Recommendation 20

Governance arrangements need to evolve throughout a programme lifecycle to reflect the risks and requirements at each stage. This includes both during and after a reset, so governance and approvals processes remain proportionate to the programme risks with skills, expertise and leadership brought in as required.65 The SRO for Crossrail told us how, when they reset the project in 2018, they worked to bring sponsors, such as DfT and 57 C&AG’s Report, para 21–22 58 Q 85 59 Qq 77–78 60 Qq 73–79 61 Qq 75, 95–96, 135; C&AG’s Report, The Ajax programme, Session 2021–22, HC 1142, 11 March 2022 62 C&AG’s Report, para 24 63 Q 2 64 Q 96 65 Qq 95, 120; C&AG’s Report, para 25 14 Resetting government programmes TfL, closer to the Crossrail board to create better conversations and share information. He reflected on whether they got the governance structure right, with the Department for Transport currently undertaking an exercise to identify lessons for project governance which they hope to publish in the summer.66 The IPA told us that it needs to sharpen its focus in the governance area.67