Managing Successful Programmes

I’ve clarified the process I have in mind, based on the previous two posts:

In Programme Procurement Strategy - 1 I briefly reviewed the approach from the OGC Risk Allocation Model for Project Strategy and Procurement.

Thinking about how to apply that approach to my own programme, I quickly realised that the range of changes we are seeking to deliver (across technology services, business processes and management capabilities) does not easily sit into a single risk assessment.

So I’m still attracted to the risk-based approach, but it is going to need substantial de-composition of the programme to apply it meaningfully.

I’m going to start with the Blueprint, since that is where our final outcomes are defined. For each area of the Blueprint I will examine each outcome, and analyse against the risk framework from the OGC guide.

I need to put together an analysis of procurement options for the programme I am shaping, as first steps in devising a procurement strategy.

The main online reference I have found so far is the OGC’s Risk Allocation Model for Project Strategy and Procurement (pdf).

The first part of that document examines the suitability of different contract types in relation to the nature of the organisation and the programme goal:

• Understand overall programme goal
• Think about life-cycle of that goal, and of the sponsoring organisation – i.e. Volatility
• Understand the difference between Inputs, Outputs and Outcomes
• The more volatile the goal or the organisation, the less likely that you will be able to successfully procure for Outcomes, or possibly even for Outputs.

The document then goes on to consider the risks related to organisational capabilities. The earlier in the value chain Inputs-Outputs-Outcomes, the more skills are required within the organisation for integration and change management, and the more vulnerable you are to opposition from within.

The last area of consideration is the ability of the market to supply a particular  service.

Once all three areas have been analysed, it’s likely that further iteration will be required to converge the  solution.

I found this diagram useful to explain how the various activities and plans within a programme combine to add value for the programme sponsoring group and stakeholders:

I’ve been thinking about how to put together a Quality Management Strategy for the programme I am shaping. Question is, where to start…

The MSP Manual says:

[…] used to define and establish the activities for managing quality across the programme

which sounds tautologous to me.

In Chapter 9 on Quality Management, a bit more detail appears:

The Quality Management Strategy defines what criteria will be used to assess quality, what quality activities will be incorporated into the management and delivery of the programme, who will be responsible for carrying out these activities, and how the programme will meet required audit and organisational standards for quality assurance and quality control.

In Appendix B there is more specific guidance on the contents:

Description of the quality assurance, review and control processes for the programme, covering:

• What will be subject to quality assurance, review and control, and the quality criteria to be applied.
• Who will undertake quality assurance, review and control activities
• What will trigger those activities (time-based, event-based or associated with risk occurrence)
• What actions will be taken depending on the results of quality checks
• Configuration management and change control procedures
• Defined responsibilities for quality management
• Information requirements to support quality management
• Procedures for use of support tools for quality management activities e.g. change control software
• Resource requirements for quality management

All of which will be very useful to describe the headings, but which doesn’t ask the fundamental question – why are we doing this? A later post…

The UK Department for Education and Skills are major users of Programme and Project Management. To aid programme startup, they have an approach known as The 22 Questions.

As an aid to meeting facilitation, here are the 22 questions as a MindManager mindmap.

I’ve just heard from Pearce Mayfield that I have passed the Managing Successful Programmes practitioner qualification -although the result isn’t on the APMG/OGC site yet.

As Nick Spargo points out in the comments these links are now dead. If anyone can point to the modern equivalent, that would be appreciated.

A series of documents from the UK Directorate for Defence Acquisition about Benefits Realisation Management

• BENEFITS REALISATION MANAGEMENT – “All you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask” [Word]
• Example benefits strategy [Word]
• Example of a populated benefits model [Powerpoint]
• Example of an initial benefits brief [Powerpoint]
• Example of analysis tools [Excel]
• Example of a benefits ranking model [Excel]
• Example of a Benefits Profile [Word]
• Example “Measures and Owners” brief [Powerpoint]
• Template for capturing measures and owners [Word]
• Simple Benefits Tracking Document [Word]

Via Brad Appleton’s excellent post of links to Agile Programme Management resources, a paper on Combining Agile Methods with Stage-Gate Project Management.

Based on studies in three engineering companies, the conclusion is that are benefits from both the management and engineering perspective.

Good things:

• Agile method add microplanning and day-to-day control to the stage-gate methods
• Engineering teams felt more in control of their work
• Stage-gate approach improves ability of agile methods to interact with other engineering teams, other functions (such as marketing) and senior management.

Things to watch out for:

• Need to manage expectations
• Challenge on large projects of finding a “customer representative” as required by Agile methods