Assurance should:
- review management planning;
- monitor effectiveness of functions and processes;
- give stakeholders confidence that the work is being managed effectively and efficiently.
| Indicators | Level 2 attributes |
The primary concern of assurance at level 2 is to confirm that the P3 management team is applying good practice to the management of the work. The assurance resources may not be sufficiently experienced to challenge the management team about the processes, procedures, techniques and documentation used. Note: assurance is a generic attribute of all functional capabilities. No individual function can be claimed to be at level 2 unless assurance is at level 2. At level three the assurance resources should be able to critically review the processes, procedures, techniques and documentation used by the management team. This review will include comparison against organisational standards and lessons learned from previous projects and programmes. There will be particular emphasis on how the management team has tailored the organisational standards to their own context. The assurance reviews will also check that new lessons learned are being recorded and input to the knowledge management function. Stakeholders will be consulted to determine their levels of confidence in the management of the work. Note: assurance is a generic attribute of all functional capabilities. No individual function can be claimed to be at level 3 unless assurance is at level 3. |
| Process | The overall management of a project, programme or portfolio is reviewed to ensure it is fit for purpose. This includes life cycle based processes and organisation structure. | |
| Planning | The existence of effective management plans is checked. | |
| Control | Quality control activities and results are reviewed to ensure plans are being implemented. | |
| Report | The results of assurance are communicated to stakeholders. | |
| Indicators | Level 3 attributes | |
| Process | The overall management of a project, programme or portfolio is reviewed to confirm that it accords to organisational standards and has been effectively tailored to match the context of the work. | |
| Planning | Management plans are reviewed against organisational standards and the context of the work. An independent review is conducted of whether all appropriate management plans exist. | |
| Control | The use of quality control results to record and refine lessons learned is reviewed. An independent review is conducted of whether all appropriate control documentation exists. | |
| Report | The assurance management plan is discussed with stakeholders and regular updates ensure high levels of confidence in the management of the work. | |
