- Programme management provides the ability to initiate, define, accelerate or terminate projects in the programme in the instance that unforeseen or uncontrollable factors have an impact on the overall strategic goals. Over the course of a programme, there may be the need to remove, add or substitute projects due to varying circumstances. Programme management allows the organisation to have full control over these situations, to ensure any drastic changed is managed without great risk.
- Programme management improves management of project interdependencies and the impacts that can be put on business as usual. In organisations, the business as usual is the profitable element, and the employees within these departments prefer consistency and no drastic changes. Programme managements allow the organisation to demonstrate how the series of projects within the programme are well connected, and executed for a common objective which will be beneficial overall. This is more beneficial than having a series of projects which are disjointed, and no clear objectives.
- Programme management provides the benefit of effective management of available resources and conflicting demands from the business. This allows the organisation to have overall control and oversight of all projects within the programme. They can then effectively plan and allocate resource to ensure that there is no impact on the business as usual activities, but can still execute the projects within the objectives and success factors set out within the programme.
- Programme management provides the ability to manage risk issues and changes across the programme. The benefit is that over the course of a programme, costs and resource demand will decrease as the risk will be repeatedly dealt with in each project within the programme. This management approach allows a strategic plan of lessons learned to be executed so that projects can be delivered more efficiently, and at less expense to the organisation.
- Programme management allows the organisation focus on the definition and management of strategic benefits by combining projects together, and having full control and oversight, and ensure they contribute to the overall objective. An organisation may execute projects including an IT system, refurbishment of their offices and restructuring of their business units. Programme management allows the organisation to execute this under one umbrella, reducing disturbance to the business as usual activities over a longer period
Feeback please (3.2 – 3.5) Five key benefits of programme management
Paul Naybour
Published: 5th June 2015