Program Management (PgMO) Approach - gotta go lite!

Program Management Approach Overview

The Program Management Approach should be a best-practice framework to deliver a program of high complexity as a strategic advantage. The methodologies to be considered are designed to enhance the ability to deliver quality services in the development and deployment of automated systems, across the organization's silos.  We suggest using a Program Management Office Framework in the startup/optimization and management of the PgMO. The framework is effective in establishing and managing the program management functions essential to meet the challenges inherent in delivering successful projects.  Good frameworks recognize that each project may have nuances reflecting unique customer situations, business climate, technical environments, and pre-existing conditions; accordingly, we can expertly tailor the Framework to fit/adapt the specific environment.

The size and interdisciplinary nature of this type of project challenge the capabilities of traditional methods used to manage IT projects. The cost, impact, and visibility of an enterprise-level project make failure especially intolerable, and so requires experienced project executives and seasoned project leaders. The thought leadership incorporates new disciplines comes from their experience in managing concurrent, large-scale programs and projects. Classic project management disciplines are well-suited for smaller projects. They will be administered to roll-up to the program-level with performance metrics to assure they are in conformance with expectations – irrespective of which stakeholder organization runs/manages it. Managing the interactions and interdependencies between projects-subprojects is a significant undertaking in an extensive program and involves staff from many different areas as well as third-party contractors. Classic project management techniques must be augmented to handle enterprise-level requirements. 

The executives in charge of enterprise-level programs/projects are concerned with resolving issues such as emerging/evolving business processes, rather than technical details of system implementation. The challenge for these executives is to identify methods to mitigate the inevitable risks to project success. An enterprise IT management model offers opportunities for optimization and efficiency that are not possible in a smaller project. Accurately captured and disseminated, lessons-learned, and process improvements can spread throughout the plans to improve overall productivity. Applying strong central management at the enterprise-level offers unprecedented control over the projects. This control significantly lowers project risk and enables a quick response to problems when they arise.

Transformation Program Management Office Overview – do it right, do it lite!

The basic structure of the PgMO is tailored/customized to meet the unique requirements of the company and program. It may, of course, evolve over the life of the program to meet changing needs and new requirements, and therefore, a modular organization is needed. The figure below shows a generic model of PgMO functions. Basic PgMO functions, such as performance management, quality assurance, and risk management, apply to all programs. The projects within the program make the program unique. PgMOs will be chartered and tailored to handle the specific client circumstances and the objectives of the program.

A right-sized Program Management Office (PgMO-Lite – which we also consider to be a Transformation Management Office (TMO)) can coordinate the implementation of programs, projects, and business process improvements. The PgMO approach is scaled to maximize involvement and ownership, utilizing a model that sets up a central program management team responsible for the overall activities. The approach centralizes ownership, support, and responsibility, and effectively leverages application and IT / business process knowledge. The PgMO will establish a formal organization focused on managing risk and ensuring that new implementation projects align with business requirements. The PMO and PM will coordinate the involvement of all PgMO-related personnel (e.g., in-house, suppliers/partners, and 3rd-party consultants.) 

The PgMO provides oversight to deliver projects on-time and within budget by controlling scope, schedule, and resources while managing the cost and quality

• Providing expertise tailored to the business needs while taking responsibility for all the projects under its span of control, providing the extra focus and resources complex projects demand. 
• Coordinating projects under its umbrella and be the center of excellence supporting Program Managers in the implementation of the functions required to achieve successful projects.
• Leveraging project management tools, support, mentoring, project portfolio management, and quality assurance – providing economies of scale not found in a single project team and offers a single point of contact for all information about the program and its projects. 

To maintain alignment with business objectives, the PgMO is the focal point for coordinating the following activities:

•  Inform management on program status through accurate performance metrics.
•  Meet or exceed quality objectives.
•  Effectively align and deploy resources.
•  Assess, monitor, and advise.
•  Manage “on-time” and “within budget” delivery of projects.
•  Gain productivity through process management and automation.
•  Reduce risk through planning and mitigation strategies.
•  Synchronize activities and obtain stakeholder buy-in through effective communication.

The approach will apply reusable, repeatable processes, and procedures that will form the basis for additional process improvement in the future. Also, the methods established will enhance application maintainability and will reduce the future cost of new development. The benefits will be observed and measurable in productivity, improved IT relationships (clients, partners, and staff), enhancing both business and IT efficiency, and enabling future reductions in costs.

GETTING STARTED

Engaging an in-flight initiative requires a Discovery, Triage, or Initial Approach to clarify what is happening and ascertaining facts from fiction. The engagement should begin with an assessment of the current overall program to assure a solid understanding of the scope and scale of other existing programs and to identify and gaps requiring immediate attention. Proposing a single workstream conforming to the following representative process flow. Duration: depends, as little as two to more than eight weeks

Initial Work Stream: Review/Triage the current program

This approach integrates both Business Change and Technology Exploitation and includes, but is not limited to:

A.    Review the current management and technology plans.

B.    Interview key stakeholders.

C.     Review current testing strategies and compliance monitoring for testing, as recommended by CMS and industry groups as best practices (including scenario-based testing).

D.    Analyze results and evaluate opportunities for optimization and any gaps in the current plans and strategies.

E.     Provide recommendations with estimates regarding the level of effort, costs, and timing – as well as an assessment of the potential impact on the current process remediation plans.

F.    Prepare/refine Program Management Plan – REPLACE the prior ‘rule book’ with the right rules!

About

Don Gleason has over 25 years of quality, program management, and performance excellence experience, including many years as a CIO and then as a CXO-adviser - providing business-IT strategies, as well as pragmatic and tactic advice - building, and executing business-centric technology strategy plans to deliver cost-effective, high-value solutions. He has a strong history and proven track record of turning around sub-optimal situations and equipping organizations with a competitive advantage through business process, technology innovation, and solution delivery excellence.  Don is the Chief Administrative Officer of DGCpartners LLC - a small, innovative, veteran-owned, and independent management consulting firm helping clients gain control of situations, costs, and schedules for their most strategic initiatives. We build, drive, and mentor teams in best practices to ensure sustainable change management discipline, business transformation, and program success.

If you need help determining where or how to start, we will help you triage your situation, and together we can craft a program management plan and make things happen.

Give us a call today: 207.200.7650 so we can start the journey to sustaining success.

To get you started on the right path that uses your team to assure a sustainable transformation & change management - Reach out to me here on LinkedIn, Twitter, or through DGCpartners