PROJECT HEALTH CHECK
Know the real position of your project — before making the next major decision.
An independent Project Health Check gives executives, sponsors and Steering Committees an evidence-based view of delivery confidence, material risks and the issues requiring attention.
WHEN TO USE IT
When this service is right for you
MILESTONES ARE MOVING
Key dates repeatedly change or confidence in the schedule is declining.
COST PRESSURE IS EMERGING
Forecasts are changing, contingency is being consumed or cost-to-complete is uncertain.
REPORTING AND REALITY FEEL DIFFERENT
Headline status appears positive but executive or stakeholder confidence is declining.
A MAJOR DECISION IS APPROACHING
Executives need stronger evidence before approving further investment, scope, implementation or another major commitment.
GO-LIVE OR IMPLEMENTATION IS APPROACHING
Independent confidence is required across technology, testing, data, operations and business readiness.
COMPLEXITY HAS INCREASED
Scope, dependencies, vendors, technology or organisational change have materially altered the delivery environment.
DEFINITION
What is a project health check?
A project health check is a focused, independent assessment of a project’s current health, delivery confidence, material risks and the areas requiring attention. It provides a point-in-time view of where the project genuinely stands, based on evidence rather than reported status. It is distinct from ongoing lifecycle assurance, which provides continuing oversight throughout delivery, and from project recovery, which intervenes when delivery has materially deteriorated.
WHEN REPORTING ISN’T ENOUGH
A project can report green and still be carrying material delivery risk.
Project reporting often describes what has happened. Executives need confidence in what is likely to happen next.
Schedule assumptions, dependencies, cost pressures, technology complexity, vendor performance and business readiness can create risks that are difficult to see through normal status reporting.
A Project Health Check provides an independent view of the evidence behind the reported position.
“Do we have enough evidence to be confident this project will deliver what we expect?”
THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER
Move beyond status to delivery confidence.
“A Health Check should not simply produce more findings. It should help executives understand what matters, why it matters and what should happen next.”
A WHOLE-OF-PROJECT VIEW
Examine the conditions that determine successful delivery.
Across Carpadium’s nine Project Health dimensions, a series of practical executive questions are examined to determine where delivery confidence is strong, where risk is emerging and where intervention may be required.
GOVERNANCE
Strategy alignment, sponsorship, decision rights, accountability, escalation and executive oversight.
SCHEDULE & DELIVERY
Scope control, delivery plans, dependencies, critical path, milestones and forecast achievability.
FINANCIALS
Budget, expenditure, forecast-to-complete, contingency and cost pressures.
RISKS & ISSUES
Material risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, mitigations and escalation.
PEOPLE & CAPABILITY
Leadership, capacity, key roles, skills, team alignment and delivery capability.
TECHNOLOGY
Architecture, data, integration, environments, security, testing and solution quality.
VENDORS
Supplier performance, commercial dependencies, deliverables and accountability.
BUSINESS READINESS
Change impacts, operating model, people, processes, training, adoption and implementation readiness.
BENEFITS
Outcome alignment, benefit credibility, ownership, measurement and realisation.
THE HEALTH CHECK PROCESS
Focused, independent and evidence-based.
SCOPE
Agree the executive questions, context and areas requiring examination.
EVIDENCE
Review the information supporting the current delivery position.
INTERVIEWS
Test assumptions and perspectives with key stakeholders.
ASSESSMENT
Connect the evidence across governance, delivery, risk and readiness.
EXECUTIVE FINDINGS
Present the material findings, implications and prioritised actions.
“The depth of review should be proportionate to the decision or delivery concern.”
CLEAR EXECUTIVE OUTPUT
Evidence translated into decisions and action.
DELIVERY CONFIDENCE
A clear view of the project's actual delivery position.
MATERIAL FINDINGS
The issues that genuinely affect confidence in outcomes.
EXECUTIVE IMPLICATIONS
Why those findings matter to sponsors and governance forums.
PRIORITISED ACTIONS
Practical actions focused on the areas requiring attention.
EXECUTIVE-READY OUTPUT
Clear findings suitable for executive, Steering Committee or Board discussion.
INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE
Assurance is different from project management.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Runs the project and owns delivery.
PROJECT GOVERNANCE
Provides direction, oversight and makes key decisions.
INDEPENDENT ASSURANCE
Tests the evidence and provides confidence in the delivery position.
“Management owns delivery. Governance owns decisions. Assurance provides independent confidence in the evidence supporting those decisions.”
EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE ASSESSMENT
Experience across complex transformation environments.
FINANCIAL SERVICES & INSURANCE
Major technology, platform and business transformation.
GOVERNMENT & HIGHER EDUCATION
Complex programs operating within formal governance, compliance and accountability environments.
ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY
ERP, cloud, digital, data, integration and organisational transformation.
NOT EVERY SITUATION NEEDS A FULL HEALTH CHECK
Use the smallest intervention that provides sufficient confidence.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Project Health Check FAQs
An independent, evidence-based assessment of a project’s current delivery position across governance, schedule, financials, risk, technology, vendors, readiness and benefits. It tests the evidence behind reported status and identifies what requires executive attention. For a fuller explanation, see our insight on what a Project Health Check is.
When should executives request an independent project review?
An independent project review is useful when reported progress no longer gives decision-makers sufficient confidence to approve funding, commit to a go-live date or accept a revised delivery plan. The objective is to test the evidence behind the forecast, not simply repeat the project team's status report.
Our project is behind schedule. What should we check?
Test the critical path, outstanding dependencies, milestone evidence, resource capacity and assumptions in the revised forecast. A health check can determine whether the recovery date is credible. If material deterioration requires intervention, explore project recovery.
Our transformation costs keep rising. Is the forecast reliable?
Review actual expenditure, committed costs, contingency, scope changes and estimate at completion together. The key question is whether the remaining budget matches the work still required.
The dashboard is green, but stakeholders are concerned. Why?
Status indicators can mask integration, testing, vendor or business-readiness risks. Independent interviews and evidence testing help explain differences between reported progress and stakeholder confidence. See why green reporting can conceal risk.
Do we need a health check before ERP go-live?
Before a major ERP or technology implementation decision, examine data migration, integrations, testing evidence, defects, cutover planning, operational readiness and ownership of residual risks. For recurring oversight rather than a one-off review, consider independent project assurance.
Related guidance
NEED AN INDEPENDENT VIEW?
How confident are you in your project’s real delivery position?
If an important decision is approaching, delivery confidence is declining or you simply need independent validation of the current position, start with a confidential discussion.