A Practical Guide to Establishing, Executing and Realising Value from Major Programs

Insights from real-world experience and the HS2 Governance and Assurance Review

Taking on a major program—whether it’s in digital, health, infrastructure, or government reform—is no small feat. These programs often stumble not because the goal is off, but because the way we set things up from the start doesn’t quite fit the challenge.

This guide pulls together lessons learned the hard way into a straightforward roadmap to help you set up and run major programs with a clear focus on what really matters: outcomes.

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Getting Set Up Right from the Start

“Most projects that struggle were off track before they even began.”

Get Clear on Scope from the Start

One of the biggest mistakes is jumping in without everyone being on the same page about what the program is actually about. Early on, it’s worth spending time to really nail down the scope and what’s out of bounds. That way, you avoid confusion and scope creep down the line.

A couple of key steps to keep in mind:

• Map out all the critical dependencies and interfaces before you commit to any deadlines.
• Make sure everyone agrees on the scope, benefits, and what’s excluded—this shared understanding becomes your single source of truth.

Set Up the Right Governance Early

Governance can get messy if roles aren’t clear, so it pays to sort this out upfront. Think of governance in three layers that each have a distinct role:

• Delivery team: The folks getting the work done.
• Sponsor: The person or group championing the program.
• Shareholder or investor: Those who hold the purse strings and ultimate accountability.

Keeping these layers clear helps avoid confusion and keeps decision-making smooth. It’s also good to have forums where people can work through problems together—not just check performance boxes.

Make Sure Strategy and Delivery Are on the Same Page

There’s often a gap between what leadership wants and what the delivery team thinks they should do. A ‘strategic buffer’ helps bridge that gap—it’s like a filter that turns high-level political or board decisions into clear, practical steps for the team on the ground. Without this, teams can end up chasing the wrong goals or moving too fast before things are ready.

Match Your Resourcing to Where You Are

It’s tempting to start lean and build up, but under-resourcing at the beginning can slow you down more than you think. Bringing in fractional leaders or embedded advisors early on can really speed things up. Make sure you’ve got key roles like the sponsor function, commercial leadership, and benefits tracking in place from the get-go—these roles keep the program on track.

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Making It Happen: Running the Program Day-to-Day

“Good delivery is all about pacing: take time to think, then move fast when it counts.”

Treat Cost as a Shared Challenge

Designing to a cost doesn’t mean cutting corners—it means building smart. When everyone treats cost as part of good design, not just a number to trim, you get better outcomes.

A couple of things that help:

• Use design-to-cost checkpoints at every major stage to keep things realistic.
• Focus on fitness-for-purpose rather than chasing perfection or “gold-plating.”

Phase Contracts to Match Maturity

Don’t rush into big contracts before the design and interfaces are really sorted. It’s better to use stage gates and milestones that let you adapt as you go. This keeps your delivery strategy flexible and responsive to changes.

Run Assurance That Adds Value

Assurance shouldn’t just be a box-ticking exercise. Setting up one integrated plan that everyone—delivery, sponsor, shareholder—shares helps focus on real risks and questions. Timing reviews so they don’t overlap or disrupt work is also key.

Prioritise Transparency and Trust

Openly sharing data between teams builds trust and helps catch issues early. When problems come up, escalating them together with joint ownership of solutions makes a big difference. Having independent voices on boards also encourages honest, balanced discussions.

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Don’t Stop at Go-Live: Making Sure the Program Delivers Value

“Go-live isn’t the finish line—it’s just the start of delivering real value.”

Transition Governance for Operations and Benefits

Once you move from building to running the program, governance needs to shift too. Construction-era setups don’t always fit operational needs. Changing roles and forums to suit this phase, and embedding benefits realisation into contracts and service agreements, keeps things aligned with long-term goals.

Keep Revisiting the Benefits Case

Benefits tracking isn’t just a funding formality—it needs someone owning it and keeping it alive. Aligning benefits with real-world outcomes like safety, efficiency, and equity helps maintain focus. And it’s worth refreshing your business case after deployment to see how things actually turned out.

Capture, Act On, and Share Lessons

Learning shouldn’t wait until the end. Making lessons learned part of ongoing reviews means you can adjust as you go. Sharing these insights with other programs and leaders helps everyone improve.

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Final Thought: Delivering Value from Complexity Requires Courage and Clarity

Big programs don’t fail because people aren’t trying hard. They fail when we assume complexity can be managed just by optimism, rigid structures, or brute force.

What really helps is:

• Being clear from the start.
• Having the courage to question assumptions.
• Staying disciplined in delivery.
• Being flexible enough to adapt.
• Leading in a way that values honesty over certainty.

If you’re setting up or resetting a major program, Geode brings real-world experience to help you get it right the first time. Let’s talk.