Program management administers the relationship between different projects. This happens by defining the costs, risks, coordination and the allocation of resources. The result is extracting the maximum out of every project in relationship to the strategy of an organization.
Program management creates a top layer upon all projects where determining the value of each project forms an essential part. This way we can balance all our projects. The program manager is thus not occupied with micromanaging but instead delegates this task to individual project managers.
Core activities of a program manager are:
· Governance
Making sure that processes and procedures are followed in a structural and correct manner and adjust the course when needed. Governance is a set of metric in order to determine the vitality and progress for each important field of operations.
· Alignment
The program needs to support vision, policy and objectives at a higher level.
· Assurance
Verify and validate that the program is in line with existing norms and strategy.
· Management
Evaluate on a regular bases, allocate resources, make sure deadlines are met and demand accountability from your project managers.
· Integration
Make sure all elements form a coherent set. Draw up a program value chain to optimize performance on a functional and technical level.
· Finance
Monitor and assess critical costs and revenues.
· Planning
Develop a plan related to the consistency of projects taking into account aspect like information, resources, time, overall control, etcetera.
The Program Management Tool consists of a collection of web-based tools in order to fully assist you in managing multiple projects executed simultaneously. From draft to delivery all relevant factors are mapped out making controllability a certainty.
This tool is interconnected with three other tools from IMS for optimal performance:
· Project Management Tool
· Portfolio Management Tool
· Roadmapping Tool
From portfolio management we answer the question: ‘Are we doing the right things?’,
and from project and program management we ask ourselves: ‘Are we doing those things right?’
To combine all elements of innovation management effectively we need a dynamic planning instrument: the Roadmapping Tool.