Getting Oriented: the program in one paragraph

• Tell me about the program you are planning, including the primary purpose, estimated total capital, and planned delivery window
• How often does your agency take on a program of this size or complexity? Options: This is our first, Once every 10+ years, Once every 5-10 years, More frequently
• Who within your executive team will be the day-to-day sponsor and who holds final budget authority Options: Single executive sponsor and board/authority signs, Executive sponsor and finance signs, Multiple co-sponsors, Undecided
• Which earlier project in your portfolio is most like this one, and why did you pick that as the comparator
• Describe your current baseline schedule and confidence level for hitting the first major procurement milestone Options: Baseline within 6 months, high confidence, Baseline 6-12 months, moderate confidence, Baseline 12+ months, low confidence, No baseline set yet

Where the schedule, budget, or politics actually bite

• When was the last time a single external event forced a major schedule or budget reset for an investment program in your agency
• Which approvals or legislative actions are required before you can obligate funds or award contracts Options: Board/authority approval, State appropriation, Federal grant acceptance, Environmental permit, Procurement award, Other
• How do you currently quantify the political risk for this program and where does that sit on your risk register Options: Explicit line item with mitigation, Mentioned but not quantified, Not on risk register, Unknown
• Who finds out first when a schedule slip becomes likely, and what typically happens next
• What single governance gap today would most increase the chance that a major stakeholder publicly opposes the program

Assumptions quietly carrying your program

• Which assumption about funding, delivery capacity, or timeline, if false, would change whether you move forward
• Walk me through where that assumption came from, who owns it, and what evidence supports it
• How many months of cost and schedule contingency do you currently include in your plan Options: None documented, 1-3 months, 4-6 months, 7+ months
• Which external dependency, for example a federal grant approval, environmental permit, or utility relocation, has the highest probability of delay Options: Federal grant approval, State appropriation, Environmental permit, Utility coordination, Local land use approval, Other
• If one of your top three assumptions failed in the next 90 days, would you have a decision point documented to pause, re-scope, or re-budget the program Options: Yes, documented decision point, No documented decision point, Informal process only, Undecided

If we had to fix one thing before procurement

• What would you want fixed before the first design or construction procurement is released
• Which PMO capability, such as scheduling, cost estimating, contract management, or stakeholder communications, is most under-resourced Options: Scheduling and controls, Cost estimating and budgets, Contract and procurement expertise, Stakeholder and legislative engagement, Legal/compliance, Other
• Who would need to sign off internally on a revised governance charter or an external advisory engagement Options: Executive sponsor only, Executive team consensus, Board or authority, State oversight committee, Other
• How quickly could you assign a dedicated program lead and a small PMO team if that change were recommended Options: Immediately, Within 30 days, Within 60-90 days, Longer than 90 days
• Which measurable indicator would convince you that the fix worked before you moved into full delivery Options: Cost estimate within target range, Signed funding commitments, Permits in hand, Trained PMO staff, Procurement documents approved

Barriers that will stall or stop the program

• Which single regulatory or political obstacle would force you to delay or cancel the program
• Who are the external stakeholders most likely to block progress, and which of them have expressed concern already Options: Local elected officials, State legislators, Community groups, Federal reviewers, Environmental regulators, Utility owners
• Tell me about any recent public hearings, media coverage, or legislative action that shifted program momentum
• How have you mitigated top stakeholder objections in past programs, and which mitigation has the shortest lead time
• Do you have a contingency plan that would satisfy the governor or oversight committee if a major barrier arose Options: Yes, approved contingency plan, Draft plan exists, Informal contingency only, No contingency plan

Competitive landscape, who else could you choose

• Who else is being considered to provide advisory or program management support, including internal teams, incumbent advisors, or other bidders
• Which of these alternatives have you actively evaluated or had proposals from in the last 12 months Options: Incumbent advisor, Other external advisory firms, Internal program team, P3 or private developers, No alternatives evaluated
• What would have to be demonstrably true about your current approach for you to decide to keep it rather than change advisors
• Has anyone inside your agency proposed solving this without an outside partner and what resource case supports that view Options: Yes, with existing staff, Yes, with added hires, No internal proposal, Under discussion
• Suppose the incumbent claims they can deliver full scope at 10 percent lower cost, what evidence would convince you to retain them

