• Delivery Assurance

Project Recovery Diagnostic

An independent diagnostic to determine whether a struggling program can be recovered as planned — and what intervention will actually restore delivery confidence.

Engagement type
Recovery diagnosis
Duration
3 – 6 weeks
Decision supported
Recover, replan, or replace

Want the detail first? Download the full brief — PDF, 2 pages, no form required.

When to use this review

Recognise your situation

Use this diagnostic when a program is in slippage, recovery efforts are not stabilized the trajectory, and the next decision needs an independent, evidence-based view.

Repeated milestone slippage

The same dates keep moving and the slippage pattern is no longer attributable to isolated events.

Recovery plan losing credibility

A recovery plan exists but stakeholders are increasingly unsure it will work.

Sponsor confidence declining

Visible delivery progress no longer reassures the executive sponsor that the program is on a recoverable path.

Escalations becoming routine

What used to be exceptional issues are now appearing in steady-state reporting cycle after cycle.

Team fatigue and turnover rising

Critical roles are being lost faster than the program can absorb the change.

Pressure to commit before clarity

A new commitment is being asked for before the previous one has stabilised.

Not sure if recovery is still possible? If internal recovery efforts have not stabilised the trajectory — this diagnostic is the right next step.

What we assess

Seven dimensions of recovery

This diagnostic determines whether the program is genuinely recoverable as planned — and whether the current recovery approach is credible enough to defend to stakeholders.

Recovery feasibility

Whether the current trajectory still permits recovery within acceptable scope, time, and cost boundaries.

Root-cause clarity

Whether failure modes are understood at a level that makes the recovery plan defensible — not just symptomatic.

Plan integrity

Whether the recovery plan addresses cause rather than symptom and is sequenced realistically.

Capability sufficiency

Whether the team, vendors, and governance have the capacity and skills to deliver the recovery plan in practice.

Stakeholder alignment

Whether decision-makers genuinely support the recovery path or are quietly preparing to abandon it.

Burn rate vs. progress

Whether continued investment is producing recoverable value or accelerating the loss.

Decision window

Whether time still exists to recover, or whether the only credible options now are replan or replace.
Who this is for

Commissioned when recovery is no longer self-evident

This diagnostic is typically commissioned by leaders who carry sponsorship, fiduciary, or oversight accountability for a program that is no longer self-correcting.

CIO / CTO / CDO
When to commission
A strategically critical program is in slippage and the next executive briefing requires a defensible position on recoverability.
CFO / Investment Committees
When to commission
A material investment is at risk and a clear recover, replan, or replace recommendation is needed before further funding is released.
Executive Sponsors / SROs
When to commission
Confidence in the program is eroding and personal accountability is rising faster than visible progress.
Program Directors
When to commission
Internal recovery efforts are not stabilized the trajectory and an external view is needed to break the cycle.
Audit / Risk Committees
When to commission
Independent confirmation is required that the recovery plan being presented is genuinely credible.
Where this diagnostic changed the decision

Case studies

Three examples of how a Project Recovery Diagnostic determined whether a struggling programme should be recovered, replanned, or replaced — before further investment was committed.

01

Multi-Vendor Recovery Review

Situation

A multi-vendor program had missed two release windows and a third was at risk; sponsor confidence was at its lowest point.

Outcome

Confirmed recovery was achievable but only under a re-baselined sequencing model with one vendor scope reassigned — restoring credibility within eight weeks.

02

Recover-or-Replace Decision

Situation

A two-year transformation had repeatedly missed milestones and the question was no longer how to fix it but whether to keep going.

Outcome

Supported a structured replan with reduced scope, avoiding a replacement program that would have added 18 months and significant cost.

03

Schedule Integrity Diagnosis

Situation

A reported recovery plan looked credible on paper but operational teams quietly believed it was undeliverable.

Outcome

Surfaced the gap between formal plan and operational reality, allowing leadership to commission a defensible re-plan before the discrepancy reached the board.

Get started

Ready to know whether recovery is real ?

We review your context and recommend the right engagement — covering scope, timing, and depth of diagnostic required. No obligation to proceed.

Want the detail first? Download the full brief — PDF, 2 pages, no form required.

Confidential

Findings shared only with the commissioning executive.

Independent

No vendor ties. Evidence-based, free from internal bias.

No obligation

Briefing is complimentary. Scope agreed before any commitment.