Programme Management deals with managing a group of related projects and their associated activities.
Our Programme managers oversee and coordinate the various projects and other strategic initiatives throughout an organisation. Shaping the programme to accomplish the vision requires the sponsor and programme manager to select and organise projects and other business-as-usual activities. Our programme managers are responsible for day-to-day management of the programme including the coordination of projects and change management activities.
Our typical Programme Management responsibilities include:-
- Identifying and grouping the components of related projects into packages that form the overall project programme including defining the scope of individual projects in the group;
- Managing the expectations of key stakeholders and engaging their support for the overall development encompassing all the related projects in the group;
- Managing the risks associated with the internal and external environments for the overall development;
- Managing programme change, such as cancelling projects or changing the scope of projects in reaction to changes in the Client organisation’s strategy or environment;
- Identifying, supporting, measuring, monitoring and managing the realisation of the project benefits of the entire programme in line with the Client’s objectives for the overall development.
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Aspect |
Programmes |
Projects |
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Clarity of Scope |
Programmes involve uncertainty in funding, range and impact |
Projects require clearly defined scope, budget and timescales (agile projects will look to fix scope per iteration). |
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Clarity of deliverables |
Specific deliverables to be created are usual unclear at the start |
The required deliverables are usually clearly defined at the start (agile projects will look to fix deliverables per iteration). |
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Structure |
Separately managed projects, which must be coordinated. The structure may be unclear at the start and may change throughout the life of the programme. |
A project forms a single managed entity, which is clear at the start and will not usually change significantly during the life of the project. |
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Methodologies or approaches |
Frequently involves coordinating and managing several different organisations, each of which is responsible for one or more discrete projects, and each of which may be using a different methodology of project approach. |
A single project is normally the responsibility of a single organisation, working to a single methodology or project approach. |
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Clarity of budgets and timescales |
At the start, the time and budget required will often be unclear, and part of the role of the programme will be to define these. |
Projects start with a project initiation document, project management plan, business case or equivalent that defines expected costs and timescales. |
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Approach to change |
Because the scope and deliverables are unclear, change to priorities and requirements is constant and a major feature of programmes. |
Change to scope or desired deliverables are generally subject to rigorous control. |
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Critical activities |
A major element is managing people and organisational issues necessary to ensure that the new capabilities will be used to deliver the desired benefits. |
The major element is managing the technology or specialist skills necessary to create the deliverables. |
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Measure of success |
The creation of useable capability and/or the delivery of business benefits. |
The creation of the specified deliverables within agreed time and cost constraints. |
Source: Association of Project Management, UK
