WHAT IS IT?

Programme(Program) Management addresses the management of project management, i.e. :

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• Setting up project processes

• Auditing and enforcement of established project process

• Acceptance, analysis and improvement of project process

• Oversight of related projects to achieve an over-arching set of objectives

• Monitoring and measuring project results

• Co-ordinating related projects and prioritising resourcing across projects

 

All of the above functions are normally performed by a PMO Office.

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Benefits of Programme Management

• Achieving the overall strategic goals of an organization.

• Improve management of projects interdependencies and impact on the business as usual.

• Effectively managing resources among projects within a programme.

• Manage risks, issues and changes across the programme efficiently.

• Focus on definition and management of strategic benefits.

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BEST PRACTICE

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Acquire the Right People, Knowledge, Skills and Collaborative Behaviours

It's critical that the PMO hires staff with who can drive change in the face of resistance. Project managers within the PMO need a broad range of 'soft' skills in communication, conflict resolution, persuasion and facilitation

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Identify and Execute High-Impact, High-Visibility Initiatives

PMO need to secure stakeholder commitment and support for the future by identifying some “quick wins” and improving delivery for a few highly visible and important PMO projects. It's critical to demonstrate the value of the PMO. This will help keep people engaged around more complicated, long term projects

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Report on What the Business Really Cares About

It's important to check that PMO reporting provides organizational leadership with status information that supports effective decision-making, rather than providing just project status reporting which isn’t enough

 

Build a Framework That Shows How the PMO Aligns With Strategic Enterprise Objectives

A clear framework is essential to articulate the PMO's alignment with the continuously evolving organizational goals and direction. It also serves as an aid to identifying goals and milestones along the road to resolving obstacles and issues that block strategic success. In essence, it's key to communicating the PMO's value. What is often overlooked is the need for the PMO to define strategic goals with senior IT managers and business leaders.

 

Provide Senior Managers with Simple, Unambiguous Information

PMOs are routinely perceived as failing to provide the kind of data that senior managers want. This leads to a disconnection between expectations and perceived reality. PMOs need to shift from a belief that "the more detail we give, the better" to understanding that time-starved senior managers need short, precise and informative reporting that flags what needs urgent attention and what can run successfully without intervention.

 

Highlight the PMO's Achievements 

This is less about "hard" numbers and more about the tangible benefits that are recognized by stakeholders, such as how shorter timescales for project completion have contributed to the solving of key business problems (overlong time-to-market for new products, for instance

 

Evolve the PMO to Support  current and future business needs

An effective PMO continuously reexamines its processes and capabilities to ensure they are in line with the current needs of the business for example, cost, efficiency, flexibility, time to market.