Programme readiness

Five reasons a proposed residential start date may not yet be supported

A cross-workstream explanation of why a plausible date can still depend on unresolved approvals, information and agreements.

Diagnostic briefingPublishedReviewed 26 August 2026

The practical answer

Do not treat one encouraging document or assurance as the whole start position.

Use it when the project team has a date but the evidence behind that date is dispersed or incomplete. Start-Ready brings the immediate decision back to the evidence that supports it, the matters that remain assumptions and the person who normally needs to respond.

The correct answer depends on the project documents, property arrangements and current professional advice. This guide provides a structured owner-side route, not a project-specific determination.

What this resource contains

  • Five common dependency patterns
  • Questions to test the programme
  • A support, assumption and unresolved classification

Questions to put on the record

  1. Which activities define the first lawful and practical start?
  2. Which information is assumed rather than issued?
  3. Which third-party decisions sit on the critical path?

Sources and boundaries

Author: Anthony Lilley for Planning & Project Advisory Ltd. London-based planning, design coordination and owner-side project context.

Limit: This material is not legal advice, technical approval, a compliance certificate or authority to commence work.

Apply it to your project

Check your own position first. Ask for help only if one issue still needs a clear way forward.

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