On 30th October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, will deliver the new Government’s first Budget. Ahead of the Budget, Association for Project Management (APM) calls on government to focus on prioritising early-stage project planning to ensure the success of major capital projects in the pipeline, which are crucial for driving economic growth and improving infrastructure.
Andrew Baldwin, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the Association for Project Management (APM) says:
“Effective project management is key to ensuring these initiatives are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest standards. However, project success begins long before construction starts.
The Government has made a good start in addressing the challenges of successful project delivery. It understands the need to slow down and think, and to focus on the long-term benefits, investing in the planning, design, and strategic management phases of projects – and to ensure that clear objectives, risks, and timelines are understood and accounted for from the outset.
APM’s election manifesto focused on three key asks – respond, reinvent, reform. Everything we’ve seen so far in the Government’s first 100 days in office has delivered on respond, removing the uncertainty that hurts financial and skills investment. But they must now focus on reinvent and reform. Reinventing attitudes to projects entails changing perspectives of what success and failure means − the Chancellor outlined plans to change how the Treasury accounts for capital spending “to reflect its benefits”, which is encouraging. Reforming our approach to projects includes understanding whether the Treasury is set up properly to deliver projects, which still needs to be addressed.
For projects to truly deliver value, the Government needs to shift its focus towards early-stage planning, involving project leaders who can navigate the kind of complex challenges the UK faces. This expertise will help ensure that projects are not only feasible but also sustainable and aligned with the Government’s long-term strategic goals.
The Budget will outline funding for multiple projects that the Government expects to undertake. If they are to be achieved, then the “inherent characteristics of these schemes” (as stated in a recent NIC report on cost drivers) will need to be properly understood and acted upon long before any shovels hit the ground.
By embedding a culture of rigorous project planning and stakeholder engagement, the Government can adapt when it needs to, avoid costly overruns and delays, improve public trust, and drive economic and social benefits.
Only through this approach can the Government ensure that ambitious infrastructure projects translate into tangible, lasting improvements for the UK.”
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