Whether you are an experienced project delivery professional or new to the profession – applying a Standard when leading and managing projects provides a consistent and common approach that empowers you to deliver.
Recognising these benefits, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has worked closely with departments and subject matter experts to develop the first Project Delivery Functional Standard in government, which is now available on gov.uk.
The First Functional Standard
This is one of the first Standards to be released which supports government’s strategy for central cross-departmental corporate functions that help deliver more efficient and effective government.
Functions are a way of working horizontally across government, breaking down silos, and bringing specialist skills and expertise into the Civil Service. Creating a Standard for the Project Delivery Function is an important milestone, as it helps provide consensus and consistency for the successful delivery of all types of projects, across all departments.
By Government, for Government
To be applicable at all levels across government, the Standard has been developed with project delivery professionals - catering for a wide-range of roles within government:
- Permanent Secretaries, Directors General and CEO’s of ALB’s and Suppliers - For ensuring an environment exists which promotes delivery success and integrates with their organisation’s governance, policies and other activities
- Senior Responsible Owners - For understanding and ensuring the breadth of practices required for successful delivery are used on their programme or project
- Owners of Department Methodologies - To act as a reference when developing or updating processes and techniques to ensure project delivery practices are consistent across government
- Assurance and Audit Bodies - To act as a reference when developing assurance and audit tools
- Programme and Project Offices, Managers and their Teams - To act as a reference when defining methodologies which reflect the practices in the standard
- Individual Programme or Project Managers - The standard is a useful reference for them to check their own programme or project against. Are managers doing everything necessary to ensure the work is needed, under control and justifiable?
- External Suppliers - Suppliers may be involved with or are bidding for government projects, and the Standard can be used as a reference to better understand approaches, decision points, and project phases used in government to ensure alignment
It has also been developed against six key principles to ensure a consistent and fit-for-purpose Project Delivery approach across government:
- The Standard must have the Departments and Profession at its core; it must be developed by government, for government
- The purpose of the Standard is not to define how projects are delivered, but to define the what and the why of project delivery
- Its benefits are not delivered alone and it must be integrated with the other Functional Standards
- Leading practices must be incorporated to enable world-class delivery of projects across Government
- The Standard must align capabilities for team roles and it should be used as a reference for project assurance
- It defines the Project Delivery principles which sets expectations for the direction and management of portfolios, programmes and projects
Learn more about the Standard
You can learn more about the Project Delivery Standard by registering for a webinar on the 25th October. You will hear from Tony Meggs, CEO of the IPA, Government Departments, and the IPA Projects Profession and Standards Team.
For any queries about the Standard, please contact projectdeliveryprofession@ipa.gov.uk.
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