Program Management: A Practical Guide

"The most efficient way to produce anything is to bring together under one management as many as possible of the activities needed to turn out the product." - Peter Drucker – management expert Programs bring together a variety of projects and ongoing work that are linked by the overall benefits that they bring to an organization and its customers. By placing projects and ongoing work under the management of a single program manager, duplication of tasks between projects is reduced, and the direction for the outcomes or benefits of the work is closely managed. This improves an organization's competitive advantage and helps to ensure that time and resources are not wasted on efforts that have little chance of producing beneficial outcomes. Currently many organizations have their own definitions and understandings of portfolios, programs, and projects. The differences in these understandings can lead to confusion, so the Project Management Institute (PMI®) has created standardized definitions of all three types of work allotments. This standardization should reduce misunderstandings and help to generate sets of best practices specific to each type of work. When in a program environment, the processes differ from traditional project management. PMI® has developed The Standard for Program Management, which provides a shared lexicon and set of best practices for program management. Programs have their own associated organizational structure and stakeholders. The Standard for Program Management provides a structure for program management and provides a set of best practices to help you ensure the success of your programs. As you work through the course, you will learn about the • importance of programs and program management and how they relate to portfolio and project management, • relationship between program management and strategic vision and how the program management themes ensure success of a program. "The future influences the present just as much as the past." – Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900) In program management, it is vital to know what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen. The program life cycle helps you to manage and control a program by clarifying where the program is and what needs to be done. The program management life cycle is a vital tool in managing and controlling a program and its benefits and outcomes. By using life-cycle phases, a program manager can ensure that the program achieves all the expected outcomes within the time and budget constraints set for that program. The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of the basic concepts of program life-cycle management. It provides an overview of: program life-cycle phases Program life-cycle phases are used to monitor and control the program's benefits. A program life cycle is made up of five phases - preprogram setup, program setup, establishing a program management and technical infrastructure, delivering the benefits, and closing the program. program themes The three program themes that span all the program life-cycle phases are benefits management, stakeholder management, and phase gate reviews. These themes evolve over time and require management throughout each phase of a program life cycle. program governance Program governance involves the continuous management and control of a program. It spans the whole life cycle of the program and is initiated to monitor the progress of the program and the delivery of the planned benefits from its constituent projects. The course examines each of these program life-cycle phases: setting up the preprogram The preprogram setup phase is the first phase of a program's life cycle. During this phase, the rationale and broad plans for a program are developed and assessed. setting up the program Once a program passes its first phase gate review, it moves on to the program setup phase.