access to the Oxford8 library of Client Advisory Notes [link]
  • Delivered on a fractional basis, geared to the scale and complexity of the programme whilst keeping the costs proportionate
  • Focused on the anticipation and avoidance of problems (and therefore slippage), but also where necessary, effective, rapid remediation
  • Can provide independent triangulation for the Board

stage 1

discovery

5 days

stage 1

Outcomes

  • List Item #1
  • List Item #2
  • List Item #3
  • List Item #4
  • List Item #5
  • List Item #6

stage 2

action plan

20 days

stage 2

outcomes

  • List Item #1
  • List Item #2
  • List Item #3
  • List Item #4
  • List Item #5
  • List Item #6

stage 3

Assurance delivery

Fractional, and to the finish line

stage 3

outcomes

  • List Item #1
  • List Item #2
  • List Item #3
  • List Item #4
  • List Item #5
  • List Item #6

How we deliver

3-stage approach:

stage 1

discovery

5 days

stage 2

action plan

20 days

stage 3

Assurance delivery

Fractional, and to the finish line

stage 1

  • The upfront application of analysis to provide line-of-sight, insight and foresight
  • Based on existing artefacts and 1-1s
  • Designed to be low-key, unobtrusive, and not distracting or concerning for the programme team
  • Provides a full systemic assessment of the functioning of the programme – everything from the business case and the programme plan to the handling of risks, issues and dependencies.
  • Also provides an action plan for addressing issues found

stage 2

  • Supported execution of the action plan
  • Active guidance through
  • Implementation of new approaches (e.g. a more rigorous approach to risk management)
  • Training (e.g. in planning),
  • Coaching (e.g. in stakeholder engagement)
  • Facilitation (e.g. re-planning)
  • Education (e.g. target operating model)
  • Results in a performant programme executable plan, a fit-for-purpose risk and management system

stage 3

  • Rolling engagement to the finish line
  • Access to the Oxford8 library of Client Advisory Notes [link]
  • Delivered on a fractional basis, geared to the scale and complexity of the programme whilst keeping the costs proportionate
  • Focused on the anticipation and avoidance of problems (and therefore slippage), but also where necessary, effective, rapid remediation
  • Can provide independent triangulation for the Board

stage 1

discovery

5 days

stage 1

Outcomes

  • List Item #1
  • List Item #2
  • List Item #3
  • List Item #4
  • List Item #5
  • List Item #6

stage 2

action plan

20 days

stage 2

outcomes

  • List Item #1
  • List Item #2
  • List Item #3
  • List Item #4
  • List Item #5
  • List Item #6

stage 3

Assurance delivery

Fractional, and to the finish line

stage 3

outcomes

  • List Item #1
  • List Item #2
  • List Item #3
  • List Item #4
  • List Item #5
  • List Item #6

Who are Oxford8?

We’re exclusively former hot-seat practitioners; people who have delivered some of the most challenging programmes in the field of change. We originated from the first-ever Master’s degree in Major Programme Management at the University of Oxford back in 2009, so we’re research-informed, but make no mistake: We learned our craft in the field.

Why Oxford8?

The flip answer? Because we're the only provider in the market who does purely programme assurance for a living.   There are about 200 companies in the UK who purport to provide programme assurance. They do so for a variety of reasons - everything from optimising resource utilisation, through to account presence for cross-selling and even the displacement of competitors – none of which is for the benefit of the client. We provide assurance, free of conflicts of interest, for one reason and one reason only; because we know that it is the effective route to controlled programme delivery.

insight

What do carbon monoxide poisoning and programme slippage have in common?

There’s an old adage that programme slippage is a bit like carbon monoxide poisoning: It’s cumulative, often invisible and there are few warning signs prior to the unconscious drift into the fatal moment.

