Blog Detail

The importance of understanding the strategic context of your project first, let me explain what I mean by MSP. It is the widely recognised guidance on programme management – Managing Successful Programmes.

Programme management differs from project management in a number of ways – its structure, emphasis and content. So, why would understanding MSP be so helpful to a project manager?

To begin to answer that, let’s take a little look at what programme management, as described in MSP, actually is:

A programme is a collection of interrelated projects that together will bring about transformational change in an organisation and subsequently deliver outcomes and benefits. The emphasis on benefits realisation is a key aspect of programme management, and quite different to a project’s emphasis on delivering fit for purpose outputs. Programmes tend to be longer in duration than projects, as well as being wider reaching, and often more ambiguous in their objectives.

The skill set required by the successful programme manager is different to that of the project manager. Programme managers must be comfortable in being less hands-on, and they need to have a vision of the benefits the programme will achieve. Project managers need to focus on the deliverables of their project which must be achieved within certain cost and time constraints.

MSP – Managing Successful Programmes – is a well-established, internationally acclaimed approach to leading and managing programmes, and has been used successfully in many high profile programmes.

If running a programme is so different to running a project, what use is it to the project manager?

Good project managers require a range of different competencies. We can look at these in three areas:

       •  Technical competencies, such as being able to plan and control projects

       •  Behavioural competencies, such as leadership capability, decision-making, and

       •  Contextual competencies, which is where an understanding of MSP really helps.

A good grasp of the context of a project will enable to project manager to be far more useful to the organisation that is running, and funding, the project. Good governance of projects at a strategic level is a vital aspect of successful businesses.

Experience shows that organisations are likely to fail to deliver successful change through their programmes when there is:

   •  Weak and ineffective leadership

   •  Unrealistic expectations of the organizational capacity and capability to change - simply attempting too much at once

   •  Little or no focus on benefit planning and realisation

   •  No coherent picture of the future capability required in the organisation

   •  Poorly defined or badly communicated vision

   •  Insufficient engagement of stakeholders.

These are all contextual problems. If a project manager is unaware of these issues or failing to engage with them, then they are likely to be running their project in a vacuum. Having a good knowledge of a programme management approach such as MSP provides a structured framework that can help project managers to help organisations avoid these pitfalls and achieve their goals.

We would argue that what would be very beneficial for any organisation running programmes and projects is that everyone understands the different pressures faced by their colleagues. So if you are a project manager, it is well worth finding out more about MSP and programme management (and similarly programme managers benefit from understanding the challenges that project managers face, but that is another article).

You will find our MSP Practitioner courses incredibly stimulating and enlightening. You will also find that the course will give you a lot of food for thought. Plus, all being well, you can gain a valuable and internationally recognised qualification.

See you on the course!