Aqera Advisory
ICT Program Delivery and Assurance
Leadership and independent assurance for complex ICT programs, built on experience delivering statutory programs where the date cannot move.
The problem
Complex programs rarely fail because one team fails. They fail at the seams: dependencies nobody owned, a critical path nobody could see, readiness declared rather than demonstrated, and assurance that reported status instead of judging it. When the go-live date is set by statute, by a minister or by a market, there is no room to discover these things late.
What we deliver
| Capability | Scope |
|---|---|
| Program mobilisation | Governance structure, delivery model selection, integrated master schedule, resourcing, supplier coordination and reporting from day one. |
| Integrated planning and critical path | Cross-stream dependency management, critical-path analysis, schedule risk and contingency, and decision points tied to the plan. |
| Readiness and transition | Systems, infrastructure, workforce and operational readiness, with evidence-based go/no-go criteria, cutover and hypercare. |
| Independent assurance review | Assurance against published criteria and materiality thresholds, drawing on defined evidence streams. The sponsor sees findings first and has a right of reply before escalation. |
| AI-native assurance | Assurance for systems whose behaviour can change after sign-off: evaluation evidence, model-change triggers, consumption against modelled adoption, and standing conditions. |
| Program recovery | Rapid diagnosis of a program in trouble, a rebaselined plan, decision options for the sponsor and leadership through recovery. |
Engagement options
| Offer | Duration | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Independent assurance review | 2–4 weeks | Assurance report with findings rated against published materiality, sponsor response, recommendations and decision options. |
| Readiness review | 2–3 weeks | Go-live readiness assessment across systems, people, process and operations; go/no-go criteria; risk-ranked actions. |
| Program mobilisation | 4–8 weeks | Mobilisation plan, governance and reporting, integrated master schedule, risk and dependency registers. |
| Program leadership | Time and materials or milestone | Program director or manager leading delivery to outcome. |
| Assurance retainer | Quarterly | Recurring assurance at gates and on materiality triggers across the program life. |
Deliverables
Program mobilisation plan · Governance terms of reference · Integrated master schedule · Risk, issue and dependency registers · Readiness assessment and go/no-go criteria · Cutover and transition plan · Assurance review report · Recovery plan and rebaseline.
Outcomes buyers can measure
- Critical-path visibility across all streams and suppliers.
- Readiness evidenced against criteria before go-live, not asserted.
- Assurance findings resolved before they become incidents.
- Go-live delivered on the fixed date.
Relevant experience
The principal was Program Manager for the 2024 NSW Local Government Elections and the 2023 NSW State General Election at the NSW Electoral Commission. These are statutory programs with fixed dates. The 2024 program integrated more than 40 systems and mobilised a temporary workforce of around 23,000 people across more than 2,000 polling places.
Who it is for
Sponsors and SROs of major ICT programs, CIOs, portfolio and assurance functions, and agencies facing a fixed-date go-live.
Talk to us about your program.
Tell us what you are trying to change and we will say how we would help.