Programme and
Project Management

Demonstrating Control

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Programme management is bringing a number of interrelated projects to a common, positive outcome. Project management is working to time, cost and quality constraints to achieve a clearly defined end goal. At DC, we do both. We make sure our clients see big picture, and we help them focus down to ensure every detail is critically considered.

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We have the knowledge, tools and the personnel to understand the complexity of your programme or project and deliver a successful outcome. We do it by remaining constantly focused. By keeping your objectives at the heart of every conversation, we ensure our actions are consistently aligning with your goals. Of course it helps that we’ve most likely taken on a similar challenge before. We know what works and what doesn’t, and we’re happy to take on responsibility for ensuring that every aspect of your task is achieved.

The problem

You have a number of initiatives to undertake in order to achieve a particular objective. However they’re not yet organised into projects, and their interdependencies aren’t clear.

You have a number of interdependent projects in-flight, but there is no overarching accountability to drive progress in a consolidated and strategically aligned manner.

Your projects have stalled. Progress depends on resources outside of the project manager’s control, but no governance is in place to authorise the action required.

You have the resources and commitment for a project in place, but you lack the capacity to manage and co-ordinate the delivery to ensure the work is completed on time and on budget.

You have a defined project that needs to be started but you are unsure about how to deliver it and where to begin.

A number of activities are underway that contribute to an organisational or service priority. You’re aware of a number of risks that appear to have no mitigations in place.

The vision

Stage 1

Start-up

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Analyse impact

Analyse impact

Identify changes to be delivered and assess impact. Create business architecture blueprint. Use strategic review, financial modelling and business architecture tools.

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Rationalise work groups

Rationalise work groups

Identify status of existing projects that impact programme. Highlight overlaps and create workgroups that catalogue change areas. Form logical groupings eg. infrastructure projects, business process improvement etc.

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Initial programme plan

Initial programme plan

Identify objectives, deliverables, stakeholders and governance required to define programme. Develop milestone and activity plans and estimate costs/resources for next stage. Evaluate risks.

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Assemble brief

Assemble brief

Develop benefits summary and programme vision statement. Draft initial benefits profiles. Collect initiatives list that overlaps programme and align work groups to business imperatives or strategic objectives. Document interim programme milestones.

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Programme approach

Programme approach

Analyse external factors, change capability. Consider alternative approaches to deliver work groups eg. in-house, outsource/sub-contract, by work package. Structure according to experience and change capability and use decision tree analysis.

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Benefits breakdown structure

Benefits breakdown structure

Identify/agree on benefits, capabilities required then link benefits to capabilities to programme deliverables. Identify benefit owners and define benefits breakdown and flow. Evaluate and select preferred programme approach options.

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Programme plan, processes and procedures

Programme plan, processes and procedures

Derive project milestone plans, overall programme route-map and define resource requirements and availability. Undertake risk assessment and build initial business case. Define tools, processes and infrastructure required to deliver programme and the people who can support it.

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Prepare summary plan for tranche 1

Prepare summary plan for tranche 1

Prioritise and select objectives to be achieved in tranche 1, develop/expand programme plan and define all projects.

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Assemble programme definition

Assemble programme definition

Document all information into PDD and ensure programme and its objectives are fully described.

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Physical infrastructure support programme

Physical infrastructure support programme

Identify infrastructure requirements, acquire infrastructure components and establish PMO.

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Work plan and benefits management

Work plan and benefits management

Review existing plans, revise/update plans and PDDs as required. Define deliverables that will enable capability improvement that will allow benefits to be realised.

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Communication plan and project brief

Communication plan and project brief

Identify and agree stakeholders, capture concerns and required messages. Establish communication channels then develop communication plan. Specify project objectives assemble project brief.

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Start up tranche

Start up tranche

Issue project briefs to project teams and define project governance and reporting requirements. Produce PIDs, review for compliance with programme objectives and plans. Approve project plans, procedures and resource.

