.

See also:

0. What does a PO do for you?
1. This page...
2. What is a Programme Office?
3. What is the PO Role?
4. What is the PO Function?
5. What is the PO Organisation?
6. What are typical Problems?
7. SET UP A PROGRAMME OFFICE FROM SCRATCH.

Free Project Management Quizzes
Opens in a new web page.

What is a Programme?

1.1 It is important that, before describing what a programme office is and does, we first define what we mean by a programme.

Much is made of the premise that Programmes have Outcomes and Projects have Deliverables. This statement in itself suggests that programmes and projects are unrelated and independent in their manner of operation.

This is misleading and can lead to a disconnected approach to the governance of programmes from projects. It would make the consolidation of project reports into a programme report a very heavy burden on resources. The programme level report would also call for human intervention to interpret and translate the projects' data, the results of which could have a high degree of uncertainty and inaccuracy.

1.2 There are many different sources that can provide a definition of a 'programme' of work. In the main they agree there are four basic types. The Multi-Project Organisation, Mega- Project, Many Projects for One Client and the Programme Management Organisation. As can be seen from their descriptions they all involve the requirement to implement and manage subordinate projects.

It is generally accepted that for a scope of work to become a project it must, as a minimum, satisfy the following criteria:

• It must have an agreed scope of work and deliverables.
• It must have a known start date.
• It must have a required finish date.
• It must have appropriate resources.
• It must have a budget allocation.

To ensure proper control of subordinate projects it is preferable that the methods employed to monitor, manage and report are the same at the project level as at its parent programme level with variations allowed only to accommodate scale of requirement.

For our 'Mission' purposes therefore we can more simply define a Programme as
A PROJECT THAT IS VERY LARGE, COMPLEX OR COSTLY or combination thereof.

Product Details by package
Programme Office Package
Programme&Project Planning

Issue Management
Risk Management
Change Control
Cost Control
Organisation
Version Control
Communications