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Program management plays a major role in allowing organizations to organize people and projects in order to better reach their goal. It enables organizations to achieve excellence by improving practices, offering better services, preparing more effectively for the future and encouraging innovation. Program management can work for most types of organization, as long as senior managers support the programs and specific roles are fulfilled. This article discusses how a program management organization is formed.
Those leading the program should be familiar with the culture of their organization and the measurement of benefits at a strategic level.
Key Principles of Program Leadership
Effective leadership, direction and management of a program are essential if the strategic objectives the programs are aimed at are to be achieved.
Effective program leadership requires particular skills and competencies:
1. Empowered decision-making, where programs’ leaders have the autonomy to fulfill their roles effectively. Leaders need to have visible commitment to the program and sufficient seniority to:
- obtain the necessary resources for the program
- influence and engage stakeholders
- balance the needs of the program with the day-to-day requirements of the organization
2. Relevant skills and experience to provide effectual management of:
- the cultural and people issues associated with change
- the program finances and conflicting demands on resources
- risk, including identification, evaluation and management
The Program Management Team
Programs are guided by a sponsoring group. Consisting of senior managers, the sponsoring group is responsible for:
- providing the investment decision - programs can be very costly and the sponsoring group needs to be certain that the benefits the program will deliver merit the time and cost of running the program
- promoting and supporting the program
- endorsing and advising the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO)
- ensuring the program supports organizational objectives
- providing visible leadership and commitment to the program at key events
- signing off the program on completion
Programs are led by the SRO. The SRO has overall accountability for ensuring the program meets its objectives. The SRO will usually be a manager with sufficient seniority to provide leadership of the program and take ultimate accountability for delivery.
The SRO’s responsibilities include:
- championing the program
- providing overall direction for the program
- securing the necessary funding
- maintaining the alignment of the program to the organizational objectives as business needs evolve
- managing the key risks associated with the program
- supporting and managing the Program Manager
The Program Manager is responsible for leading and managing the program from set-up to delivery of the desired outcomes and benefits. Managing a program is not simply a line-management role designed to oversee a number of projects. The program manager needs to create and maintain enthusiasm for the program, and effectively manage the issues, conflicts, priorities and people involved across a variety of interlinked projects.
The Program Manager and the SRO work together in a similar way as a Project Manager and Project Sponsor.
The Program Manager’s role includes:
- planning and designing the program
- monitoring overall progress
- resolving issues
- managing the program budget
- recruiting individuals to project delivery teams
- ensuring maximum efficiency in the allocation of skills and resources across the program
- managing communication across the project
- managing risks to the program
- reporting progress to the SRO
The Program Manager needs to ensure the program outcomes can be integrated into the mainstream business activities while maintaining business as normal. This role is fulfilled by a Business Change Manager, or Change Agent.
Change Agents provide a bridge between the program and the actual outcomes from the various projects within the program. Large programs may impact across a number of areas within an organization, and in these situations it may be that a Change Agent is appointed to each specific area.
The Change Agent’s role includes:
- working with the Program Manager to ensure that the work of the program leads to operational benefits
- working with the Program Manager to identify projects that will contribute to realizing benefits
- identifying, tracking and defining the benefits and outcomes required of the program
- identifying and implementing the changes required within operational areas as a result of the program outcomes
- optimizing the timing of the individual project deliverables into business operations
- ensuring that business as usual is maintained during any transitions
- monitoring progress once outcomes have been implemented
It is important that Change Agents work within the operational area affected. Participation in the program should be an integral part of their role, and the integration of changes will be smoothed if the Change Agents have detailed knowledge and hands-on experience of the business.
The program team is supported by the Program Office. The Program Office may be set up to support one program, or, particularly in larger organizations, may be a permanent fixture designed to provide an information hub across a number of programs.
Core functions of the program office include:
- tracking and reporting progress
- information management such as:
- keeping master copies of program documentation
- providing quality management documentation
- maintaining, controlling and updating program documentation
- indexing and storing electronic information
- financial accounting, including:
- assisting the Program Manager with budget control for the program
- maintaining status reports for all projects within the organization
- risk and issue tracking, where critical dependencies between projects are analyzed and any necessary action recommended, ensuring consistency and quality control across all programs
- change control, including:
- recording requests for changes
- monitoring identified changes
- ensuring timely action on change requests
- reporting on the change actions carried out
The Program Office may also provide consultancy style support to project and program teams at start up to ensure a common approach is adopted and good practice is shared.
Conclusion
The success of a program largely depends on having the right people in the right roles. The size of a Program Team and the exact roles within it will depend on the scope and scale of the activities and the amount of resources available. No matter whether the roles are full-time appointments, secondments or performed in addition to existing responsibilities, formal appointments will secure commitment to the post, which is vital if the program is going to succeed.
