Project Recovery & Turnaround
When a programme has drifted past internal heroics. We come in, assess honestly, replan around what is actually achievable, and deliver. Senior practitioners embedded in 3–6 weeks.
Embed Time
3–6 weeks
Best For
Failing or at-risk programmes
Outcome
A plan you can defend in a board meeting
First Step
Free assessment, no obligation
The Challenge
Something Is Wrong, and You Already Know It.
By the time the board notices a project is failing, the damage is usually already done. The project becomes difficult to recover and the warning signs clear to see. The tendency is to replan, however without correcting the root-cause issues the replan it likely to result in failure. Here's what we hear most often when looking at a failing project.
Status dashboards show amber or green. But individually, every workstream knows the plan is no longer credible.
Reports stay green while reality slips.
Confidence is eroding. The programme director is filtering information upward. You need clarity before it becomes a bigger conversation.
The board is starting to ask questions.
You're managing concurrent projects with no unified oversight. Deadlines slip. Costs escalate. Your best people firefight instead of delivering what matters.
Costs are climbing without progress to match.
The Service
Senior Practitioners.
Embedded. Accountable.
We don't write reports from a distance. We come in, take operational ownership, and stay until the work is done.
01 — ASSESS
Unfiltered picture of where you actually are
Initial assessment led by a senior practitioner . We surface the real state of the programme, at no cost or obligation.
02 — DIAGNOSE
Honest diagnosis, not comfortable reporting
We tell you what's actually wrong, including what internal reporting has been missing.
03 — REPLAN
A recovery plan built around reality
A plan the team believes in, with owned dependencies and a credible timeline.
04 — DELIVER
Operational ownership until it's done
We embed, take responsibility, and leave your team stronger than we found it.
Case Study
25 Years. £2b+ Delivered.
We don't write reports from a distance. We come in, take operational ownership, and stay until the work is done.
9 months
Project completed successfully
100
Built over 100 API-based interfaces
2 brands
Autocentres and Halfords Retail unified into one
1 Basket
Single basket across both brands
Project Recovery
Retail
Read the article →
Halfords: One Digital Front Door for Two Brands
Halfords ran two brands as two separate digital channels, with two websites and two baskets. We helped unified them into a single customer experience built on Salesforce Commerce Cloud, built the 108 interfaces connecting it to the legacy estate, and went live in nine months without a missed milestone.
Case Study
21 Years. £2B+ Delivered.
We don't write reports from a distance. We come in, take operational ownership, and stay until the work is done.
9 months
Project completed successfully
100
Built over 100 API-based interfaces
2 brands
Autocentres and Halfords Retail unified into one
1 Basket
Single basket across both brands
Project Recovery
Retail
Read the article →
Halfords: One Digital Front Door for Two Brands
Halfords ran two brands as two separate digital channels, with two websites and two baskets. We unified them into a single customer experience on Salesforce Commerce Cloud, built the 108 interfaces connecting it to the legacy estate, and went live in nine months without a missed milestone.
How We Engage
From First Call to Finished Work.
Every recovery engagement follows the same sequence. Always starting with an honest assessment, never with a plan we've already written.
Free Assessment
Two weeks of senior time. A clear, honest picture of where you actually are.
Tailored Plan
Built around your context, never a recycled framework or generic playbook.
Lasting Capability
The change holds after we leave. That is always the work.
Embedded Delivery
Senior practitioners take operational responsibility for the outcome.
What We Deliver
What You Get From Day One.
Senior practitioners take operational responsibility for the recovery. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Week 1–2
We interview every workstream lead, review the plan, map the dependencies. You get a single honest document, the real state of the programme, delivered to the right person.
An unfiltered picture of where you actually are
Week 3–4
Not what was originally promised. Not what sounds good in a board meeting. A plan the team believes in, with owned dependencies and a credible timeline.
A recovery plan built around what is actually achievable
Ongoing
We replace status theatre with real information. Amber and red appear where they exist. The steering group sees what is actually happening — early enough to act.
Reporting that surfaces signal, not comfort
Embedded
We embed alongside your team, take responsibility for the work, and stay until the first milestone is delivered. Not reports from a distance, but practitioners working within the programme.
Operational ownership of delivery
Exit
When we leave, the capability stays. Your team has seen a recovery done properly, and they know how to hold the line next time.
A team that finishes stronger than it started
How We Engage
From First Call to Finished Work.
Every recovery engagement follows the same sequence. Always starting with an honest assessment, never with a plan we've already written.
Week 1–2
We interview every workstream lead, review the plan, map the dependencies. You get a single honest document, the real state of the programme, delivered to the right person.
An unfiltered picture of where you actually are
Week 3–4
Not what was originally promised. Not what sounds good in a board meeting. A plan the team believes in, with owned dependencies and a credible timeline.
A recovery plan built around what is actually achievable
Ongoing
We replace status theatre with real information. Amber and red appear where they exist. The steering group sees what is actually happening early enough to act.
Reporting that surfaces signal, not comfort
Ongoing
We replace status theatre with real information. Amber and red appear where they exist. The steering group sees what is actually happening early enough to act.
Reporting that surfaces signal, not comfort
Embedded
We embed alongside your team, take responsibility for the work, and stay until the first milestone is delivered. Not reports from a distance, but practitioners working within the programme.
Operational ownership of delivery
Exit
When we leave, the capability stays. Your team has seen a recovery done properly, and they know how to hold the line next time.
A team that finishes stronger than it started
Built for the People Carrying the Weight
Our work meets four kinds of leaders where they are, each with a specific kind of pressure.
Costs are escalating and a high-visibility project is at risk. You need clarity on what's happening and a credible pair of hands to fix it.
Chief Operating Officers
C-Suite
Delivery bottlenecks and scope creep are eroding your roadmap. Technical projects need PM discipline that speaks your language.
CTOs & Heads of Engineering
Technology
You need external expertise to scale your frameworks, recover a failing initiative, or build a PMO fit for growth.
PMO Managers
Programme Office
Large digital transformation is overwhelming your capacity. You need experienced delivery leadership to bring it home.
Change Managers
Transformation
Common Questions
What Leaders Usually Ask.
Q.
What does a project recovery actually involve?
Following an initial assessment and an accurate diagnostic, we then look to go into full mobilisation mode. New baseline, achievable plan and a team structured to succeed.
Q. At what point is a project too far gone to recover?
Rarely. Most programmes can be recovered if action is taken before 90 days of drift. After that, recovery becomes significantly harder. The cost of inaction compounds faster than most leaders realise.
Q. How quickly can you begin a project recovery?
It depends on quite a few factors, but we should be in recovery mode within a couple of weeks. This is subject to agreement by sponsors and the necessary funding in place.
Q. Do you work across all sectors?
Our deepest experience is in utilities, healthcare, IT & SaaS, finance and retail. If you're outside these, get in touch anyway, we'll be honest about whether we're the right fit.
No Cost. No Obligation.
Your Projects Are Too Important to Muddle Through.
Whether you need to recover a project that's gone off track, build lasting delivery capability, or simply understand where things really stand, we always start with a free, no-obligation assessment tailored to your situation.
No Cost. No Obligation.
Your Projects Are Too Important to Muddle Through.
Whether you need to recover a project that's gone off track, build lasting delivery capability, or simply understand where things really stand, we always start with a free, no-obligation assessment tailored to your situation.