Programme Management Defined

Programme management is the co-ordinated management of a portfolio of projects which change organisations to achieve benefits that are of strategic importance.

Managing Successful Programmes

Programme management is a relatively new term and management discipline.  Unlike project management there is not the wealth of case history and analyis readily available so it can be difficult to target genuine good practice from academic theory or spin.  For that reason, JKL Associates bases all of its programme work on Managing Successful Programmes or MSP.  MSP is owned by the UK Office for Government Commerce (OGC) – the same body that owns and maintains PRINCE2.

In the UK PRINCE2 has become a defacto standard for project managers in practically all public sector employers.  It is becoming increasingly common in private sector organisations too.  Intelligently applied, there can be little doubt that PRINCE2 can distinctly improve the probability that a project will successfully deliver.

MSP is often considered to be simply PRINCE2′s big brother.  A sort of PRINCE on steroids.  The thinking goes that all that is needed to delivery programmes is to beef up existing project management.  In reality MSP is radically different.  A quick look at the definition of a programme starts to explain why:

MSP – Definition of a Programme

A programme is defined as a temporary, flexible organisation created to coordinate a set of project and activities in orderto delivery outcomes and benefits related to the organisations stategic objectives.  A programme is likely to have a  life that spans several years.

MSP Definition of a Project

A project is also a temporary organisation, usually existing for a much smaller duration, which will deliver one or more outputs in accordance with a specific business case.  A project may or may not be part of a programme.

By definition, programmes are practically always about strategic change and need the organisation and authority to deliver accordingly.

Click here for a brief overview of MSP.