Consider a project in which you were a participant that did not succeed. There was likely no single catastrophic event that precipitated the breakdown but that the project instead slid silently and steadily into a disaster over time, as was the case with the project in question. The project in question was one such project.
According to the definition provided above, project assurance is the process of assuring that a project meets its objectives by undertaking an unbiased evaluation of the project’s progress over a certain period.
What is project assurance?
When you hear the phrase “Project Assurance,” it refers to an objective review of a project (or program). There will be a set of recommendations as a result of the evaluation that is crucial to the project’s success.
Project Assurance aids in risk management and boosts delivery confidence by identifying potential problems early on. Providing project assurance can help funders and other stakeholders feel more confident to finish the project under budget and on time and with a high degree of quality.
This refers to as the Project Assurance Function by the authors. The phrase “Project Assurance” was coined for the first time when it comes to Projects in Controlled Environments.
Purpose of Project Assurance
In the context of large-scale strategic projects, a project assurance process is used to evaluate the risks associated with those projects objectively and rationally.
Over the course of the project, the project team members have a more in-depth awareness of any hazards or problems that they may have ignored when managing the project on a day-to-day basis during the early stages.
An additional benefit might be the prevention of risk and cost, the identification of chances for process efficiency improvement, the provision of a forward-looking viewpoint, and the title of early warning signs of significant concerns and dangers.
Responsibilities relating to general project assurance
A number of issues will need to address by project assurance throughout the project’s lifespan. This type of behavior can be seen in the following examples, among others:
- It is necessary to have interactions with diverse stakeholders.
- Identifying, preventing, and minimizing hazards.
- Assurance of the correctness of product descriptions, which the authorized staff has developed
- They demonstrate that employees have received adequate training in quality management approaches and that these procedures are follow appropriately.
- Check to see that both internal and external communication is effective.
- It is necessary to determine if standards are adequate for the reasons for which they are intend.
- It ensures compliance with any particular interest rules that may exist.
Role of Project Assurance for a variety of tasks
The Executive
The CEO’s responsibility is to own the business case and act as a business-minded leader who is ultimately responsible for this project. In addition, the executive has the authority to give the project’s final words and conclusions on behalf of the project.
As a result, there is no evidence of democracy or equal decision-making authority on the part of the project committee.
Seasoned computer user
It acts as a representation of the final user’s requirements to the board of directors. Users’ requirements define in terms of the finished product or service.
Communication between the project management team and users is made more accessible, ensuring that the products meet users’ expectations, particularly development or service quality and ease of use.
The project management team’s ability to communicate effectively with users. Also included is information on the Benefits Review Plan’s benefits, which is very useful.
The Senior Vendor
It is responsible for representing the interests of the provider. Individuals accountable for defining the planning, production, facilitation, and implementation of a project’s products and services. It also supplies the project with supplies and ensures that only the right tools, people, equipment, and knowledge are available.
Aside from that, they guarantee that the product satisfies all applicable criteria, including quality standards. Project Assurance is the responsibility of the Project Board for ensuring that the project runs well and that the products/services deliver on time; this refers to as Project Control.
A typical procedure is for the board to verify it promptly through the Project Manager. Nevertheless, many of the board members are distracted with their respective tasks when it comes to large projects. As a response, the board will assign this task to another member of the board of directors. Project Assurance is the core method of verifying the information, and it is the most widely used method.
The report assesses how successful a project has been, and it supports the Project Manager by providing insight into corporate-related concerns. That is how the board uses its Project Assurance responsibilities to ensure that everything proceeds as planned and that the Project Manager complies with all applicable business rules and laws.
Different board members are accountable for other areas of project assurance, and each board member has a specific responsibility. Take, for example, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is the executive team’s responsibility. Senior Users are responsible for User Assurance, whereas Senior Suppliers are responsible for Supplier Assurance, and old Users are also responsible for User Assurance.
Project Assurance Has Several Advantages
They should serve as a regular reminder to project managers and their teams of the critical relevance of project assurance in their day-to-day activities.
1. It is necessary to develop a comprehensive and well-stated project success definition. Generally speaking, project assurance comprises three key components. Businesses undertake business assurance when they want to compare the results of a project with what they expect to gain from it in the long run. It’s important to consider whether it’s a wise use of the company’s financial and human resources.
2. User assurance is the process of evaluating the intended users of a project’s output. Whether it be a product or a service, and determining whether or not their needs are being met.
Expert assurance determines whether or not the proposed solution is consistent with software and technological requirements.
Project assurance is more than just identifying possible problems with a project, and it is also about mitigating such difficulties. Furthermore, it prevents non-essential problems from exaggerating to the point where they become critical in the situation.
Conclusion
Project assurance contributes to the transformation of a blame culture into one in which people accept responsibility. In order to accomplish this, there must be open communication between the project board and team on the project’s development, whether it is favorable or unfavorable.
Assuring the success of projects contributes to the prevention of all forms of scapegoating. As an alternative, it brings project teams and stakeholders together to collaborate on achieving common goals.
