Page 95 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 4: Programme Management & Project Evaluation

4.3 Creating Programme Notes

Across the India at the moment there will be hundreds of programmes being run, but how well
are they being run and how does the sponsor know that his/her programme is in a healthy
shape? There are a number of ways to find out, most of them costing money from consultants.
Most programmes are complex and are being run using a methodology that fits one of the
following descriptions:
1. Home grown - the organisation has taught itself how to run large complex change initiatives
based on its project experience.
2. Proprietary methodologies from one of the big consultancies at a significant cost.
3. OGC Managing Successful Programmes methodology available for public use and owned
by the OGC. This is by far the dominant approach in the current market place.
From our experience there is a thread that runs through most proven methodologies, and is
often missing from the home grown approach. We call it The Golden Thread, as all the successful
programmes we have come across use it, whilst less successful ones don’t.

4.3.1 The Golden Thread

 The Vision Statement: clearly sets out the direction and purpose of the programme.
 Blueprint: A detailed description and understanding of what the future state of the
organisation will be like, an important step often missed. If you don’t know where you
are going, how will you know when you have arrived?

 Quantified Benefits: A detailed description of the benefits to be delivered, not a set of
bullet points buried in a business case. This is the core of an effective programme, and
can’t effectively be done until you know where you are going.
 Project Portfolio: Well structured to maximize the efficient use of resources, designed to
deliver dividends early and effective control points to stop the programme running away
with itself.
 Business Transition: Effective plans to minimize the instability caused to the business
whilst remaining ambitious about the intended achievements.
 Outcomes Achieved: Focus remains, the new systems have been installed and moved to
the new building, you have reached the new state, but you still will not have achieved the
benefits.
 Benefits Realization: It’s all too easy to declare victory before the benefits have been
achieved. People still think that a miracle will occur that turns outcomes into benefits
which is wrong - management intervention will still be required.
With this information, you can do your own health check to test the quality of your programme.
If the key components of The Golden Thread are not in place you will undoubtedly run into
trouble. It’s all too easy to bypass the blueprint or benefits through expediency to move forward,
but if we had £10 for every senior manager who said, if we’d have done this in the first place we
would have headed off all the problems later, we’d be very rich people by now.

Task Most programmes are complex and are being run using a methodology. Discuss

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 89