4 Minutes

Our approach

If you’re looking for passive fence-sitters with a risk and controls background, that’s not us. Effective assurance has to be multi-dimensional and actively involved: Oxford8’s version of assurance blends advisory, training, case-studies, worked examples, pressure-testing and a variety of other approaches and techniques to support the programme. Below are some examples of exactly how we get our hands dirty:

the blueprint

Planning

Discovery highlighted deficiencies in planning, resulting in daily instances of improvisation within the programme. A two-day training reset provided the programme team with a new approach to planning, supported by specific techniques and worked examples. This was used as the springboard for a replanning exercise, which was closed out via three, 5-day iterations. The outcome was a robust, definitive plan, underpinning a stable, predictable and controlled delivery. Governance of the plan was also modified to track, report and intercept slippage in real time.

insight

Beyond the statement of intent

3 Minutes

the pivot

Risk management

Discovery identified weaknesses in risk management, resulting in the programme team being more reactive rather than proactive. A new approach to risk was introduced, supported by clear definitions and worked examples. A rigorous, 2-day review of the programme risks reduced the volume, sharpened the clarity and identified clear paths to reduce overall risk exposure by converting risks into activities in the plan. Governance was modified to move away from the conventional ‘top 5 risks’ approach to focus instead on overall risk exposure and risk trajectory, and deal with the root causes of risks by enabling line-of-sight to thematic risks.

insight

Programme risk - time to skip the omelette

3 Minutes

mitigation

Issue management

Discovery demonstrated a tendancy for issues to stagnate, resulting in ongoing slippage. A new approach to issue management was introduced, providing clearer definition and a more structured method of issue resolution. The result was a smaller volume of issues, faster, more focused resolution and therefore less management time consumed by issue management. Governance was also revised from the conventional ‘top 5 issues’ approach to focus instead on ‘cycle time’ (the duration from issue identification to issue resolution) and root cause analysis to reduce exposure to recurrent issues.

insight

Risks don't kill programmes - issues do

5 Minutes

value realisation

Business case

Examination of the business case revealed an over-reliance on minimal cost savings in the back office whilst overlooking substantial revenue opportuninites that could be unlocked in the front of house operations. An action plan was developed to test and prove the revised business case, which also enabled front of house operations to advance up the learning curve, further accelerating return on investment. The first 12 months of operation following go-live delivered a 19% increase in EBITDA – considerably above the break-even target of 6%.

insight

Building a better business case: lessons from Bilbao

5 Minutes

Optimisation

Testing

Execution of user acceptance testing was running 70% behind projections. Examination of the problem revealed significant coordination challenges across a test community of 50 resources. By mapping testers to system-specific roles, the testing team was reduced to a headcount of 8. This accelerated testing to achieve not only a run-rate of 130% of projected, it also freed up operations staff to concentrate on other aspects of the programme such as training and operational readiness.

insight

Testing: the Ringelmann Effect

5 Minutes

communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Discovery revealed significant assymetry of information – and therefore understanding – within the stakeholder community. A brief training exercise to equip the wider programme team with stakeholder engagement skills and techniques was followed by a reset of the stakeholder engagement plan. The resulting uptick in programme support and participation was cited as a major factor in the successful delivery of the programme, and its subsequent adoption by the business.

insight

Navigating stakeholder engagement

2 Minutes

collaboration

Supplier Engagement

Interaction with the implementation partner during the discovery phase surfaced a number of issues that were impeding both the supplier and the client. Rapid resolution of the issues reduced friction in the reationship, resulting in greater productivity and flexibility. This was cited as a major factor in the successful delivery of the programme, and led to ongoing engagement of the implementation partner which resulted directly in the client introducing market-leading functionality within its platform.

insight

Line of sight: why observable behaviours distort supplier relationships

3 Minutes

organisational readiness

Target Operating Model

The opportunity costs associated with high-stakes programmes probably mean that if the outcome isn’t touching the operating model, it’s unlikely that the programme is worth doing. However, the concept of Target Operating Model – ‘TOM’ isn’t as widely or consistently understood as is necessary to ensure the full width of organisational. Ox8 assisted by leading the organisation through a case-study based exploration of target operating models to understand not only what they really are, but also the approaches and techniques needed to ensure successful implementation.

insight

Probably the best target operating model in the world

3 Minutes

What should I expect from programme assurance?

Stable, predictable, drama-free programme delivery enabled by expert inputs designed specifically for ease of consumption.

insight

What control feels like

Controversial statement: Programmes should be fun. If you’re on a programme, you get to play a front-line role in removing all of the frustrations of your working life; the clunky applications with their long wait times and counter-intuitive interfaces, the arcane processes layered with workaround band-aids, the non-sensical org structures that mean everything takes three times as long.

5 Minutes