How to hand a programme back to the business

Advisers are rarely asked to leave on purpose. More often, a programme winds down when the budget does, and whatever was built is left to whoever happens to be nearby.

We agree a handover date in the first month of any long engagement and work backwards from it: who will own each routine, tool and forum, and what they need to learn to own it well.

If the programme only works while we are in the room, it has not worked yet.

Three signs you are ready

• Internal leads chair the governance forums, and advisers attend rather than run them.
• The benefits ledger is maintained by finance, not by the programme team.
• Problems are escalated to line managers, not to the advisers.