The guiding principles and how project delivery fits into wider policy activity

Welcome to the second blog in our series on The Teal Book: Project delivery in government.

Each post will provide a short 5 minute introduction to one of the book’s parts or section of chapters of the book. Every blog will be written by one of the authors, sharing their personal take on what it covers and how it can help you, as someone working in project delivery.

When we set out to write The Teal Book, our goal was simple: to provide a clear, practical and authoritative guide to project delivery in government that builds on the expectations of the Functional Standard. In this blog I will explore chapters 1 and 2 of The Teal Book, covering ‘Principles’ and ‘Policy and evaluation’, building on why Part A of The Teal Book is the foundation of successful project delivery in government.

Chapter 1: Principles

Chapter 1 sets out the core principles that underpin successful project delivery in government. These come from the functional standard and are designed to provides a strong foundation that runs as a thread through how we deliver portfolios, programmes and projects.

You can group the principles in different ways, but I find it helpful to think of them in 3 themes:

Outcome-driven delivery

Work should be focused on clear and validated outcomes and maintain a strong business case throughout. This keeps us focused on delivering public value.

Strong governance and accountability

There should be clear roles, proportionate governance and effective planning, essential to manage risk and to ensure delivery success.

People and learning focused

Project delivery is a team sport. Multidisciplinary teams, ethical conduct and continuous learning underpin sustainable and effective project delivery.

These principles are like a compass. They help us navigate complexity and stay grounded in what matters. I often come back to them when I need to reset or refocus.

Chapter 2: Policy and evaluation

Chapter 2 explores how public policy and evaluation connect to project delivery. It doesn’t try to duplicate the Policy Profession Standards or the Magenta Book. Instead, it makes the links clearer for those working in project delivery.

The chapter maps the 4 key policy activities; idea generation, design and planning, implementation and evaluation, as an example to the project and programme life cycles. These examples show how policy and project delivery activity should work closely.

It also delves more deeply into evaluation, which is often overlooked or left too late. But it’s essential. Evaluation evaluates the policy advice to determine the extent that the policy is likely to be, or is in practice, successful in achieving the desired outcomes. It should occur throughout the project delivery life cycle and helps us learn, improve and be transparent about what we’re achieving. It’s not just about proving success it’s about understanding what worked, what didn’t, and why.

This chapter also introduces the first Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP)  requirement in the Teal Book. These requirements apply only to GMPP projects and programmes, and you’ll see them referenced throughout the rest of the book.

Why these chapters matter

Together, chapters 1 and 2 show how project delivery fits into wider government policy activity. They remind us that project delivery is about achieving outcomes improving the welfare, security and prosperity of the nation. They also highlight the importance of evaluation in shaping better policy and project delivery.

If you’re working in project delivery, I hope these chapters give you something useful to reflect on. Whether you’re new to the function or a seasoned SRO, the principles and connections in these chapters are there as a useful reminder.