A programme decision needs evidence, not just a completion percentage.
Redshift perspective · Revised 15 October 2026.
A steering committee does not deliver an ERP
Delivery Assurance challenges whether delivery conditions are met. It connects programme commitments to verifiable evidence. It complements programme management and audits; it does not replace the implementation team or sponsor accountability.
Ask three questions
Which business process has been tested end to end? Which defect could block a real operation? Who accepts the remaining risk, and based on what evidence? A useful answer identifies an owner, an artefact and a date. “In progress” is not enough.
Define the mandate before the first escalation
Agree the scope of review, access to test evidence and escalation process. Make conflicts of interest visible. An independent perspective helps only when concerns can be discussed and decisions made.
For your next steering committee
Pick an upcoming decision. Gather acceptance criteria, executed tests, open gaps and fallback options. Record the decision. This discipline exposes blind spots; it guarantees neither a date nor a budget.
Hold the through-line
Responsibilities fragment between business decisions, functional design and delivery. Delivery Assurance reconnects them: do design, data, interfaces and tests really cover the intended process? A completed work package is not yet a demonstrated business capability.
Challenge before go-live
Expanding scope, ambiguous specifications, testing debt and optimistic schedules need discussion while options still exist. Alongside the integrator, a critical perspective must reach the sponsor with facts. An escalation mandate without evidence access is of little use.