Our recommendations

1. We recommend that the Inland Revenue Department continue to ensure that governance of the Business Transformation programme is fit for purpose by:
   • periodically reviewing the governance of the Business Transformation programme (including the roles, responsibilities, and membership of the various groups that are part of the governance structure); and
   • using the results of reviews when making changes to the programme's governance.
2. We recommend that, over the life of the Business Transformation programme, the Inland Revenue Department continue to effectively manage significant risks to good governance, including the risks of:
   • an imbalance in the allocation of executive management's time between programme governance and managing the integrity of the current tax system, with risks of the programme advancing slowly or not being driven enough by the needs of the business;
   • inconsistent training and induction for people involved in governance of the programme;
   • the programme not being able to provide the necessary certainty to the main stakeholders or enough clarity about when benefits will be realised;
   • independent quality assurance reviews of the programme not taking place at times when the programme faces high risks;
   • not having effective capacity and succession management and longer-term staff capability in place;
   • contracted staff not transferring skills appropriately to other staff; and
   • the programme not being as economic and/or as efficient as possible.

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