This report is addressed to the Universal Credit Project Board. Number of words: 1582
Executive Summary
The Universal Credit Programme has failed in many eyes because of a lack of good project management. I researched the reasons of the lack of good project management and come to some good conclusions on the following subjects:
1. Project Initiation
The programme was underestimated and the goals where to optimistic, the effects of the project initiation are clearly linked back of the complications which appeared later on the project.
For example the project has changed project manager 5 times because of a lack of transparency. The lack of transparency can be linked back to setting to many goals in the project initiation.
The project should have research the details better on making an IT programme this big.
2. Project organisation and structure
The programme has been approached with an agile method, a lot like scrum-method. The biggest mistake that was made is the lack of use of an agile project framework.
It is logical that a programme from this size always includes ‘waterfall project management’. But in the Universal Credit programme the waterfall-managing method was counterworking the agile approach that was used.
The project also lacks of a good stakeholders communication department, the communication with the stakeholders has been a big problem with the Universal Credit programme.
More details about these conclusions can be found in the rest of the report.
Introduction to the report
For the course Project Management (344SAM) I am asked to write an report addressed to the Universal Credit Project Board. This is regarding the bad publicity the project has gotten lately from the press.
The case study consists of an article form Brian Wernham where he claims that the Universal Credit Program has suffered from bad Project Management and a “lack of