The perfect time for a review is now

It may always feel as though there are good reasons not to conduct a governance review—but that shouldn’t stop you from commissioning one, says principal consultant Joanna Watson

When we talk to potential clients who are commissioning a governance review—of whatever kind and in whichever sector—it’s always interesting to hear the answer to the question, ‘Why now?’.

Depending on the sector, external governance reviews are mandated or recommended, generally every three years.

For NHS organisations, a developmental well-led review is expected to take place every three to five years. With the change in the well-led assessment framework and the introduction of the CQC quality statements, organisations should be thinking about commissioning a review sooner rather than later.

In other sectors, the timescale is for a review every three years, so it’s expected for higher education institutions by the Committee of University Chairs and for larger charities by the charity governance code, while it’s mandated for further education and sixth form colleges by the Department for Education.

Sometimes that is all the reason that’s needed—the periodic, independent review of leadership and governance to identify areas for development. Occasionally there’s an external imperative, such as awareness that the regulator is likely to be inspecting soon and the desire to be inspection-ready.

Often, we hear people saying that ‘the time isn’t right just now’, for any number of reasons: a change in leadership or strategy, a newly appointed governance lead, or perhaps a feeling that the organisation hasn’t yet worked through all the actions from the previous review.

Never perfect, always good

Organisations are constantly changing, so there’s never a perfect time for a review. But almost any time is a good time for a review. For example, a developmental governance review can help the newly appointed chair of the board or chief executive officer in setting their priorities, and it can help the board reflect on how best to have oversight of the delivery of its new strategy.

Investing in a developmental governance review should not just be a tick-box exercise; it’s a sign of maturity, recognising that the organisation needs to develop and evolve, learning from good practice in its own sector and beyond. A governance review isn’t disruptive, but it does need sponsorship and support from within the organisation and the commitment of the board to listen to and reflect on the review’s findings.

At GGI, we have a lot of experience in carrying out governance reviews, so on a practical level, we will make the exercise as smooth as possible with our tried-and-tested approach, which will not disrupt the day-to-day running of the organisation. We have carried out reviews across every sector and every type of organisation in the public sector and not-for-profit space, so we bring to you not just an understanding of your own sector but insights from really good practice elsewhere.

We will work with you in sharing our findings and developing our recommendations as the review progresses, making sure that there are no surprises and that our recommendations will add real value.

Today undoubtedly won’t be the perfect time for considering commissioning a governance review, but it is almost certainly a good time. Why not get in touch to find out more?