Many groups expressed concern about the conclusions of the Smith Commission regarding welfare policy when it published its findings.

The cherry-picking approach taken to greater powers over the benefit system was almost guaranteed to leave many dissatisfied. A number of smaller benefits such as attendance allowance and winter fuel payments are to be devolved to Holyrood. Together these account for around 6% of all the money spent by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in Scotland. However of the 'big ticket' items, only Disability Living Allowance and the Personal Independence Payments which are replacing it,will be devolved.

Housing Benefit and Job Seekers's Allowance are becoming part of the new Universal Credit (UC), and that behemoth is reserved Westminster.

Among those dissatisfied were the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations which called the welfare proposals "a real missed opportunity", the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations "doesn't go as far as we called for", Children in Scotland "piecemeal" and disability group Inclusion Scotland: "disappointing."

But it is the question of how all this is going to work which is now leading to furrowed brows.

Scotland will be able to vary elements of UC, particularly the housing element and the way it is administered. But in this and other areas, the commission's deliberations seem to have been governed by what powers should be handed over and by addressing short term political goals such as abolishing the bedroom tax, rather than by looking forward in a more considered way.

If Holyrood can change the regularity of UC payments and address the question of whether housing payments should go direct to claimants or to their landlords as at present, that will address some major concerns about the benefit. But the difficulty of changing elements of a new benefit, mid roll-out, when it has already become a byword for administrative problems shouldn't be underestimated.

With George Osborne planning £12 billion more in welfare cuts, will there be further cuts before these new powers are handed over?

Meanwhile Maximus, the company appointed to take over work capability assessments on behalf of the DWP starts work in March. Scotland has no say over this, yet Maximus will have to work closely with the providers of a Scottish work programme, when that power is devolved. The Smith Commission stopped short of suggesting Scotland have responsibility for job centres, but again, Scotland will have to work closely with them.

A degree of autonomy could be sacrificed in favour of simplicity and saving money by delivering more in partnership with the DWP on some of these issues. But will that satisfy demands in Scotland for a different approach?

Professor Michael Keating, was one of a number of academics who described the proposals as incoherent, at the Scottish parliament's Devolution Further Powers committee, and says a quick deal has come at the expense of a deeper consideration of welfare. The University of Aberdeen politics professor believes the Smith proposals will not help Holyrood foster social cohesion. "The main reason is that they do not stem from a mature consideration of Scotland's needs but from a pledge made by the pro-union parties in a moment of panic towards the end of the referendum campaign, " he added.