Programme Recovery Consultancy - UK
Programme Recovery Consultancy: Stabilise, Recover, Deliver in 30 Days.
Independent specialists in failing programme recovery and ERP programme rescue. We stabilise distressed programmes, reset governance and give boards a recovery position they can trust - inside 30 days.
What is programme recovery?
Programme recovery is the disciplined practice of pulling a slipping or failing major change programme back into a controlled, deliverable state. It sits between programme assurance (independent oversight before things go wrong) and full transformational re-planning (when the original plan is no longer fit for purpose).
A credible programme recovery consultancy does three things in sequence: diagnose root causes quickly and independently, reset governance and reporting so decisions can be made, and stabilise delivery through targeted interventions that produce visible early wins. The goal is not just to stop the bleeding - it is to leave the programme with a re-baselined plan and a hand-back path that sustains delivery long after the recovery team has stepped away.
For UK organisations - particularly FTSE-listed boards, PE-backed scale-ups and public sector sponsors - the additional pressure is time and confidence. Investor windows, regulatory commitments and political scrutiny do not pause while a programme drifts. That is why Intology's recovery model is engineered around a 30-day stabilisation window.
Signs your programme is failing
These are the warning signals we see most often before a board commissions a recovery. Two or three together usually justify an independent diagnostic; four or more typically mean recovery is already overdue.
Sustained schedule slippage
Milestones moving out by weeks at a time with no recovery line of sight.
Budget overrun with no mitigation
Forecasts revised upward repeatedly while the path back to plan is unclear.
Eroding stakeholder confidence
Boards, sponsors and investors losing trust in status reports and timelines.
Critical role churn
Senior delivery leads, architects or SMEs exiting under pressure.
Stalled ERP or platform rollout
Cut-over slipping, data migration failing or post-go-live defects spiralling.
Risks and issues escalating
Risk logs growing faster than they're being closed, with no clear owner.
The 30-day stabilisation model
A pragmatic, board-ready framework. Three phases, one calendar month, defensible outputs at the end of each week pair.
Days 1 - 7
Diagnose
Independent rapid health check across scope, schedule, cost, quality, governance, supplier performance and team capability. Stakeholder interviews surface what status reports won't.
- Independent diagnostic report
- Top 10 root causes (not symptoms)
- Recovery confidence rating for the board
Days 8 - 14
Stabilise
Reset governance, decision rights and reporting cadence. Lock down scope, freeze low-value change and put senior recovery leadership inside the programme.
- Refreshed governance and RACI
- Steering committee re-baselined
- Critical-path bottlenecks unblocked
Days 15 - 30
Recover & deliver
Sequenced remediation: critical-path interventions, supplier renegotiation where needed, comms reset with stakeholders and a re-baselined plan you can stand behind.
- Re-baselined plan with confidence metrics
- Visible early wins for stakeholders
- Hand-back plan to sustain delivery
Recovery in practice
ERP programme rescue, PE-backed manufacturer
Sector
PE-backed manufacturing - ERP programme rescue
Challenge
A multi-site ERP rollout had slipped twice, blown its contingency and lost confidence at investor level. Cut-over was 8 weeks late, data migration was failing and the SI relationship had broken down.
Intervention
Intology was engaged for an independent diagnostic and 30-day stabilisation. We reset governance, replaced an underperforming workstream lead, renegotiated SI obligations and re-baselined cut-over against a defensible plan.
FAQ
Programme recovery, answered
What is programme recovery consultancy?+
Programme recovery consultancy is independent specialist support for organisations whose major change programmes have slipped, stalled or lost stakeholder confidence. A recovery consultancy diagnoses the root causes, resets governance and reporting, and puts hands-on leadership in place to stabilise delivery and re-baseline the plan against something the board can trust.
How quickly can Intology stabilise a failing programme?+
Intology's 30-day stabilisation model is designed to give boards a defensible recovery position inside a calendar month. Week one is diagnostic, week two resets governance, and weeks three and four sequence the interventions that stop the bleeding. Full re-baselining and benefits recovery typically continue beyond the 30 days, but visible stabilisation and a credible plan are in place by day 30.
Do you recover ERP programmes specifically?+
Yes. ERP programme rescue is one of the most common engagements we run, particularly for PE-backed and mid-market manufacturers, distributors and service businesses. We work across the full lifecycle - failed cut-overs, data migration recovery, SI renegotiation, post-go-live defect spirals and benefits re-baselining.
Are you independent of the systems integrator?+
Always. Intology never carries an SI or vendor incentive. Our value to a board comes from being independent of every party already on the programme. That independence is what allows us to make hard calls on supplier performance, scope and team composition without conflict.
What sectors do you cover for programme recovery?+
We work across financial services, manufacturing, public sector, energy and utilities, professional services and PE-backed portfolios. Sector-specific regulatory pressures (FCA, PRA, public sector transparency) shape the recovery approach but the core 30-day model is consistent.
How is recovery priced?+
Recovery engagements are typically scoped as a fixed-fee 30-day stabilisation with a transparent day-rate envelope for any continuation. We share a clear scope and exit criteria before starting so the board knows what success looks like.
Programme drifting? Talk to us today.
A confidential 30-minute call with a senior recovery consultant. No sales process, no obligation - just a straight read on where your programme is and what stabilisation would look like.