Delivery Assurance
When Should You Call in Independent Project Assurance?
12 May 2026 · 5 min read
Independent assurance is usually called after the date has already moved. These are the trigger points that justify it far earlier.
The value is highest before the crisis
An independent view is most useful while there is still time to act on it. Once a project is in recovery, assurance largely documents what everyone already suspects.
Six defensible trigger points
A date has moved once and the reasons are contested. Testing is being compressed to protect a fixed go-live. The programme depends on a vendor whose progress you cannot independently verify. Two governance forums are receiving different versions of status. A major integration or migration is about to begin. Or the accountable executive simply cannot get a straight answer.
What good assurance looks like
It is evidence-led, not interview-led. It scores the same dimensions consistently so results can be compared over time. It separates symptoms from root causes. And it ends with a prioritised plan that the existing team can execute — not a recommendation to replace them.