IPA Annual Report 2018-19

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.