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APM Assurance Specific Interest Group (SIG)

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Specific Interest Groups (SIGs) discuss particular aspects of project management to further understanding and good practice.

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About this SIG

Assurance: The process of providing confidence to stakeholders that projects, programmes and portfolios will achieve their objectives for beneficial change. 

Definition from APM Body of Knowledge 7th edition

The effective operation of assurance provision and use of assurance information are essential to the reliable delivery of successful projects. Assurance is an essential element of project management, working closely with governance and risk management in a mutual supportive arrangement.

The word ‘assurance’ means different things to different people, though, depending on the field of interest. For some, it’s about achieving quality, for others it’s about being sure what they are told is correct, whilst for many it’s about being confident that ‘things are under control’. The variety of meanings is reflected in the ways of achieving assurance in projects, including: quality assurance, safety audits, gateway reviews, independent engineer reviews, internal audits, project audits, contract audits, external audits, peer reviews, control self- assurance, etc. In addition, different types of assurance require different skills which need to be quantified, enabled and supported in different ways.

All of these types of assurance are actually trying to do the same thing, the only difference between them being the perspective of the practitioner. They need to work in an integrated fashion, to avoid conflicts or gaps, to provide a comprehensive and holistic output. Good project assurance is not only passive. Done well, it actively assists projects to be successful.

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Featured resources

A Guide To Auditing Programmes Heading
A Guide to Project Auditing

What is an audit, why do we undertake project audits and how does it differ from other assurance methods? The answer to these and other related questions can be found in the APM publication, A Guide to Project Auditing.

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Measures for Assuring Projects

The assurance assessment toolkit is available to download on APM Learning. The toolkit is intended as a reference for assurance practitioners to help provide a measure of their confidence in the potential for a project (or programme or portfolio) to succeed.

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A guide to Integrated Assurance

A Guide to Integrated Assurance enables organisations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their assurance activities. The guide identifies important roles and responsibilities as well as tools and templates to help overcome ‘silo-oriented approaches’ to assurance that do not naturally result in integration.

Upcoming conferences and events

APM Assurance SIG Virtual Meetup - Auditing projects and programmes

16 January 2024

With the recent trend of more complex and integrated projects and programmes, this APM publication Guide Project and Programme Auditing engage with the authors and pose your questions.

News by this SIG

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Driving projects "looking through the windscreen": multi SIG conference 2022
The aim of the conference was to look at refocusing how we plan and execute projects, and we challenged the participants by asking – “If we went on a journey the way we plan and execute projects would we get to our destination, and would we get there on time?” The focus of the day was on driving projects like cars - looking ahead, ‘through the windscreen’.
APM Assurance SIG 500Px Outlined (2)
APM Assurance SIG committee results for 2022-2023
We are delighted to confirm that the following nominees will be on APM Assurance SIG committee for 2022-2023.
APM Assurance SIG 500Px Outlined (2)
APM Assurance and Governance SIG conference 2021: Project ring of confidence - Data driven governance and assurance
This APM Assurance and Governance SIG conference 2021 attempted to answer questions on data so we can start to collect and use the right data for better decisions.
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How HMRC delivered the UK’s vital coronavirus response
Joanna Rowland, the project architect behind the government’s landmark economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, lifts the lid on how the civil service delive
APM Assurance SIG 500Px Outlined (2)
How to audit for success webinar
This webinar was held on 11 August 2020. Sarah Short outlined how the insights provided from a project audit can help project management professionals set their
APM Assurance SIG 500Px Outlined (2)
The Value of Assurance webinar
In the past, the focus of discussion around assurance in projects has been about ensuring that everything that needs to be covered is covered, but without ineff

Blogs by this SIG

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How to audit change being delivered through projects and programmes
Do you know what a project audit is? What is the difference between auditing a project and auditing a programme? Would you know where to start with such an audit? A new APM guide A Guide to Auditing Programmes and Projects explains all.
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How we can assure projects to increase the chances of success
Assurance is vital for projects to succeed. Here are some ways that project managers can assure projects to increase the chances of success.
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How to get project assurance started
How to get project assurance started so project's can be delivered with success. Assurance is essential to projects so we must learn how to ensure we are assuring properly.
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Why does assurance matter now more than ever in delivering successful projects?
Assurance provides value because it is active and forward-looking rather than passive and forensic. Assurance is vital for delivering successful projects.
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Reimagine project assurance: common issues in today’s complex projects
Here we look at some of the common issues across complex projects that can be helped by an evolved approach to project assurance.
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Get ahead of project complexity and maximise the value of assurance
This is the first of a series of blogs discussing the need for a change in how we assure projects and increase the chances of project success.

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