Common Assessment Framework

Self-assessment is an important form of assurance and can be used at an early stage with internal resources to assist the promoter. The Common Assessment Framework below can be used at any stage or during any of the sections.

Strategic Objectives

  • What are the strategic objectives to be addressed?
  • How does the transport need fit into the wider strategy?

Transport Problem

  • What transport problem do you want this project to solve?
  • If rail is being considered as the solution, are you certain that rail is the most appropriate mode? What alternatives have been considered?

Benefit Definition

  • What are the benefits you want to claim as a result of this project? Consider both transport and wider benefits.
  • To what extent is the operator engaged in defining benefits?

Assumptions and Interdependencies

  • What is the significance of assumptions and impact of interdependencies that you have identified so far?
  • How have you been testing these as you work through the project? When are you planning to revisit your assumptions?
  • In particular, how are you developing your cost assumptions and what is your approach to contingency?

Innovation

  • In the early stages, to what extent have you considered whether you are building the railway we have or the railway of the future?
  • Are there examples of process innovation that you have developed or would have benefited from in the early stages?

Collaboration and Culture

  • Collaboration across rail industry partners and local stakeholders such as highway, transport and planning authorities is crucial to success. How are you set up to perform in those relationships and get from them what you need?
  • What would you do differently at the start to get the best out of each organisation based on where your project is now?
  • Is there any best practice you have encountered?

Governance Arrangements

  • Have you considered your governance arrangements, set-up and structure for early stages and how this might drive collaborative behaviour and accountability for risks?
  • Do you know when you might reconsider governance arrangements as you move forward to future stages?
  • How far have you thought about who will operate the proposed service? What is the governance on this during construction, into operation and during operation?