Programme recovery and stabilisation
Programme Recovery

Get the in-flight programme back on track and delivering the agreed business benefits.

Book a Scoping Call
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FeeBespoke
StartRapid triage
Checkpoints4 and 8 weeks
ReportingWeekly SLT
Senior-ledYes — throughout
Why it matters

Restore confidence that the programme can deliver.

A robust delivery culture is essential to ensuring a change initiative successfully achieves the expected benefits and associated ROI. A programme requires effective programme leadership and supporting frameworks - and when those are missing or failing, the cost of inaction compounds quickly.

What we do

Our recovery process commences with a detailed and robust Programme Healthcheck which covers all areas of a programme. This enables us to define several remedial actions, along with a Recovery Plan that we develop and implement - working with your team to deliver the required results.

What you receive

Clarity, confidence, control, and a credible plan to deliver results.

DeliverableDescription
Leadership Playback PackA summary of the Programme Healthcheck findings with recommendations.
Statement of WorkOutlining the recovery deliverables, team breakdown, and associated costs.
Engagement TimelineHighlights the major milestones and dates relevant to the recovery plan.
Deliverables as per the SoWDelivery of the items as laid out within the Statement of Work.
Weekly Status ReportRegular status updates around progress with any associated risks highlighted.
RoadmapSequenced plan with timelines, dependencies, and resource needs.
Value we create

Clarity. Confidence. Control.

Clarity

A single view of what's working, what's not, and why.

Confidence

A robust recovery plan that we can implement to ensure successful delivery of business benefits.

Control

Effective leadership, governance, and agile decision-making, along with risk and issue management.

Natural next steps

Partnership support based on findings and recommendations

Once the programme is stabilised, the natural next step depends on what the recovery reveals.

Product Fee Duration
Implementation (Delivery) Bespoke 60 days Learn more →
Leadership (Interim / Fractional) Bespoke As required Learn more →
Programme Management & Recovery Bespoke 60 days Learn more →
Governance & Oversight Bespoke As required Learn more →
Programme recovery in action

Practitioners - not process factories

You are not buying generic consulting. You are buying experienced recovery leadership - accountable for outcomes, embedded in your programme team.

What we do

  • Every engagement led by a Principal Consultant who has operated at the level they are advising
  • Commercially oriented - paid to find profit, not to sell more consulting
  • Honest - we will tell you if the evidence does not support the investment
  • Independent - benchmarked against 150+ businesses; we know what good looks like for a business your size

What we are not

  • A generalist strategy firm charging for frameworks
  • A technology integrator with a platform to sell
  • A staffing business with an interim bench
  • A firm that produces reports that sit in a drawer
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Programme Healthcheck
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2
Recovery Plan
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3
Results delivered
Book a Scoping Call See resources
30 minutes · no obligation · honest answer

Rapid mobilisation available - within 48 hours for urgent situations.

Frequently asked questions

What is Programme Recovery?

Programme Recovery is a senior-led intervention for an in-flight programme that is at risk of failure. It commences with a detailed Programme Healthcheck across all areas of the programme, defines remedial actions and a Recovery Plan, and implements the plan with your team to deliver the required results.

What does Programme Recovery deliver?

Six core deliverables: a Leadership Playback Pack summarising the Programme Healthcheck findings and recommendations, a Statement of Work outlining the recovery deliverables and costs, an Engagement Timeline with major milestones, the deliverables themselves as laid out in the SoW, weekly status reporting, and a sequenced recovery roadmap.

How quickly can you mobilise for Programme Recovery?

Within 48 hours for genuinely urgent situations. Programme recovery often has a time dimension - a board deadline, a regulatory date, a go-live that cannot move. Speed of mobilisation and quality of the initial Programme Healthcheck are both critical.

What does the Programme Healthcheck cover?

The Healthcheck covers all areas of the programme - governance, scope, financials, resources, vendor and supplier relationships, delivery progress, risk and issue management, and stakeholder confidence. Findings from the Healthcheck directly shape the Recovery Plan.

How much does Programme Recovery cost?

Bespoke, scoped to the programme state and the required recovery effort. The initial Programme Healthcheck is typically a two-to-three week fixed-fee exercise; recovery delivery is then scoped via a Statement of Work based on the chosen approach.

What are the most common causes of programme failure you encounter?

Unrealistic initial scope, timeline, or budget; insufficient governance and decision-making authority; technical complexity that was underestimated; key person dependency; poor vendor management; and leadership that was not sufficiently engaged or empowered to make difficult calls when needed.

Can you recover a technology programme that has been running for years and has not delivered?

Yes - but recovery of a long-running troubled programme first requires honest assessment of what has already been invested versus what can realistically be salvaged. Sometimes recovery means resetting scope and approach completely; sometimes it means accelerating delivery of a viable subset. We give you an honest view, not a reassuring one.

How do you handle vendor relationships in a recovery situation?

We assess whether the vendor is part of the problem or part of the solution, review the contract and the vendor's obligations, and negotiate the recovery approach with appropriate commercial rigour. We are experienced at managing difficult vendor conversations without destroying the relationship unnecessarily.

Can you lead the recovery directly after completing the Healthcheck?

Yes - and this is the most common model. The team that completed the Healthcheck typically leads the recovery because they have built the most complete understanding of the programme. There is no handover delay or loss of context.

What happens after the recovery is complete?

Once the programme is stabilised, natural next steps are Implementation (Delivery), interim or fractional Leadership, Programme Management & Recovery for ongoing governance, or independent Governance & Oversight to hold the reset.

All engagements are led by senior practitioners - not junior teams.