Operational readiness and practical constraints

• Which critical systems, data sets, or approvals must be in place before advisory work can begin Options: Financial system access, Risk register and baseline schedule, GIS and asset data, Legal/procurement authority, Grant application materials, Other
• Who owns each required data source or system and will they sign the data access agreement within 30 days Options: Data owners identified and will sign, Data owners identified but timeline uncertain, Data owners not yet identified, Not applicable
• Describe your current staff capacity for supporting an advisory team, including dedicated PMO FTEs and technical subject matter experts
• Which procurement path do you intend to use for the advisory engagement and for the later design and construction contracts Options: Qualification-based selection, Request for proposals with scoring, Sole source/negotiated, Public-private partnership procurement, Undecided
• Are any regulatory approvals, environmental permits, or funding conditions likely to be unresolved within your target launch window Options: Yes, at least one will not be resolved, Probably, but manageable, No, all are on track, Unknown
• Which single readiness item, if not cleared within your target window, would force you to delay launch

Decisions, timing, and next steps

• Imagine contracting could be closed in 30 days, what internal steps must happen to make that possible
• Which decision maker or body must approve the advisory engagement and by when do they expect a recommendation Options: Executive sponsor, Executive team, Board or authority, State oversight or legislature, Other
• By when do you need the first deliverable, for example a validated business case or governance charter, to meet external funding milestones Options: Within 30 days, 30-60 days, 61-120 days, More than 120 days
• Assuming a short pilot proves the expected savings or schedule improvements, what internal or external barriers would still prevent you from signing within the same month
• Which follow-up materials would help you decide next, select all that apply Options: Example governance charters, Comparable program case studies, Detailed scope and pricing for a pilot, References from similar agencies, A one page risk summary
• Who should we include in a 60 minute follow up to resolve remaining constraints and what is the best date range in the next two weeks

• Assessment Kickoff and Data Inventory
• Current-State Assessment and Constraints Mapping
• Cost, Schedule, and Funding Assumptions Validation
• Draft Program Business Case Development Workshop
• Business Case Review and Decision Meeting

• Model the cash flows for the preferred delivery option and include contingency and financing cost impacts.
• Documented sensitivity scenarios and contingency approach for presentation in the draft business case.
• Update the cost and schedule model to reflect the agreed ranges and contingencies.
• Provide grant and financing term documents that validate funding timing assumptions.
• Run sensitivity runs for the agreed scenarios and circulate results before the next session.
• Confirm problem statement and success metrics to be reflected in the business case
• A draft business case outline and financial summary are agreed for circulation to decision makers.
• A preferred delivery and procurement approach is selected or a clear path to selection is agreed.
• A list of open issues to resolve before final business case signoff is captured with required evidence or analyses.
• Prepare the full draft business case document including financial appendices and scenario notes.
• Confirm scope, objectives, and success metrics
• Compile a short memo summarizing procurement and governance implications of the preferred option.
• Executive recap of the draft business case and key assumptions
• Executive ratification of the initial business case or a documented list of required changes for finalization.
• Clear next steps and timeline to transition into Program Scope & Deliverables, including required inputs for procurement and governance design.
• Signoff criteria and the schedule for final business case approval are recorded.
• Finalize the business case incorporating any agreed changes and prepare the signoff package.
• Prepare procurement and governance input documents required for the Program Scope & Deliverables stage.
• Schedule the kick-off for Program Scope & Deliverables and distribute the agreed timeline and signoff criteria.
• Signed scope and success metrics for the assessment are recorded and agreed.
• Complete data and document inventory with delivery dates and access instructions.
• Initial constraints and assumptions log created and prioritized for validation.
• Deliver the finalized data and document list with access instructions and deadlines.
• Provide org charts, governance documents, and contact list for key stakeholders and decision makers.
• Populate the constraints and assumptions log with any additional items identified after the meeting.
• Recap agreed scope and objectives
• A confirmed current-state program map is produced and accepted by participants.
• A prioritized constraints register is created with evidence gaps identified.
• A list of assumptions to validate and the data required for each assumption is agreed.
• Provide documentary evidence or data sources for the top three prioritized constraints.
• Share procurement and funding records referenced during the session.
• Schedule any follow-up interviews needed to resolve disputed findings.
• Present proposed cost and schedule baseline with uncertainty ranges
• Agreed cost and schedule ranges and the list of inputs to be used in the business case model.
• Confirmed funding stack assumptions and timing constraints for the initial cash flow model.
• Stakeholder and decision rights check
• Review major cost drivers and schedule risks
• Review top program risks and proposed mitigations
• Walk through current organizational and delivery workflows
• Review draft financial summary and scenarios
• Validate funding sources, timing, and constraints
• Data and document inventory
• Decision point on preferred funding and delivery approach
• Map current funding and procurement status
• Present recommended delivery and procurement approaches with tradeoffs
• Agree contingency and sensitivity scenarios
• Surface and validate political, regulatory, and technical constraints
• Initial constraints and assumptions log
• Agree next steps for Program Scope and Engagement Agreement inputs
• Agree preferred option and outstanding analysis needs
• Agree delivery timeline and next steps
• Prioritize constraints and identify data needed
• Confirm signoff criteria and schedule

