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Abstract
This paper intends to demonstrate the need for a specic programme rhetoric and life cycle, distinct from that of project management. Grounded in strategic concepts, rather than project concepts, and addressing strategic level stakeholders, both the rhetoric
of programme management processes and its structures must reect the complexity, iterative and changing nature of programmes,
as well as address executives and senior management, which are its key stakeholders. Programmes display both high uncertainty
and ambiguity and programme management phases must be structured in such a way that they address both. The author has chosen words to describe this programme life cycle that clearly establish its relationship with strategy; they are formulation; organisation; deployment; appraisal and dissolution. All these terms reect a strategic, long-term endeavour, representative of programmes
nature. The formulation and appraisal phases, especially are close to strategy development concepts, whilst the organisation and
deployment phases insist on a systemic an learning view of management.
# 2003 Elsevier Ltd and IPMA. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Programme; Value management; Strategy; Project; Life-cycle
1. Introduction
The author has already demonstrated in prior papers
the need to adopt a dierent paradigm for projects and
programmes [1]. A number of textbooks and papers
[26] have suggested programme phases which, albeit
their dierent names, are, in most instances, just transpositions of the project paradigm into programme
management. Although it is now universally agreed that
programmes need to produce business level benets and
are a link between the strategy and projects, little management rhetoric has made its way into the programme
management literature and practice.
KPMGs [7] survey of over 1400 senior organisations
found the lack of top management commitment to be a
key factor in failed projects. Thomas et al. [8] have
argued, in their research on Selling project Management to Executives, that successful messages reect
the buyers needs as the buyer understands them. This
Presented at the Fifth European Project Management Conference, PMI Europe 2002, Cannes France, 1920 June 2002. Organised by the PMI France Sud.
* Tel.: +32-2-344-9415; fax: +32-495-504-550.
E-mail address: mthiry@pmp.uk.com (M. Thiry).
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part of the prioritisation of projects. Finally, the prioritisation plan should be exible enough to allow regular
re-prioritisation as the programme progresses and priorities or objectives change; if the initial plan has been
well documented, this should pose no problem.
The last point requires the identication of constraints
and assumptions and their documentation. It is crucial
that the constraints and other factors on which the
assumptions have been based are well identied,
because they will evolve and change as the programme
progresses and will need to be reassessed regularly. This
should be an integral part of the risk management process of the programme.
3.3. The deployment phase
In the case of programmes, the implementation phase
includes the actual initiation of actions, as well as the
continuous reassessment of project benets and priorities. Once actions are initiated, the programme manager needs to manage and prioritise resource and
exercise formative evaluation of deliverables.
The theory of constraints [23] should be a key principle
of the programme deployment process. It states that one
must:
1. Identify the systems constraints.
2. Prioritise constraints according to their impact
on goal achievement.
3. Concentrate resources on areas of high constraints.
4. Reduce the constraints limiting impact by taking
a higher level view.
5. Reiterate continually.
The key elements of its application being to view the
programme as a system and to concentrate on only one
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4. Conclusion
Project and programme management depend on different paradigms; whereas project management is subjected to a performance paradigm, based in short-term
tactical deliverables, and has proven ecient for portfolio management or multi-project management, it has
not proven its ability to deliver strategic change or
improvement programmes. My own experience with a
number of strategic programmes or soft organisational
change programmes has demonstrated that programmes
need to take into account a learning paradigm that
comes from strategic management and value.
Based on organisational psychology theory and own
experience, the author has argued that programme
management requires a dierent rhetoric than that of
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[6]
[7]
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[11]
[12]
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Acknowledgements
[16]
This paper has made use of extracts of the Programme Management Chapter of Project Management Pathwaysa Guide to Project and Programme
Management Practice recently published by The
Association for Project Management, UK, which has
been written by the author.
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[18]
[19]
References
[20]
[1] Thiry M. Value management practice. Sylva NC: Project
Management Institute; 1997.
[2] Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA).
Programme management case studies: vol. 1. London: Stationery
Oce; 1994.
[3] Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA).
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