An Integrated Program Life-Cycle (Part Two)

In the first part of this post we looked at the way three main standards view the program management life cycle and examined in detail the Definition stage of the program. In this second post, we will examine the Deployment and Closure stages of the program.

2 Deployment Stage

Deployment consists of the harmonised governance of a number of aligned components. It includes the management of the interdependencies between components as well as transition and integration activities. It includes the ongoing appraisal of benefits. The objective of this cyclic process is to deliver benefits to the business in a controlled sequence.

The key to successful deployment is the harmonization of all the resources and constituents of the program to realise benefits consistently through the delivery of usable capabilities and sustainable change.

The program Deployment stage includes four sub-stages: Capabilities Delivery, Capabilities Transition, Capabilities Integration and Benefits Appraisal. It also includes the transition from one cycle to the next.

I have made the decision to keep the term Deployment for this stage because I believe the PMI term of “Benefits Delivery” does not represent the processes of this stage but rather its outcome. The P2M term “Integration Management of Program Execution” is representative of the processes taking place in this stage, but it is too long. The MSP term “Tranche” is limited in meaning, but MSP divides it into meaningful sub-stages: “Delivering the Capability” and “Realizing the Benefits”. Deployment is a well-known and used in business term and therefore universal and representative.

In the sub-stages, I have decided to focus on the processes that I have experienced in real-life and adopt the MSP term capabilities delivery. Capabilities are delivered through the management of program components (projects and other actions). These capabilities are integrated into the business through a series of transition activities that enable benefits to be realised. Benefits must then be appraised to assess the need to realign the program strategy for the next cycle.

2.1 Capabilities Delivery (Components Management)

This is the stage where the initiation, planning and execution of projects and other activities are coordinated and monitored to ensure the consistent delivery of capabilities that will eventually produce benefits. This includes any component interdependencies activities required from the program team and component managers.

2.2 Capabilities Transition

This sub-phase consists of the transfer of capabilities and the closing of components. Activities include the delivery of component outputs and any transition activities that are part of the components’ scope as well as specific program transition activities, in particular those that pertain to stakeholder engagement. One important aspect of program success is to market benefits to the key stakeholders to keep them engaged and gain their continuous support.

2.3 Capabilities Integration (Benefits Realisation)

There is a difference between transition and integration. Whereas transition is generally associated with a series of activities to help recipients accept change, integration requires a full sustained acceptance of the change. Integration of project deliverables and capabilities into operations is often neglected, or limited to finite “transition” activities, when managing a program. It is part of the change management process and usually overlaps the delivery of capabilities because many of the activities required to transition and integrate capabilities into the business start as soon as the component is initiated. Integration often triggers the need for adaptive change in the program.

2.4 Benefits Appraisal

The appraisal of benefits realisation is an ongoing process which both the PMI and MSP have clearly acknowledged. It requires not only the measurement of the delivery of capabilities but also the measure of the achievement of the benefits that stem from their integration into the business. Communicating progress to stakeholders in order to maintain their ongoing support is part of the activities included in this sub-stage.

2.5 Transition to next Cycle

As part of the Deployment stage the program team needs to prepare for the next cycle, this requires: measuring realization against blueprint; drawing lessons learned from the current cycle; analysing the need to realign the program; reviewing and updating program documents. The end of a cycle is also the best time to realign objectives and review the value proposition, if required. Although not a sub-phase as such, the activities pertaining to the end of a cycle and the authorisation of the next have to be outlined and managed.

3 Closure Stage

During the closure stage, ultimate benefits realisation is measured against the blueprint. Outstanding work is agreed and completed; any residual work is transferred to the business or to other programs. Lessons learned are drawn and communicated before closing the program.

Program closure consists of three sub-stages: Value Realisation Assessment, Completion Management, and Lessons Learned Finalisation. In the standards, lessons learned is included in the closing process, I have decided to make it a distinct sub-phase to emphasise its importance in developing program maturity in the long-term. I have used value realisation, in alignment with P2M in order to emphasise the fact that programs are meant to help an organization realise benefits, but that the ultimate purpose is to realise value for the business.

3.1 Value Realisation Assessment

Ultimate benefits, the sum of which represents the value that the organization was initially seeking, are measured against the blueprint, which represents the desired future state of the business at completion of the program. Any discrepancies are noted and addressed in completion management

3.2 Program Completion Management

Following the measurement of value realisation, any outstanding work required to achieve the initial or current strategic objectives is identified and agreed, resources needed to complete the work are agreed and assigned, and any residuals are transferred to other programs or to operations.

3.3 Lessons Learned Finalisation

In a program, lessons learned are an ongoing process as data is analysed continually to prepare for the next cycles. At the closure stage, final lessons learned are prepared, including a summary of lessons learned at each cycle; they are communicated to key stakeholders and made available to the organisation.

The nature of a program life cycle

During the whole program life cycle there are three underlying aims that underlie every program decision, from definition to closure, and in particular when managing changes to the program.

Value creation: making sense of the change and agreeing to a value proposal.
One of the main characteristics of any change is ambiguity, which is often associated with complex situations and multiple stakeholders. Whereas uncertainty is easily dealt with through “good management”, ambiguity requires leadership and vision. The program management team and the stakeholders must first make sense of the impact of the change and agree on the expected benefits. This is the definition stage of the program.

Transition: committing resources and managing the change process.
During the transition stage, both ambiguity and uncertainty need to be managed to achieve success. Program management is ideal to deal with unexpected events whereas uncertainty reduction is the domain of project management. Program management helps define and keep the vision, adapt to changing circumstances, and prepare the organization for the change; this is the benefits realization plan.

Value realization: integrating change and achieving a sustainable transformed state. When project deliverables are transferred into the organization to create new capabilities, it is the role of the program management team, in collaboration with the business management team, to ensure that the organization is ready for the change. It is useful to run workshops with change agents – people who will help integrate the change sustainably at all levels of the organization. Communication is an essential tool for the integration of change

Ideally, executives and sponsors take responsibility for leading change by providing the framework and resources to integrate program and project management results and day-to-day operations to realize value during organizational change management.