• Stand up Program Management Office (PMO)
• Develop program business case documentation
• Deliver governance charter and decision matrix
• Prepare procurement strategy and RFP packages
• Draft contract templates and evaluation criteria
• Deploy budget, schedule, and risk dashboards
• Set up program risk register and mitigation trackers
• Prepare funding and financing transaction packages
• Assemble and submit federal grant applications
• Set up funding compliance reporting workflows
• Produce public outreach materials and briefing kits
• Prepare legislative and executive briefing presentations
• Train agency staff on PMO tools and processes
• Deliver independent program review report

Stand up Program Management Office (PMO)

• Do you have an existing PMO charter or should one be created? Options: Existing charter, Create new charter, Unsure
• How many full-time equivalent staff do you plan to assign to the PMO in year 1? Options: Less than 3, 3-10, 11-25, 26+
• Which program control artifacts should the PMO operate (integrated master schedule, cost ledger with EAC, risk register, procurement tracker)? Options: Integrated master schedule (IMS), Cost ledger with EAC, Risk register, Procurement tracker, All of the above
• Who will be the named sponsor and PMO director (provide title and role) responsible for PMO charter approvals?
• When do you need the PMO to be operational relative to the first construction contract award? Options: Before procurement, At contract award, Within 3 months of award, Other/Unsure
• List the specific out-of-scope activities the advisory engagement should not perform (for example: direct contractor supervision, construction QA/QC, permit approvals).

Develop program business case documentation

• Provide the target benefit-cost analysis (BCA) thresholds the program must meet for discretionary grant eligibility. Options: BCR > 1.0, BCR > 1.25, BCR > 1.5, Unsure
• Which baseline cost estimate level do you require for the business case (conceptual, preliminary, definitive)? Options: Conceptual (planning-level), Preliminary (30%/Class 3-4), Definitive (final design/Class 1-2), Unsure
• How should benefits be documented for stakeholder briefings (travel time savings, crash reduction, resilience metrics, economic uplift)?
• Identify the federal grant programs you plan to pursue and provide prior application numbers if available.
• Estimate the planning-level schedule to reach NEPA decision, right-of-way acquisition, and 30% design milestones. Options: Under 12 months, 12-24 months, 24-36 months, 36+ months
• Confirm the acceptance criteria for the business case deliverable (for example: signed executive approval and placement in the agency capital plan). Options: Signed executive approval, Board resolution included, Included in adopted capital plan, Other

