IPA - UK Infrastructure and Projects Authority, not India Pale Ale!

Spent some time reviewing the Projects currently in progress and being monitored by the UK Infrastructure and Projects Authority. As might be expected, a mixed bag of achievements from very different projects.

In September 2020, Nick Smallwood (Boss at the IPA) added an interesting Blog entitled 'Setting up for success: The Importance of Front-End Loading', closely followed by the publication of a Handbook to add substance to his argument. The essence of what he said was this:-

Getting the basics right

But while increased speed will play an important role in the rebuilding of the country, we must not neglect the importance of getting the basics right in how we deliver projects. That is one of the reasons why we recently published the eight principles for project success, a quick guide for project delivery professionals on things to get right for any project to succeed.

The principle that stands out to me is principle number two; “plan realistically”.

We must invest time in thorough up-front planning to ensure that projects are deliverable and affordable before commitments are given. No amount of good engineering, management, and construction will provide much resilience if a project was the wrong one to begin with and even good project management will not recover the needed value in a poorly selected project.

The importance of front-end loading

That is why we need to target the front end of projects. In this context, front-end loading refers to the implementation of robust planning, design and preparation for project execution in the early stages of a project's lifecycle to improve the potential for a successful project.

I couldn't agree with this more: until looking at the diagram for the 8 principles for project success. It's a re-iteration of 'best practice' for successful project management with very little material that is either new, or inventive, or better than in many textbooks. So I'll state that the Business Cube approach to understanding your business (or a project) is a far better approach, as is the Implementation Model.

If you'd like to know more, please contact me