The ISB exists to provide funding to help
innovative projects get off the ground. It is not in place to
provide long-term funding to sustain a project. There is not a
major sustainability problem with ISB projects; however there
are some projects that do struggle to find a route to sustain
themselves.
Many of the problems encountered could be
avoided if central government sponsors were fully involved both
at the business case stage and through the project life. Projects
might well then move more securely towards making a significant
contribution to mainstream working.
The following recommendations came from a
review of the ISB portfolio:
Projects must at the outset find competent and committed
top-level sponsors in the right policy area who are able
to understand the potential and take an overview of a planned
direction for a project.
Projects need at the outset an exit strategy so that part
of what they are working to is making the project sustainable.
Project managers need to ensure that the project has its
own mechanism for continuous evaluation that should be started
early with preparation at the start of the project and this
should be both relevant and clear about the expected outcomes
and how those outcomes will be measured.
In an ideal world projects should be supported
by evidence that they have thoroughly researched the needs of
the client group, have designed the service in a way, which meets
client's needs effectively and have imaginative ideas for marketing
the service/product. If projects are to go further they need:
proper understanding of their original business case
and the need for quantifiable evidence to back up the potential
and rewards that could be achieved.
well defined ways to follow interest generated and an agreed
mechanism for bringing new partners on board
strong interfaces with the necessary national champions
