Change Toolkit Design Assurance Overview
Purpose of Design Assurance
Design Assurance is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the overall design to ensure:
- That the solution design is based on an integrated view of process, systems, organisation and behaviour
- The proposed solution design will fit with the rest of the business
- The benefits will be delivered through the proposed solution design.
Design Assurance will use the Conceptual Design as the basis of the proposed solution design. The workstreams will develop the detailed design. Design Assurance must ensure that the intentions of the Conceptual Design are not lost in the detailed design.
Effective Design Assurance
The Design Assurance team are there to avoid issues with the proposed solution design becoming risks to the Programme. This means:
- The Design Assurance team try to identify issues with the design before they become risks
- The Design Assurance team work with the workstreams to address issues so they do not become risks.
Rather than acting as simply as an approval ‘gateway’ Design Assurance have a significant role to play in:
- Helping workstreams develop a shared understanding of all aspects of the design
- Negotiating with workstreams and impacted areas to address design issues
- Achieving compromises in the solution design that still maintain the Programme intent and benefits.
The Team
For simple changes Design Assurance may be one specialist. For complex changes Design Assurance may be made of a team of specialists.
Design Assurance should have detailed knowledge and experience of the elements that represent the proposed solution design - process, systems, organisation design and behaviours.
Some or all of the team members may be part time resources to the Programme.
Refining the Design
Design Assurance is responsible for ensuring:
- The proposed solution design will work for the business
- That the intent of Conceptual Design is maintained.
This means that Design Assurance must review the design at all stages of development and highlight any risks to the business and the intent.
Raising Risks
In a strict Programme Design Assurance must review and approve the proposed solution design. This formal approach is effective for large, high risk or costly Programmes.
It may be more practical for Design Assurance to use the Programme risk management process to raise issues with the proposed solution design.