The Opsimath

Change Management - a word from Patrick Mayfield

 

Are you interested in making sense of change management? This short interview with Patrick Mayfield may help you.

Learning - it's never too late

Our final principle of programme management - #7 Learning from Experience.

This principle is one that is also found among the seven principles of the project management method PRINCE2. Both programmes and projects perform better when members of the management teams assume the attitude of being learners.

In fact, a programme can be considered to be a learning environment, where we adjust and adapt our path through the programme.

Lessons should be something that we go and actively seek out, not passively record to pass on to 'someone else'.

An organisation's ability to learn from experience speaks volumes about its level of programme management maturity - how mature is your organisation's approach...?

This is one in a series of seven programme management principles that use the programme management guide MSP (Managing Successful Programmes). If you would like to know more about MSP, why not give us a call on freephone 0800 052 1600 or go to www.pearcemayfield.com

To Be or not To Be ...

... that's not really a question for a programme, is it. We are planning to create a deliver some new or changes 'things'. We have outputs in mind, we are thinking of new and improved capabilities.

We have an idea of the 'To Be' state in our minds, don't we?

Where am I going with this?

I'm looking at another in our series of programme management principles. Now, #6 Designing and Delivering a Coherent Capability.

The essence of this principle is that we need to have a view of both our current capability (As is) and the intended future capability (To be). It is only when we have these views that we understand the capability gap that exists, which in turn helps us to determine the projects that we require to fill that capability gap.

The definition and explanation of this future capability is expressed in the programme Blueprint - a key piece of information for the programme.

Think of every project in the programme as a piece of a jigsaw. Without understanding the intended finished picture it is difficult to complete the jigsaw. The Blueprint is the picture that is on the lid of the jigsaw box.

How can we deliver a final capability that meets the needs of the organisation if we do not have a way of ensuring coherence throughout.

What is your Blueprint planning like?