Deliver governance charter and decision matrix

• Who should be included in the program governance body (provide titles for voting members and ex-officio advisors)?
• Specify whether decision rights such as change orders above a dollar threshold should be reserved for board approval or delegated to the program director. Options: Board approval required, Delegated to program director, Mixed with thresholds
• Where should the decision matrix be stored and what access controls are required (document repository, meeting minutes linkage, approval workflow)? Options: Agency document repository, PMO-managed approval workflow, Shared drive with access controls, Other
• Describe the escalation pathway for disputes between delivery teams and regulators, including required artifacts such as permit logs or environmental commitments.
• Confirm the governance charter acceptance criteria: agreed RACI, signed governance charter, and scheduled governance meeting cadence in the PMO calendar. Options: Signed RACI and charter, Scheduled governance meetings, All of the above
• List any statutory or legislative constraints that affect board composition or decision authorities (for example: regional oversight statutes, bond covenants).

Prepare procurement strategy and RFP packages

• Do you prefer design-bid-build, construction manager at risk (CMAR), design-build, or an alternative procurement approach for major work packages? Options: Design-Bid-Build, CMAR, Design-Build, Alternative/P3, Unsure
• How many separate RFP packages do you anticipate for the first phase (for example: enabling works, primary construction contracts, utility relocation)? Options: 1, 2-3, 4-6, 7+
• Indicate the procurement evaluation criteria weightings that matter most (price, technical approach, local participation, DBE/MBE goals). Options: Price, Technical approach, Local participation, DBE/MBE goals, Balanced weights
• Who will be responsible for drafting the technical statement of work (SOW) and procurement schedule (agency procurement staff, external counsel, or external advisors)? Options: Agency procurement staff, External counsel, External advisors, Hybrid
• When must RFP packages be issued to align with grant award deadlines or state appropriation windows? Options: Before grant award, Aligned with grant release, After legislative appropriation, Other/Unsure
• Are there mandatory local hire, prevailing wage, or small business set-aside requirements that must be incorporated into the RFP? Options: Local hire requirements, Prevailing wage requirements, DBE/MBE set-asides, None/Unsure

Draft contract templates and evaluation criteria

• Select the contract models that templates should cover (fixed-price, cost-plus, guaranteed maximum price, design-build turn-key). Options: Fixed-price, Cost-plus, Guaranteed maximum price (GMP), Design-build turn-key, Multiple models
• How should liquidated damages and schedule incentives be structured in sample contract language to protect the agency schedule?
• Identify the standard insurance, bonding, and performance security thresholds required by state law or bond covenants.
• Provide the RFP evaluation scoring methodology you require (best-value tradeoff, point-scoring with minimum thresholds, lowest responsive bidder). Options: Best-value tradeoff, Point-scoring with minimums, Lowest responsive bidder, Hybrid/Unsure
• When was the agency's standard contract form last updated and does it reflect recent state contract code changes? Options: Updated within 12 months, Updated 1-3 years ago, Updated 3-5 years ago, 5+ years/Unsure
• List any non-negotiable contract clauses required by legal counsel or funding agencies (for example: audit rights, indemnity caps, federal flow-down clauses).

Deploy budget, schedule, and risk dashboards

• Indicate the data sources that should feed dashboards (cost ledger, contract change log, integrated master schedule, permitting tracker). Options: Cost ledger/EAC, Contract change log, Integrated master schedule (IMS), Permitting tracker, All of the above
• How frequently do you require dashboard updates for executive briefings (daily, weekly, monthly)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly
• What earned value management (EVM) thresholds or schedule variance triggers should raise automated alerts (for example: cost overrun >10% EAC, CPI < 0.9, critical path float <30 days)?
• Specify which roles should have view-only versus editor permissions on the budget, schedule, and risk dashboards (provide titles).
• State the measurable acceptance criteria for dashboards (live data feeds, drill-down to contract-level cost, and exportable executive summary for board packets). Options: Live data feeds, Contract-level drill-down, Exportable board summary, All of the above
• Are there preferred visualization formats for schedule and risk in board materials (Gantt, critical path highlight, risk heat map)? Options: Gantt, Critical path highlight, Risk heat map, KPI tiles

