Appendix E - Post-Project Review Template

What is this document for?

In order to ensure that the Scottish Government buys Professional Services as effectively as possible, it is necessary to take every opportunity to further refine and improve our processes. This template provides a minimum set of considerations for gathering “lessons learned” from every consultancy purchase we make. For major investments, users should refer to the Scottish Public Finance Manual (Major Investment section) for more in-depth project review processes. The manual makes reference to a standard format for construction works project reviews, prepared by Construction Advice and Policy Division. The template is available on request from CAPD@scotland.gsi.gov.uk and can be adopted or adapted as appropriate.

This template is as important to due diligence as the original justification or Business Case and its completion should involve senior staff from the project team. The template has two parts. The first relates to the project as a whole, including, but not limited to those tasks performed by the consultants. The second part relates only to the consultants’ performance.

How will it be used?

Departments should use this document, alongside the original Business Case (or other type of justification) to inform their understanding of the reasons they buy consultancy and the factors that contribute to project success, project failure or any variation in predicted spend, timelines or resources. Business Cases and Post-Project Reviews will also be used to support reviews of the types of external resource we purchase, to seek alternatives (like recruiting those types of skills that we buy regularly) and to review and continue to improve the Scottish Government’s use of consultants.

Who should be involved in the review?

The number of people involved in the review will depend on the scale of the project but should involve at least the people listed in the table below. For small projects, one individual may fulfil several of the roles listed.

Individual	Description	Minimum Role During the Review
Senior Responsible Owner	The most senior individual in the department who had ultimate responsibility for the project.	To sign-off the completed review
Project Manager	The client-side staff member that was responsible for monitoring the consultants activity.	Present throughout the review
Impacted Staff	Any staff member whose work or position is affected by the project itself and/or by its recommendations	Input to questions regarding communication, lessons learned and what would be done differently next time.
External Stakeholders	Any external individual or organisation that is affected by the project itself and/or by its recommendations	To provide input to questions regarding communication and lessons learned