Our organisation needs a programme of postive change in order to help it to survive and then thrive.
I am in the process of early planning.
I am keen on Branding the Project with a snappy dynamic name so that people won't just see lots of disjointed change all over the place but instead they'll realise it's all part of the co-ordinated programme of change.
The programme will be made up of lots of small "mini" projects that create small incremental changes affecting all departments within the organisation and will be focusing on People, process and Technology in order to effect really positive benefits for all.
In these early planning stages a question has risen, and it's this..
Because the programme is made up of lots of smaller projects and will be constantly reviewed and have new projects added to it. is it appropriate to set an end date?
I have managed small projects before but never a programme and so am not sure whether it should be just something that is continuous or something that has a definite ending.
If it does then how do we maintain that momentum do we create a new programme based on building and maintaining what we have already done.
Hope this makes sense to someone. look forward to your response Saving Changes...
A program may not have a definite end date at the start, but it MUST have a definite outcome it is to achieve. The exception to this is where the benefits of the outcome can only be realised if it is delivered by a certain date. The latest Commonwealth Games was a good example of this.
It should also have a list of candidate projects that are designed to achieve the final outcome with estimate dates and durations. As the projects are planned in more detail these dates and durations will change. But program management is all about delivering the out come.
Good Luck Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
Julie's right: a programme is all about the benefits. If you know what the outcomes are, that's how you define if you are finished. Reading up on Managing Successful Programmes may help. It talks about setting up a Blueprint for the programme that defines what the organisation will look like when the effort is over. This will only work if the senior management appreciate that a programme is a lengthy effort delivering significant change. If they are after a fixed end date, the company might not be ready for full-on programme management. Saving Changes...
