8
Conclusion
Seventy-First Report - Resetting govern…
Accepted in Part
SROs described how it would be helpful if resets were seen more positively, which HM Treasury suggested government was moving towards.18 They also commented that resets can be seen as a failure and can be a traumatic event for programme staff, after which the confidence of the team would need …
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SROs described how it would be helpful if resets were seen more positively, which HM Treasury suggested government was moving towards.18 They also commented that resets can be seen as a failure and can be a traumatic event for programme staff, after which the confidence of the team would need to be rebuilt.19 Negative perceptions could mean government bodies continue trying to resolve unresolvable issues and lead to wasted effort and costs.20 The SRO for electronic monitoring commented that “sometimes, the easier path is to simply carry on doing the same thing, but it is negligent if, as an SRO, you do not call it.”21 He spoke about how the IPA confirming a ‘red’ delivery confidence status helped validate their own assessments and made it easier to have conversations about a more fundamental reset. It took the Ministry of Justice nine months from starting to think 7 C&AG’s Report, para 8 8 Qq 2, 4, 8 9 C&AG’s Report, para 26 10 Qq 97, introductory remarks before q102, 134 11 Qq introductory remarks before q102, 157, 169 12 Q 135 13 Qq 142, 169 14 Qq 17, 32 15 C&AG’s Report, para 8 16 Qq 4, 20–21, 66–67, 88 17 C&AG’s Report, para 8 18 Qq 97, introductory remarks before q102, 102 19 Qq 4–5, 18–19 20 C&AG’s Report, para 9 21 Q97 10 Resetting government programmes about a reset to confirming the decision.22 The IPA recognised how its response to red programme could provide a trigger if the Department or the project team did not realise the need for a reset.23 It told us it was now in a better place to discuss with departments when things can no-longer be achieved and what should be done about it.24
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the observation and states that the IPA already fosters a culture of continuous learning and psychological safety through courses. The IPA will also review how it can further enhance transparency across government programs by June 2024 to encourage open and honest …
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HM Treasury
13
Conclusion
Seventy-First Report - Resetting govern…
Accepted in Part
Without the right environment, individuals may be afraid to report problems in a timely and honest way, which makes it harder to identify the need for a reset and the issues a reset should address.41 We heard from the SRO for Universal Credit that creating this openness was the hardest, …
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Without the right environment, individuals may be afraid to report problems in a timely and honest way, which makes it harder to identify the need for a reset and the issues a reset should address.41 We heard from the SRO for Universal Credit that creating this openness was the hardest, but most important, thing to achieve in projects.42 Also, the SRO for Crossrail spoke about how the programme started to believe its own ‘on- time, on-budget’ mantra which stopped many people raising issues.43 He also felt that, in hindsight, the governance structures did not provide the Department for Transport, as sponsor, enough transparency over potential issues.44 The SRO for electronic monitoring described a positive experience with the relevant Minister who had a firm belief in the role of electronic monitoring. He created a space and appetite for candid conversations about the programme challenges and how they could be resolved.45 From a Ministry of Defence perspective, the SRO for Ajax mentioned the additional cultural challenge of being an integrated military and civilian organisation and acknowledged that, for Ajax, it was very difficult for individuals to continually have the confidence to speak up. He explained how the MoD was working hard on this and recently commissioned a report on psychological safety in major programmes.46
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the observation, noting the IPA already promotes a culture of psychological safety and learning through courses. The IPA will also review by June 2024 how to further improve transparency in government programs to encourage open and honest reporting of issues.
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HM Treasury