Program Management for Improved Business Results, 2nd Edition

Chapter 9Program Management Tools

Program management tools support the practices and various processes used to effectively manage a program. They are enabling devices for the primary players on a program—the program manager, the project managers, the executive leadership team, and the governance body.

The tools presented in this chapter do not represent a comprehensive suite of program management tools. Rather, they are a key subset of tools we have found to be most impactful and widely implemented within best practice organizations. These tools are both strategic and operational in nature and include:

• The Benefits Map
• Program-level Work Breakdown Structure
• The Program Map
• Complexity Assessment
• The P-I Matrix
• The Program Strike Zone
• Indicators and Dashboards

When used properly, program management tools are a useful aid for decision making. Each of the tools presented provides important information needed to make critical program-related decisions by the primary program management players identified above. Their function is to help establish and maintain alignment between business strategy and program execution, and to facilitate effective program execution in order to realize the business benefits intended.

The Benefits Map

Business benefits are the outcomes of a program that provide value to the organization in return for the investment made in the program. The benefits map documents the expected benefits that are to be realized from the investment. It specifically charts ...