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Oversee projects

Oversee projects

Monitor progress and achievement then evaluate project progress on the programme’s issues, risks, business case and benefits. Report variations to progress and achievement, reforecast benefits. Manage dependencies.

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Track benefits

Track benefits

Confirm capabilities delivered, signed off and in use. Confirm benefits being measured. Confirm benefits expected against target (as actual benefits to date plus reforecast).

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Close projects

Close projects

Confirm project delivered all its products. Re-affirm commitment to receive/use/measure lessons learned and sign-off project closure reports. Confirm project decommissioned.

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Plan next tranche

Plan next tranche

Review existing plans and revise/update plans and PDDs as required. Define deliverables that will enable capability improvement that will allow benefits to be realised.

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Review, lessons learned, begin next tranche

Review, lessons learned, begin next tranche

Assemble all project and programme lessons learned and recommend any follow on actions. Start up next tranche, oversee projects, track benefits and close projects. Plan next tranche and iterate through programme.

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Notify programme about to close

Notify programme about to close

Notify the programme team, stakeholders and programme support that the programme is about to prepare to close. Produce the draft end programme report; this will contain a summary of the instructions for the review and a timetable.

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Decommission programme and confirm closure

Decommission programme and confirm closure

Confirm all tranches closed and decommission infrastructure, processes, tranche resources and handover benefits plans to operational management.

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Final review

Final review

Final review of programme including overall lessons learned. Document programme achievements.

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Have your programmes been thoroughly assessed and correctly prioritised before being given the go ahead?

Find out
Stage 1

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Initiate

Initiate

Define a new project or phase, identify stakeholders (RACI) and obtain approval to go-ahead. Develop project charter and stakeholder register.

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Planning

Planning

Develop an integrated project management plan to achieve the project's objectives. Create plans and related documents that affirm business justification, customer requirements and quality criteria and set out delivery approach within the constraints of cost, timescale, quality, scope, benefits and risk. Document governance, roles and responsibilities, change control procedures and approaches for communications (with all stakeholders) and benefits measurement and realisation.

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Executing

Executing

Enact plan, complete analysis and design, develop solutions. Manage and monitor project deliverables, performance data, team morale, project comms (eg. status reports), selected suppliers and agreements, change requests, RAID log.

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Monitoring & Control

Monitoring & Control

Track and review project progress and performance, manage variances and change process. Produce change logs, secure approval for change requests, monitor forecasts against actuals for cost and time, update project plans, quality measurements, sign-off deliverables.

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Closure

Closure

Finalise all activities and formally close the project or phase. Confirm final products, service or result is accepted by sponsor and objectives within business case delivered. Secure sign-off on completion of the project.

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You think your project is on track. But have all the risks been mitigated and the impact to stakeholders made clear?

Find out

The value

The value

Strategic approach

We make sure your programmes are underpinned by carefully considered strategies that are understood and supported by all senior stakeholders.

The value

Structure without stricture

Our pragmatic and sometimes unconventional approach to programme and project management allows us to achieve results by focusing on the methods that work best for our clients.

The value

Professional but social

While we hold ourselves to the highest professional standards, we’re also friendly and approachable. We work hard to make sure working with us is an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

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Change assessment tool

Use this tool to understand the problems you’re facing and decide if a new approach is necessary. Simply read the statements and select to what extent you agree.


Statement 1

Our programme objectives are clear and there’s a delivery strategy in place that clearly aligns to our organisation’s businesses drivers.


Statement 2

Our programme is run by passionate senior individuals who can engage and influence other senior stakeholders.


Statement 3

A robust cost benefit analysis has been undertaken for our programme and we’re happy there is a compelling business case to proceed.


Statement 4

Our project or programme is on track and everyone is working together to solve problems before they get out of hand.


Statement 5

We’ve assessed who we must engage with to deliver our project, and appropriate plans are in place to ensure everyone is ready for the transition.


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