Shaping best practice with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority

Project overview

Successful usage

Routemap comprises a handbook and eight modules. The handbook describes what Routemap is and how to use it, while the modules offer guidance on the most common challenges for projects and using good practice to address gaps in capability. It has been successfully applied by some of the UK’s most high-profile projects including HS2 and Crossrail, Geological Disposal Facility, Digital Railway and Heathrow Airport Expansion programmes.

Project STORY

Refreshing the system

Routemap was originally developed with support from us in 2014, and additional modules were added in 2016. While the principles remain sound, it needed an update if it were to remain a core tool in the IPA’s support offer.

We were engaged in 2020 to support the IPA in refreshing the Routemap to enable it to better support users with practical application of the methodology, to reflect recent best practice, and to incorporate wider infrastructure trends.

New themes

During the process, we identified six new themes:

• benefits and outcomes focus
• economic, environmental and social value
• behaviour and culture
• people and skills
• digital and technology
• transitions.

These themes reflect current and future challenges in project delivery and will help enable projects to be more resilient, financially sustainable and have multiple benefits for people and community.

The refreshed Routemap also helps projects align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals in delivering positive environmental and social impacts.

Project Routemap Assessment

The hydrogen heating programme forms a key part of the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) 2018 commitment to develop a new long-term policy framework to enable decisions on a national transition to low carbon heating.

We undertook a Project Routemap Assessment in conjunction with the IPA, with a team including trained Routemap Assessors and Subject Matter Experts in project and programme set-up and delivery of complex transformation and infrastructure projects.

The team conducted 17 senior industry stakeholder interviews, undertook cluster analysis of interview outputs, planned and led three workshops and facilitated production of a final report with key recommendations. The team were then able to utilise its industry knowledge to share relevant best practice examples of elements of other major programmes it has worked on with the BEIS team, as well as presenting how these could be adapted and utilised.

“Turner & Townsend is working in partnership with us and academia to refresh Project Routemap, providing insights, capability and the connection to industry best practice needed to effectively set-up major projects and programmes.

In addition to providing a highly skilled team, I have really appreciated the collaborative relationship we have developed. This exercise could have otherwise been tough going.”

Nina Ciuffardi
Project Capability Lead
Infrastructure and Projects Authority