External Expertise on Project Boards
Project boards are an essential element of project management oversight and must include individuals who can challenge and who are not directly responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the project. Such boards, in appropriate circumstances, can benefit greatly from the inclusion of individuals external to the Northern Ireland Civil Service, preferably with experience/expertise in the project subject matter.
How was this assessed?
Response
Accepted
Response
Accepted[Note: The NI Executive responded to recommendations 8-18, 24, 26-28, 32b, 34-36 together as a group under the 'Professional Skills, Resourcing, Record Keeping and Raising Concerns' themes.] NI Executive Response (October 2021): These recommendations can be accepted in full. They have been addressed in work to date through: strengthening of policy and guidance relating to project delivery; work to establish the new NICS Project Delivery Profession; accredited practitioner-level training in the Management of Risk methodology, available via NICSHR Learning & Development; amendment to the Treasury Orange Book (Risk Management); the Review of Business Case and Expenditure Approval processes; agreement by the NICS Board on the principles and procedures for use of SIB. Further work is required to: Establish the NICS Project Delivery Profession; Ensure that all Departments have in place a P3O Office, as set out in DAO 02/20; Bring forward proposals for the implementation of Portfolio Management; Implement the IPA's 'Get to Green' refresh of Gateway and wider Assurance Reviews; reform behaviours and culture to ensure a greater focus on risk management; improve the way in which departments work with Invest NI and SIB, ensuring that that partnership dovetails with Gateway and existing guidance on the obligations of the SRO; improve the reporting of risks to Ministers; develop cross-departmental collaboration and coordination through the PfG outcomes-based approach and the promotion of collaborative behaviours; ensure senior ownership of governance arrangements with third parties.
Progress Timeline
NIAO Second Progress Report (October 2024): Unlikely to be Fully Implemented. Despite updated Dear Accounting Officer guidance recommending external board members and SIB engagement, DoF maintains that Senior Responsible Owners are accountable for board composition and that monitoring operational implementation would be 'disproportionate'. NIAO concludes the planned action is unlikely to fully address the recommendation because there is no monitoring of whether project boards actually include external challengers in practice. This assessment was downgraded from 'Likely' in 2022.
Published Evidence
Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
NIAO identified this as one of 5 recommendations unlikely to be fully addressed. Project boards with external challenge members remain inconsistently implemented across departments.
View detailed findings
The NIAO's second progress report (October 2024) assessed 42 recommendations and found 26 fully implemented. RHI-13 (requiring external expertise on project boards) was among 5 recommendations considered unlikely to be fully addressed by actions currently planned.