Programme Management may be defined as the co-ordinated organisation, direction and implementation of a portfolio of projects and activities that together achieve outcomes and realise benefits that are of strategic importance
Where there is major change there will be complexity and risk. There will be many inter-dependencies and conflicting priorities to resolve. Programme Management provides a framework for managing this challenging environment. Managing Successful Programmes is a Best Practice guide from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) describing a structured approach for managing programmes.
Leads to the Practitioner examination certificate. Provides a complete and practical understanding of the method, with a full set of exercises using a case study example
A programme is made up of a specific set of projects identified by an organisation that together will deliver some defined objective, or set of objectives, for the organisation. The objectives, or goals, of the programme are typically at a strategic level so that the organisation can achieve benefits and improvements in its business operation.
There is a close link between Programme Management and project management because the programme is made up of projects and can only succeed if the projects within it succeed. The concept of a programme is that it should be more than the ‘sum of its parts’. In other words, without Programme Management, the projects would probably still be able to deliver their particular outcomes but these would not be co-ordinated or integrated into the achievement of a strategic goal.
Differences between Programmes & Projects
Programmes
Projects
Deliver outcomes
Deliver outputs
Provide a management environment for projects
Provide a management environment for product delivery
