Feasibility study programme and risk register
The programme Gantt and the risk register are the two governance deliverables the trust board cares about most. Without them the feasibility output is design without context.
The programme Gantt
Typical feasibility runs four to ten weeks depending on RIBA span. The Gantt should show governor sign-off date, CIF or SRP submission date, planning pre-app feedback date, and the construction handover window the brief assumes.
Top risks for a school project
Planning refusal or delay (high impact, medium probability), asbestos discovery (high impact, medium probability for pre-1985 buildings), site access during term time (medium impact, high probability), funding-round outcome (high impact, variable), occupied-site phasing collapse (high impact, medium probability).
Scoring and ownership
Score 1-5 impact x 1-5 probability per HM Treasury Orange Book; assign single named owner per risk; review monthly through the engagement [source: HMT Orange Book, verified 2026-06-24].
What the DfE wants to see
For SRP and R&R submissions the DfE expects a programme to construction handover and a risk register with quantified impact, mitigations and owners.
Worked example for a 1980s secondary refurb
Top risk: asbestos discovery during strip-out. Probability 4, impact 5, score 20. Mitigation: R&D2 survey complete at Stage 1; £150k provisional sum in Cost Plan A; phasing flexibility built in.