Working with a Government department to achieve a green NISTA review

Led two programmes through a complex merger, turning from Red to Green

The challenge

The Department embarked on an ambitious programme of organisational, policy and technology change and faced a common challenge to many major government transformations: delivering at pace within a complex landscape, while coordinating multiple delivery partners and adapting to shifting external priorities. They were advised to merge one RED rated programme, with another AMBER rated programme, in order to simplify delivery. The brief was clear: form a unified £200m+ programme capable of rapid delivery.

How did Baringa help?

Close partnership Baringa partnered with the Department’s senior leadership, SRO and Programme Director, embedding within the internal team to provide client‑side advisory including Business Case and PMO expertise, commercial and technical delivery governance support.

Programme transition roadmap We set out the roadmap to transition into one programme. This included designing the programme structures for 200+ individuals and associated capability requirements. We directly supported the capability uplift of the PMO team (18 FTE) through dedicated and tailored learning sessions.  By consolidating 10 separate governance forums we were able to establish a new streamlined Governance Framework of four boards driving effective oversight.

Governance excellence We developed the programme plan, setting out the critical path and delivery detail. One month into its existence as a new programme, we supported the programme through their first ever NISTA review receiving an AMBER rating on a “path to green”.

Achieving a GREEN

Delivery excellence We embedded best‑practice delivery across the programme, using the NISTA review as a clear roadmap for continuous improvement. As the programme matured, we shifted our support from shaping structures to strengthening delivery, by improving readiness for key technical go‑lives, enhancing commercial management, and driving targeted uplift in delivery capability.

Strengthening capability Our approach evolved with the programme’s needs, ensuring teams had the confidence required to deliver at pace. This included building stronger governance, sharpening planning and establishing a sustainable delivery rhythm.

Collaborative improvement Two years on, through shared ownership and an unwavering focus on delivery excellence, NISTA rated the programme GREEN. The programme now operates with strengthened governance, robust plans, and a sustainable delivery cadence.

Engineered to stay on track Programme delivery is inherently complex, with many moving parts. Achieving GREEN demonstrates that the programme has the structures, processes and assurance required to anticipate challenges, maintain momentum, and deliver on time and on budget, providing value for money for taxpayers.

Only c.14% of the Government’s Major Project’s Portfolio are rated GREEN, a fantastic outcome for the Department.