1. How to get started – managing a programme

2. Introduction This guide is aimed at those responsible for planning and managing a programme, either in a programme management role or implementing best practice in programme management via programme or portfolio office activities. This guide is based on the processes within Managing Successful Programmes (MSP®) and identifies key activities in starting a programme: What questions to ask What actions to take The ideas in this guide have been written by experienced programme managers who know how to get a programme underway quickly, based on best practice and capable of demonstrating real progress and quick wins in a short timescale. 2 © Maven Training 2011

3. What is programme management? “The coordinated management of related projects, which may include related business-as-usual activities, that together achieve a beneficial change of a strategic nature for an organization.” 3 © Maven Training 2011

4. Programme lifecycle Programme lifecycle Project lifecycle Business change lifecycle

5. First steps - direction In the MSP® best practice approach the vision for the programme must be established and agreed to by those sponsoring the programme before any further programme planning can be undertaken. In reality, the vision is the product of a great deal of discussion, research, pilots and trial runs and evolves over time. If you are asked to manage a programme your first task is to establish how far through the process of Identifying a Programme senior management have got. Ask the following questions to clarify your understanding: Has the vision of the programme been defined yet? How much of the organisations strategic objectives appear to be included in this vision? If so, is there broad agreement about what the programme is trying to achieve? If not, what are the main sticking points? Who are the most vocal sponsors of the programme and why is this? Has anyone expressed strong opposition, and if so why? Has someone formally accepted the role of programme sponsor (SRO) and if so, what is their level of support within the organisation? 5 © Maven Training 2011

6. First steps - structure Programmes are the mechanism for realising strategic objectives. They can be highly political, with those in the programme manager and programme sponsor (SRO) roles having authority over significant levels of resource (people and money). Most organisations have a way of managing strategic work, so before you get started ask: Is there an organisation wide framework for programme management? Does the organisation have expertise in project management that will support the delivery of the projects within the programme? Does the organisation have a formal pool of project managers that can be assigned to key strategic projects? Does the organisation have an approach for managing change that you will need to incorporate into the way in which you manage the programme? How does information flow between those responsible for change and those responsible for ‘business as usual tasks’ – what are the reporting lines, what are the tools to support communication? 6 © Maven Training 2011

7. Next steps – defining the scope In the MSP® best practice approach once the vision for the programme has been defined, there are a number of deliverables that are created to establish the details about the programme and which form the contents of the programme plan: The Blueprint establishes, in more detail than the vision statement, exactly what the programme is going to deliver. In some cases the Blueprint will identify the tranches of the programme i.e., the step changes in capability that are to be achieved as the programme moves towards its final outcome. Each capability described in the Blueprint costs money and delivers benefits. As the ideas are defined on the Blueprint, costs and benefits are identified and added to the Business Case. 7 © Maven Training 2011

9. As a result of the Blueprint, you can begin to identify all of the projects that need to be delivered as part of the programme. The Blueprint gives you a top down approach to achieve this, but remember that there are likely to be a number of projects already underway in the organisation that you want to draw into your programme, or ideas for projects that various business functions would like to see included – so you are unlikely to have a blank sheet of paper to work with.