How to Manage Complex Programs

CHAPTER 3

Program Deliverable Management

Dividing an elephant in half does not make two small elephants.

—Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

Programs are complex. The first type of complexity faced by most program managers involves the expected deliverables. The size, scale, and often fuzzy nature of the problems confronted by programs often present an impenetrable barrier to understanding, especially initially. Little progress will be possible until program deliverables are broken up into simpler, more tractable pieces. The decomposition process is not benign, however. Much can be lost when attempting to convert a complicated system into pieces. Inadequate analysis of the interconnections between components may result in serious integration problems. ...