Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 12
12
The Department admitted that the programme’s reset in 2018 had been disappointing, and it recognised...
Conclusion
The Department admitted that the programme’s reset in 2018 had been disappointing, and it recognised that the revised programme schedule had been unrealistic.24 It said it had attempted to meet the planned in-service date by accepting an incremental build-up of capability, using a series of ‘capability drops’. By this arrangement, the Department agreed that General Dynamics would deliver vehicles in four phases, with each drop adding capabilities. However, the introduction of four capability drops across six variants introduced more complexity into the programme whereas, with hindsight, the Department said that it was greater simplicity that the programme had needed.25
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The department is actively taking the actions recommended by the National Audit Office to improve the effectiveness of the Ajax programme and has accepted the recommendations made in the King Report and in this Committee report. The independent Ajax Lessons Learned Review is intended to provide insights that will help the department deliver major programmes more effectively in future. Recommendations will be considered alongside the implementation of other Ajax and wider programme management improvements underway.