Programme Management

The prosperity of any business is dependent on multiple factors. One of the most important is internal operational efficiency. If your projects run late or exceed their budget or, worst of all, fail to meet your customers’ expectations, then no amount of investment or marketing will rectify this. What you are probably suffering from is poor programme management. That may seem to be stating the obvious but it is important not to discount such incidents as one-off failings because they may be symptomatic of more profound and serious weaknesses within your business. Unless you address them, you cannot guard against repetitions which will ultimately erode your reputation and damage your competitiveness.

The concept of programme management and transformation is concerned with effecting changes in the way in which businesses use their employees, infrastructure and technology to serve the pursuit of their goals. It is about assessing existing processes, identifying flaws and developing a plan to revise and restructure. While this necessitates the broadest overview of a company’s culture, strategies and practice, it is frequently necessary to intervene with a troubleshooting approach in order to improve the conduct of ongoing operations. The ideal time to work on transformation is not at some unspecified quiet moment in the future but in the heat of what is happening right now. If projects are failing, the need for change is urgent.

A successful transformation needs to be a company-wide process which unites rather than divides the workforce, improves productivity and growth, prioritises customer satisfaction and boosts organisational health. It needs to be presented as a positive step, something that is developed from within rather than imposed from without. The transformation programme needs to address all the factors that have an impact on the company’s capabilities. If it is too narrowly drawn, its effect will be limited to specific areas such as technology upgrades or changes to processes without transforming the organisation as a whole, which is the fundamental aim. What is required is the kind of multi-dimensional thinking that a programme management consultant is able to bring to the table.

A typical programme management and transformation strategy will begin by examining in detail all aspects of a company’s aims and values then assessing to what degree its current capabilities are delivering the desired outcomes. The gulf between the two is what the project will endeavour to close by various means including the development of a project planning protocol, the establishment of more effective governance, introducing monitoring and reporting mechanisms, opening efficient communication channels and setting standards and control. Technology is an area that may require special attention but all elements need to be considered as part of a holistic approach in which nothing is ruled out until the ideal solutions are identified. Gradeon has worked with many clients to devise and implement highly successful programme management and transformation plans. Talk to us about how we can help you reshape your company and transform its future.