Program Management

IntroductionThe Why of Program Management

BACKGROUND

The world has been changing and will continue to change and fast. If we have learnt anything from that last decade’s experiences, it is that change will accelerate in its scope and speed and that we best be ready to adapt and to continually build the necessary future skills so as not only to sustain our progress but also to grow and lead. Projects have and will continue to be the vehicle for change. In its simplest form, a project is an endeavor that has a beginning and an end and consumes resources toward achieving a specific and meaningful change purpose.

Programs become the connecting grouping of projects to make the best coordinated use of precious resources across the projects and toward achieve benefits (something of value to the key program stakeholders) that would otherwise be missed if we manage these projects individually. Program stakeholders are the ones with interest in the program’s outcomes and in many instances have the power to influence the program’s direction toward achieving its benefits. The key word here is benefit, which ultimately becomes the key to achieving value. This is what makes programs exciting. They become the closest strategic vehicle leaders have to plan and execute large and sometimes complex change efforts. Programs are in essence the natural cascade from strategic vision into the reality of achieving what matters.

Another key aspect to the background of the importance of programs is that ...