Programme Management

Programme management is the co-ordinated management of related projects, which may include related business-as-usual activities that together achieve a beneficial change of a strategic nature for an organisation. What constitutes a programme will vary across industries and business sectors but there are core programme management processes.
APM Body of Knowledge, 5th edition (section 1.2)

Overview
Programmes deliver outcomes or business benefits. The projects within a programme deliver products that combine to deliver outcomes. Programme management provides the link between business change strategy and projects, creating an environment in which a programmes component projects can succeed. Thus, programme management also provides the glue that binds together projects and organisational benefits. Programme management also involves the selection of the most appropriate projects in which to invest, the initiation and direction of those projects to achieve optimised organisational benefits. Programmes tend to follow a natural sequence, the programme management cycle, as shown by the diagram below.
Define the organisations strategy Close programme Monitor and harvest benefits that result from programme Complete projects Manage programme & projects Evaluate candidate programmes Prioritise & select programmes Initiate selected programmes Define projects needed to deliver programme objectives

Initiate necessary projects

Effective programme management requires a series of business processes to support it. Whilst every programme is unique, research shows the following are usually critical to success: programme management organisation; programme planning; benefits management; stakeholder management; issue management & risk management; quality management; configuration management; internal communication; programme accounting and finances; management of scope and change.

Programme Management SIG

Why adopt programme management?
The benefits of programme management include: maximising the realisation of expected business benefits; the delivery of a clear audit trail from business objective to project deliverables; ensuring evolving business needs are managed under control with reference to goals; the transparency to allow executives visibility that organisational change is being delivered in a controlled and responsive fashion; the opportunity to identified and managed stakeholders effectively, at all levels, both inside and outside the organisation; there is a clear and effective delivery infrastructure through the component projects; the opportunity to identified exceptions early, enabling effective remedial action to be taken. Further Information: APM Introduction to Programme Management (APM Publishing) Gower Handbook of Programme Management (Gower Publishing Ltd)

Overview of the SIG

ProgM, the APMs programme management SIG, works to: be the leading professional group for programme management, recognised internationally; promote the science and discipline of programme management; create professional forums where members can share and exchange information in the field of programme management, including: seminars, focussed discussion forums and debates, best practise development forums, networking events; provide standards and guidelines in programme management; foster relationships with business and other professional groups interested in promoting the use of programme management methods and techniques.

Contact
Paul Rayner Chairman, Programme Management SIG Tel: 07788 184685 Email: paul.rayner@logicacmg.com Website: www.apm.org.uk/programmemanagement or www.e-programme.com The views expressed in this factsheet are those of the Specific Interest Group and not necessarily consistent with those of APM or the APM Body of Knowledge 5th edition unless explicitly stated.

Association for Project Management

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