ETI-6
Response
Accepted
Optimism Bias in Business Cases
Recommendation
All Business Case versions must include risk assessments accounting for optimism bias per published government guidance.
Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- In November 2023, the Scottish Government stated it already operates in line with best practices for governance and light rail delivery (Transport Secretary Statement on Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report, Scottish Government, 2 November 2023).
- Scottish Government Green Book supplementary guidance requires consideration of optimism bias in Business Cases, but no published update specifically responding to this recommendation has been identified to March 2026.
- Scottish Government Green Book supplementary guidance requires consideration of optimism bias in Business Cases, but no published update specifically responding to this recommendation has been identified to March 2026.
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Response
Accepted
Response
Accepted
Accepted
Scottish Government
02 Nov 2023
The Scottish Government stated it already operates in line with best practices for governance and light rail delivery. Source: Transport Secretary Statement, 2 November 2023.
Progress Timeline
Official Report
02 Nov 2023
Initial status based on Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council responses to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report (September 2023).
Responsible Bodies
Scottish Government
Primary
Themes & Tags
Recommendation age
2.8 yrs
Last formal update
941 days ago