Program Management for Improved Business Results

Chapter 2. The Business Case for Program Management

In this chapter we present the case for program management as a primary business function within firms that develop products, services, and infrastructure capabilities. In doing so, we evaluate program management on the basis of how it adds value by creating competitive advantages for a company. In creating these advantages, program management itself becomes a source of competitive advantage that a company can use to outplay rivals.

Eight common critical business problems that plague companies today are presented first. Then, explanations about how the program management discipline has been successfully implemented to overcome each of the problems are provided. These explanations encompass the eight elements of the business case for program management. Finally, the value proposition of program management is summarized in the form of advantages, concluding that it is a relevant way to build a great company.

This chapter seeks to help executives in charge of program management, and practicing program and project managers understand the following:

• Why a project management-only approach creates business problems when applied in some critical business situations

• How program management helps as an integrating mechanism for business-model deployment by aligning execution activities with business strategy

• How program management helps tame the fuzzy front end of development by aligning market and technology research

• How program management can ...