Resetting Major Programmes
Aligned with guidance on HM Treasury Approvals Process, this guidance from the IPA aims to support programmes where it is decided that the way the programme is set up means it no longer is able to achieve its intended objectives or outcomes within agreed parameters. Based on best practice from across departments, it sets out the steps needed to approach a ‘reset’, taking clear, purposeful and collaborative action across government to respond positively to a need for change.
A ‘reset’ is needed when a programme is not able to successfully deliver planned objectives within agreed parameters and there is no credible route to successful delivery. To return the project to a deliverable state, it is necessary to bring about a fundamental or substantial change to a project’s stated objectives, delivery approach, output, schedule and/or whole life costs.
This guidance aims to provide a high-level framework for project professionals considering the need for a ‘reset’ of their project or programme, accounting for the wide range of different types of project across the GMPP and beyond. It also recognises that each decision is informed by the judgement of the Accounting Officer and, in the case of GMPP projects going through the Response to Red process, HM Treasury and the IPA.