How to Manage Complex Programs

INTRODUCTION

Programs are complex—often extremely complex—collections of projects. Successful program management begins with a good command of project management processes, but that is never sufficient. Once a project exceeds a certain scale, project processes become unwieldy. To make the methods of project management effective for major programs, the work must be broken down and organized into a set of interdependent undertakings that can be autonomously executed. Program management challenges include dealing with complex hierarchies in three main domains: deliverables, workflow, and staffing.

System deliverables require up-front analysis to decompose them into a hierarchy of understandable components. Successfully developing complex systems ...