Programme Recovery & Turnaround
Most troubled programmes aren't troubled because of one big failure — they drift there through slipping milestones, unclear ownership, and optimism that outlasts the evidence. We bring calm, experienced oversight to get delivery back under control, starting with an honest diagnosis of where things actually stand.
Signs a programme needs recovery
- Milestones consistently slipping, with no credible replan in place
- Spend running ahead of delivered progress
- No single point of clear governance or decision-making ownership
- Risks and issues logged but not actually being managed
- Stakeholder confidence eroding, even if the paperwork still looks fine
Our recovery process
We start with a diagnostic health check — a structured look at planning, governance, risk, and delivery evidence, to establish what's actually happening rather than what the status report says. From there we identify root causes, not just symptoms, and build a realistic replan and rebaseline. Where governance is the underlying issue, we reset it — clear roles, clear escalation routes, honest reporting. For programmes that need it, we can also take on interim turnaround leadership directly, rather than just advising from the outside.
What a recovery engagement looks like
Every troubled programme is different, so we don't start with a fixed template. The diagnostic phase comes first and shapes everything after it — you get an honest picture of what's wrong before committing to a full recovery engagement, not a lengthy commitment sold on the promise of a quick fix.
Who this is for
Organisations with a project or programme that's visibly off track — behind schedule, over budget, or without governance anyone trusts — and who need someone with genuine delivery experience to steady it, not just another status report.
Why work with us
Twenty years in the private sector and ten in the public, including delivery as a Regional Programme Director in the NHS — PRINCE2, MSP and Agile certified, with over £100 million of work delivered and £6 million saved on a single project. Recovery work draws directly on that track record: knowing the difference between a programme that needs a course correction and one that needs to be stopped and rethought.