A way to increase public project’s
chances of success
Let’s talk about public projects!
SERIES ARTICLE
By Stanisław Gasik
Warsaw, Poland
Introduction
In public projects, the management team and the organization responsible for the project are often organizationally distant from the actual resource owners, who are the taxpayers and, more broadly, the entire society of a country (or its subdivision). As a result, these owners do not have direct insight into or influence over the methods and status of project implementation. This distance creates the potential for intentional or unintentional misuse of resources or the application of inappropriate management methods. Many countries strive to mitigate this risk. In several of them, audit offices are in place (Gasik, 2023a). However, these audits tend to be procedurally unsystematic. In some projects, audits are conducted only once (for example, after the project is completed), while in others, they occur several times in response to signals or requests. In some cases, for instance due to the lack of sufficient resources within audit offices, some projects may not be audited at all. Therefore, there is a need, particularly for the largest, most expensive, and most important for the state projects to introduce more systematic mechanisms for verifying the status of public project implementation.
One way to meet this need is through implementing processes known as project assurance.
What is project assurance?
Project assurance involves systematic actions carried out by teams independent of the project team, aimed at ensuring that projects are managed in a way that guarantees the achievement of their objectives. Assurance is a key component of project management (e.g., UK IPA, 2016; New Zealand Government, 2019; Scottish Government, 2019). Assurance processes provide objective information necessary for decision-making (New Zealand Government, 2022). These activities involve analyzing the project’s status and identifying its strengths and weaknesses. The New Zealand Government emphasizes the importance of independent project assurance as a critical element of project governance (New Zealand Government, ibid).
Public agencies often use a phase-gate structure for project assurance (Cooper, 1990; UK OGC, 2007).
Phases and gates
Generally, each project or program consists of phases separated by gates. At the end of each phase, a review of its status (a project gate) is conducted. Each review assesses and approves the outcomes of the phase and checks whether the processes for the subsequent phases ensure the achievement of the project’s objectives. To proceed to the next phase, the project must receive a positive (or conditionally positive) review outcome. Besides these predetermined points in the project lifecycle, ad hoc project assurance may be conducted when there are signals of poor project performance or when authorized bodies wish to check the project’s status.
The application of the assurance process increases the likelihood of early detection of project issues and the implementation of corrective measures.
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Editor’s note: This article series is related to the management of public programs and projects, those organized, financed and managed by governments and public officials. The author, Dr. Stanisław Gasik, is the author of the book “Projects, Government, and Public Policy”, recently published by CRC Press / Taylor and Francis Group. That book and these articles are based on Dr. Gasik’s research into governmental project management around the world over the last decade. Stanisław is well-known and respected by PMWJ editors; we welcome and support his efforts to share knowledge that can help governments worldwide achieve their most important initiatives.
How to cite this paper: Gasik, S. (2024). Project assurance – a way to increase public project’s chances of success, Let’s talk about public projects, series article, PM World Journal, Volume XIII, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pmwj145-Sep2024-Gasik-Public-Project-Assurance.pdf
About the Author
Stanisław Gasik, PhD, PMP
Warsaw, Poland
Dr. Stanisław Gasik, PMP is a project management expert. He graduated from the University of Warsaw, Poland, with M. Sc. in mathematics and Ph. D. in organization sciences (with a specialty in project management). Stanisław has over 30 years of experience in project management, consulting, teaching, and implementing PM organizational solutions. His professional and research interests include project knowledge management, portfolio management, and project management maturity. He is the author of the only holistic model of project knowledge management spanning from the individual to the global level.
Since 2013, his main professional focus has been on public projects. He was an expert in project management at the Governmental Accountability Office, an institution of the US Congress. He is the author of “Projects, Government, and Public Policy,” a book that systematizes knowledge about government activities in the area of project management.
He was a significant contributor to PMI’s PMBOK® Guide and PMI Standard for Program Management and contributed to other PMI standards. He has lectured at global PMI and IPMA congresses and other international conferences.
His web page is www.gpm3.eu.
To view other works by Dr. Gasik, please visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/stanislaw-gasik-phd-pmp/