Set up program risk register and mitigation trackers

• Indicate whether you have an existing risk register template or require development aligned to a program risk taxonomy. Options: Existing template, Develop new template, Unsure
• List the risk categories that must be tracked (funding, environmental permitting, utility relocation, right-of-way, construction safety). Options: Funding, Permitting, Utility relocation, Right-of-way, Construction safety, Third-party coordination
• Define how residual risk thresholds should trigger escalation to executive sponsors (for example: cost overrun >10% EAC or critical path float <30 days).
• Assign who will own mitigation actions and specify required evidence for action completion (meeting minutes, progress photos, contractor reports).
• When should risk reviews be scheduled into PMO cadence (weekly integration meeting, monthly risk board, quarterly executive review)? Options: Weekly integration, Monthly risk board, Quarterly executive review, Ad hoc
• Detail the reporting integrations required between the risk register and the contract change log or permits tracker.

Prepare funding and financing transaction packages

• Select the financing options under consideration (state appropriations, revenue bonds, GARVEE, public-private partnership, value capture district). Options: State appropriations, Revenue bonds, GARVEE or federal debt, Public-private partnership, Value capture
• How much capital do you plan to bond in the first issuance and what is the target rating assumption?
• State the expected timing for drawdowns tied to grant reimbursement schedules and construction milestones.
• Identify who will prepare bond offering documents and coordinate with underwriters and bond counsel. Options: Internal finance team, External financial advisor, Bond counsel, Hybrid
• Are federal flow-down compliance conditions (Davis-Bacon, Buy America, audit rights) required for financed segments? Options: Yes - full flow-down, Partial flow-down, No/Unsure
• Estimate the transactional advisory services you need (financial modeling, bond structuring, tax counsel, credit enhancement) and preferred procurement route. Options: Financial modeling, Bond structuring, Tax counsel, Credit enhancement, All of the above

Assemble and submit federal grant applications

• Identify targeted federal discretionary grant programs you plan to pursue and provide prior FY application numbers if available.
• Describe the NEPA status and any outstanding permits that affect grant readiness (categorical exclusion, environmental assessment, environmental impact statement, permits outstanding). Options: Categorical Exclusion (CE), Environmental Assessment (EA), Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Permits outstanding
• Detail the grant application deadlines and indicate whether matching funds are committed or contingent. Options: Deadlines identified, matching funds committed, Deadlines identified, matching funds contingent, Deadlines unclear/Unsure
• Identify who will supply required attachments (BCA, cost estimate backup, letters of support) and whether elected official letters are available. Options: Agency staff, External advisor, Combination, Unsure
• Indicate whether the agency has an established federal grant indirect cost rate or needs negotiation with the cognizant agency. Options: Established indirect cost rate, Need negotiation, Unsure
• Indicate any equity or community benefits requirements to include in the application narrative (workforce development, minority business participation targets). Options: Workforce development, Minority business targets, Local hire commitments, None/Unsure

Set up funding compliance reporting workflows

• Identify required grant compliance reports (financial reimbursement claims, performance metrics, DBE reports, audit schedules). Options: Financial reimbursement claims, Performance metrics, DBE reports, Audit schedules
• How often must reimbursement claims be submitted to each funding agency and what evidence is required (invoice, payment certification, progress report)? Options: Monthly, Quarterly, Per milestone, As specified by funder
• Who in your agency will sign and certify federal reimbursement requests and are signature authorities documented? Options: Grants manager, Chief Financial Officer, Authorized signatory list, Unsure
• Where should compliance records be stored to satisfy audit trails (document repository, contract file indexing, grant portal uploads)? Options: Agency repository, PMO-managed folder with indexing, Grant portal uploads only, Other
• Provide required internal controls or segregation of duties that must be enforced for fund drawdowns to meet OMB or state audit standards.
• Give an estimate for the timeline to prepare the first compliance package after grant award. Options: Under 30 days, 30-60 days, 60-90 days, 90+ days

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Commercial Terms & Fee Schedule
• Decision Rights & Delegation Matrix
• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Data Sharing & Access Addendum
• Public-Sector Procurement & Security Rider
• Change Order Agreement
• Authorization to Proceed
• Acceptance & Closeout Certificate

