Leaders or administrators?

When we talk about the 'dumbing down' of project and programme management, what we mean is that companies are viewing the role of their project and programme managers very much in siloed process boxes such as Prince 2, MSP and other similar programme management methodologies. Of course process and methodology certainly have their place and are important but they are not the only ingredients that should be factored into the programme management mix. Looking more holistically at a programme from an overall business perspective is critical. On its own, process won't ultimately determine that a project or programme will reach a successful conclusion.

The net result of this growing trend is that organisations that should be looking for highly skilled and experienced professionals end up hiring contract resources to manage their programmes. The trend seems to be moving towards the appointment of project office managers who will take the organisation through the correct disciplines but who don't necessarily have the drive, judgement or influence to take 'ownership' of a programme to lead it through to a successful delivery.

This trend begs a number of questions: do organisations really understand what they are trying to achieve at the outset of a programme? Have they really defined what they want when hiring a project or programme manager? Have they really grasped the essence of what makes a successful programme manager and the difference this can make to the outcome of the programme? Has the piece of work been thoroughly scoped or is there pressure internally to start the programme quickly so that it can be completed within squeezed timescales? And finally, do companies really understand or appreciate the difference between projects and programmes?

This is DAV's core 'bread and butter'. As one of the UK's most trusted and respected programme management consultancies we have built a strong reputation for helping our clients to overcome the inherent complexity of these types of initiatives and drive them successfully towards the defined business objectives that ultimately realise the true value of their investment.

So, are projects and programmes and project and programme managers interchangeable? Some would argue this is simply a semantic debate but in truth there is actually a very important difference between the two. Projects concentrate on outputs (or capabilities) and deliverables, whilst programmes tend to be more strategic and focus on business outcomes. Generally speaking, a number of projects will deliver capabilities as part of a programme, which has a clearly defined business outcome designed to change or transform the business. This difference is important and impacts not only the skill sets required from project and programme managers but also their behavioural traits and depth of business experience. This is something that DAV understands extremely well and we are able to provide the people with the right skills, behaviours and experience to lead our customers' projects and programmes.

Going back to my opening remarks, at DAV we believe there is a transition in the marketplace, especially in today's cost conscious world, whereby a procurement mindset may be driving down the cost of hiring much needed external expertise. If you are not careful you might find that your programme and or project manager is focused exclusively on 'process'; this is fine as long as you remember that you are hiring someone that can manage the process only and may not have the behavioural skills and experience to 'own' and lead the project or programme through to a successful delivery. More often than not, by following the low cost route, you'll get people who understand the process but you'll rarely get leaders. DAV has the ability to offer clients exceptional programme managers who not only understand and can manage the process but who can also step up to the leadership challenge.

You can read more about leadership and the current thinking around this topic in our Enigma summary of our last Roundtable, where we had some very provocative and stimulating contributions from Professor Christopher Bones, Dean of Henley Management School and participants around the table. Also contained within our enewsletter are more details about some of our new people and a short piece about a technology implementation that DAV has just started with AirAsia, one of our more recent client wins.

My parting comment is that buying on price alone, which I admit may be very tempting in the current climate, will present you with a false economy. By the same token, seeking the relative comfort of selecting your project and programme management resources on the basis of process qualification alone does not guarantee successful delivery either. What we've seen over the years is that with the wrong resources, projects or programmes that should have been relatively straightforward can take up to five times longer than necessary to deliver. Of course, it is not easy to put an absolute value on leadership, especially when procurement pressures have the final say but believe me, successful delivery in the most challenging of timescales will not be achieved by ticking the process boxes alone, but by taking 'ownership' and demonstrating strong project and programme leadership - and at DAV we have these qualities in abundance.

I'm no gardener so I will leave it to the pundits to predict whether the patchy green shoots indicate that we are finally coming out of recession but what I can say with certainty is that 2010 presents the need for some rigorous planning and execution to deliver successful business outcomes to time and to budget.

Charlie Mayes, Managing Director