Background

Definitions and structures

 

The portfolio reflects the strategy of the company and the budget authorised by the board. To manage a portfolio in programs will give the company the optimisation of benefits the company is searching for within the portfolio of the companies’ strategy. Budget from the portfolio should be allocated to each Each program should have a strategic definition and should be translated to a set off achievable projects with a priority schedule. The program manager should report back to the portfolio manager the benefits expected and the return of investment. The portfolio manager should manage the dependencies between programs. The program manager should manage the dependencies between the projects in his program. Within the program priorities should be set and choices should be made for each project in the program within the given program budget. Each program is responsible for the benefits delivery for the full set of projects.

Program and Portfolio management has been moving from an ad hoc set of activities to standard disciplines and formal practices.

Definitions and structures

Vision definition

The Vision Statement provides a customer-facing definition of what to expect from the transformed business - its capabilities, service levels, costs and so on. The changed business might be to deliver a particular service, to perform the same service but in a more efficient way, or to be better than the competition.

Blueprint

The Blueprint defines the structure and composition of the changed organisation that, after delivery, should demonstrate the capabilities expressed in the Vision Statement. The Blueprint is a detailed description of what the organisation looks like in terms of its business processes, people, information systems and facilities and its data. It is used to maintain the focus of the programme on the delivery of the new capability.

Programme Mandate

The Programme Mandate is the trigger for the programme. The programme mandate should describe the strategic requirements of the programme and clearly map back to the overall strategic plans of the organisation.  It must describe the business changes that will result and how these impact existing services and strategies

Business case

The Business Case is used to obtain management commitment and approval for investment in business change, through rationale for the investment. The Business Case provides a framework for planning and management of the business change. The ongoing viability of the programme will be monitored against the Business Case at least at the end of every key stage within the programme.

Benefit profile

The benefit profile provides a full description of each benefit. The identification, monitoring and measurements of benefits are a fundamental part of successful Programme Management.

Benefit realisation plan

The Benefits Realisation Plan is a complete view of all the Benefit Profiles in the form of a schedule defining when each benefit or groups of benefits will be realised and any handover activities that are required. This plan will be developed alongside the Programme Plan and Business Case to ensure close alignment between delivery of capability and realisation of benefits against associated costs and risks.

Programme Brief

The Programme Brief is developed in Identifying a Programme Process and is the starting point for the programme definition. The purpose of this document is to provide an outline justification for the programme including its objectives, risks, cost, timescale and effort estimates. The creation of the Programme Brief avoids having to spend a large amount of time and effort on the full definition prior to deciding whether to continue or not

Stakeholder & communication

A stakeholder inventory is a useful way of mapping the various stakeholders against their interests in the programme and its activities and outcomes. On the basis of this inventory a communicationplan need to be setup.

Duties of the programme manager

Define the roadmap as per the vision stated by the programme accountable executive, Plan and design the programme, and proactively monitor its overall progress, resolving issues and initiating corrective action as appropriate

Define the programmes governance framework

Monitors and directs or performs day-to-day operations of the assigned programme to ensure that policies and procedures are being followed, that goals and objectives are met, and that services and projects are being accomplished efficiently and effectively; takes corrective action as necessary and, where subordinates are present, may relieve them of the most difficult, sensitive or controversial projects within the programme.

Develops and monitors the programmes budget; oversees financial well-being of the programme by analyzing cost effectiveness and exercising cost controls; prepares, submits and justifies budget enhancement requests to the programme Accountable executive.

Confers with and represents the programme in meetings with other departments and associated; fosters collaborative working relationships to the benefit of the programme.

Prioritizes and allocates available programme resources; reviews and evaluates programme and service delivery, makes recommendation for and executes changes in operations to ensure maximum effective service provision; assists in developing new programme function elements, including researching, compiling and analyzing supporting data.

Ensure the integrity of the programme, focusing inwardly on the internal consistency of the programme; and outwardly on its coherence with infrastructure planning, interfaces with other programme and corporate technical and specialist standards

Manage the programmes budget on behalf of the programme Accountable Executive, monitoring the expenditures and costs against benefits that are realised as the programme progresses

Ensure that the delivery of new products or services from the projects meets requirements and is to the appropriate quality, on time and within budget, in accordance with the programme plan and programme governance arrangements

Manage the dependencies and interfaces between projects

Manage risks to the programmes successful outcome

Initiate extra activities and other management interventions wherever gaps in the programme are identified or issues arise

Produce, and monitor delivery against, the programme benefits profile

Report programme progress at regular intervals to the programme Accountable Executive,

Facilitate the appointment of individuals to the project delivery teams

Ensure maximum efficiency in the allocation of resources and skills within the Project Portfolio

Ensure staff assigned to the programme are fully aware of their responsibilities, and conduct assignment reviews for direct-reporting staff on completion of their assignment.

Manage third party contributions to the programme