Starting a new project is always exciting! We have a fresh faced, talented, and keen team in place. The business case is solid, we have got the budget, and we have the commitment from the executives. What could go wrong?

Well, the answer, unfortunately, is ‘lots’. It is important to consider both the negative risks (threats) and the positive risks (opportunities) to ensure we deliver as intended. Project Assurance is the key to ensuring that the built-in controls are in place and working.

Protection can take the form of ensuring proper professional indemnity insurances are in place. Having insurance in place is fine, but this only kicks in after things have gone wrong with all the resulting trauma and failure associated with projects that go horribly wrong. Protection can also take the form of having a strong risk management process in place. A strong focus on risk ensures that we are constantly looking ahead for both types of risks, threats and opportunities, which if we do not spot early can both cause negative impacts on our project.

Nonsuch Assurance offers a type of protection often overlooked in the early days of a project and sometimes not accounted for when planning, namely, integrated assurance. Integrated Assurance is a type of protection that applies equally for projects and/or programmes. Integrated Assurance is an embedded service that ensures the project/programme remains on track by acting as an independent ‘set of eyes and ears’ on behalf of the sponsor to ensure all the right information is flowing freely through the project and the reporting is accurate.

When this arrangement is put in place from the start and is done transparently, it actually provides comfort to all parties and ensures closer and more regular connections between the governance of the project and its management and delivery. This approach can provide critical information sometimes with desired confidentiality for all parties ensuring key messages and themes travel between all layers of the project and/or programme. This provides you assurance and opportunities to implement appropriate changes to the project ensuring its success.

Feel free to download the Integrated Assurance flyer and learn a bit more about what is required and please contact Gina if you want the complimentary templates that accompany the flyer. Speak to Gina to learn more about this and other assurance services we provide.

Nonsuch Assurance can provide both IQAs (Independent Quality Assurance services focused on reviewing how a project is being governed, managed, and delivered) and TQAs (Technical Quality Assurance services focused on reviewing the product, service, or change being delivered).