• Go-live Health Check (Weeks 1-4)
• First KPI Measurement Review (Weeks 4-10)
• 90-Day Realization Review (Approx. Day 90)
• Quarterly Operational Review
• Annual Program Performance Review
• Monthly Advisory Triage and Enhancement Prioritization

• Provide a clear statement of program financial and schedule health against Delivery Acceptance Sign-Off expectations.
• Confirm distribution list for ongoing status updates and assign the next checkpoint date.
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• Agree the next quarter's prioritized enhancement list and the criteria for delivery.
• Confirm knowledge-transfer milestones and the remaining gaps to institutionalize the PMO.
• Publish the prioritized enhancement backlog with estimated effort and planned delivery quarter.
• Update the risk register with mitigation progress and next steps for unresolved high-severity items.
• Share a knowledge-transfer schedule showing remaining deliverables and target completion dates.
• Schedule quarterly checkpoints to monitor implementation of the improvement roadmap.
• Program financial and schedule performance
• Create short-term remediation tasks for critical blockers with target resolution dates.
• Agree a one-year continuous improvement roadmap that addresses capability gaps and major variance drivers.
• Document lessons learned to incorporate into the PMO operating procedures.
• Publish the annual performance report including variance analysis and the continuous improvement roadmap.
• Document lessons learned and update PMO operating procedures accordingly.
• High-severity issue triage
• Reduce average days to resolve high-severity issues through targeted monthly actions.
• Keep the enhancement backlog prioritized and aligned with near-term delivery constraints.
• Ensure all monthly decisions are captured and have clear resolution dates.
• Record and publish updates to the high-severity issue tracker with revised resolution dates.
• Reprioritize the enhancement backlog and circulate the updated list for asynchronous review.
• Confirm the advisory hours allocation for the coming month and list the deliverables those hours will support.
• Confirm that all launch deliverables required to operate the PMO are present and accessible.
• Identify and record the top 5 operational blockers with owners and target resolution dates.
• Ensure the named owners and the location of acceptance criteria in Delivery Acceptance Sign-Off are understood by the team.
• Publish a deployment validation report listing completed items and open defects for the tracking log.
• Present first data against schedule and staffing metrics
• Establish whether percent of projects on baseline schedule and PMO staffing fill rate are trending toward the Delivery Acceptance Sign-Off targets.
• Agree a prioritized list of corrective actions with dates for resolution.
• Document data sources and owners for ongoing KPI reporting.
• Deliver a KPI packet including raw data, calculation method, and comparison to targets recorded in Delivery Acceptance Sign-Off.
• Create remediation tasks for top 3 root causes with target completion dates.
• Update the PMO staffing plan with candidate pipeline dates and role start windows.
• Restate targets and measurement approach
• Confirm the program's current position versus the Delivery Acceptance Sign-Off targets for budget and schedule.
• Produce a time-bound remediation and monitoring plan that closes identified gaps.
• Ensure high-severity risks have mitigation owners and agreed resolution windows.
• Publish the 90-day realization summary with variance analysis and the agreed remediation plan.
• Add all remediation tasks to the program tracker with target dates and monitoring checkpoints.
• Schedule the next operational checkpoint to review remediation progress.
• Operational KPI review
• Ensure PMO staffing and risk levels are monitored and that persistent issues have active remediation plans.
• Deployment and configuration validation
• Present outcomes against budget and schedule metrics
• Diagnose root causes for any gaps
• PMO capability maturity assessment
• Enhancement backlog prioritization
• Enhancement backlog prioritization
• Agree specific corrective actions
• Persistent blocker burn-down
• Early adoption signals and usage patterns
• Short-term advisory allocation
• Risk and issues burn-down review
• Stakeholder engagement and compliance review
• Update action tracker and confirm next steps
• Knowledge-transfer and institutionalization status
• Agree continuous improvement roadmap for the next 12 months
• Confirm timeline to next realization checkpoint
• Agree remediation commitments and monitoring cadence
• Blockers and open issues triage