Independent EMR Project Governance & Assurance Advisory

What is project delivery assurance?

Project delivery assurance is an independent, objective assessment of whether a capital project will actually deliver what it has promised - on time, on budget, and to the required scope and quality. Unlike the project team, whose role is to execute, an assurance function sits outside the delivery structure and reports directly to the Board or senior sponsoring body.

What is the difference between project management and project assurance?

Project management is responsible for delivering a project - planning, resourcing, executing and controlling the work. Project assurance is responsible for independently verifying that the project management function is performing correctly and that the data it produces is reliable.

Why do large capital projects fail to deliver on time and on budget?

Research consistently points to a cluster of systemic causes rather than isolated events. Poor front-end definition - where scope, cost and schedule are approved before they are sufficiently developed - is the most common root cause, compounding every subsequent decision with unreliable baselines.

When should a Board commission an independent project review?

At minimum, before any major capital sanction decision - particularly at stage-gate transitions where go/no-go calls commit significant expenditure. However, the most effective use of independent review is continuous rather than episodic: embedding assurance oversight from concept through commissioning means problems are identified and corrected in real time rather than discovered at post-implementation review.