Coordinating transformational change with PRINCE2 Programme Management

Organizations can run several projects simultaneously with the intention to receive combined outputs, but delivering them individually does not guarantee that they will achieve the intended outcomes and benefits.

Projects may progress at different speeds or follow different approaches, creating inconsistencies when their outputs need to work together. A programme helps coordinate those projects so their outputs come together to deliver the capabilities, benefits, and value the organization needs.

PRINCE2 Programme Management takes a broader perspective, coordinating projects and related change so that their outputs come together to create the capabilities the organization needs. Szymon Pawlowski, PRINCE2 Product Architect at PeopleCert, and Susan Tuttle, Senior PRINCE2 Product Architect at PeopleCert, explain why it’s important to consider how projects fit together, how risks and dependencies interact, and how their outputs can deliver coherent capabilities for the organization.

Programmes are not simply bigger projects. They require greater coordination and a broader view of how individual initiatives contribute to an organization’s wider objectives.

Individual project managers can manage their own projects and risks, but they don’t always see how their decisions will affect other projects. This really matters when outputs from different projects depend on each other. For example, one project might implement an HR system while another changes organizational processes within a department. Both can deliver their planned outputs, but those outputs need to fit together and be delivered at the right times to create something the organization can actually use.

PRINCE2 Programme Management provides the coordination needed to bring these outputs together. It gives the programme a view across the different projects and other related work, helping to identify dependencies and ensure their outputs are integrated rather than isolated.

Having a wider view also helps with risk management. A decision that makes sense for one project may create problems elsewhere, whereas at programme level managers can consider the dependencies together. The programme can then change the sequence or timing of activities to avoid problems that an individual project may not see.

That broader perspective also calls for a different leadership structure. The programme board brings together leaders responsible for the wider change, so decisions can be made with the programme in mind rather than the perspective of any one project. This helps ensure individual decisions don’t detract from what the programme is trying to achieve.

Combining programme management and business change

Coordinating delivery is only part of a transformation programme. Understanding how the business needs to change is equally important. In PRINCE2 Programme Management, a key member of the programme board, the Business Change Manager (BCM), brings that perspective. BCMs often come from the business, with an understanding of how the organization operates, what needs to change, and in which order.

Programme managers bring experience in planning and coordinating delivery across the programme. Working closely with the BCM combines delivery expertise with a clear understanding of how the business needs to change. Together, they form a powerful combination, connecting delivery with the realities of change across the organization.

That makes having both roles in place important. Without a BCM, the programme manager may develop a delivery plan that works on paper but doesn’t reflect how change will actually happen across the business.

Keeping transformation aligned as strategy changes

Programmes often span several years, but an organization’s strategy and priorities can change much faster. Therefore, programmes need to maintain a clear direction while still being adaptable as those priorities evolve.

A shared vision establishes what the programme is trying to achieve while organizational agility allows the programme to adapt how it gets there rather than become fixed around its original plans.

Progressive delivery through tranches offers natural points to review progress and adapt where needed. In a stable environment, a tranche might last about a year, while in a more volatile setting it could last three to six months.

The programme takes direction from the portfolio or strategic level where priorities can change, while delegation empowers project teams to respond within defined tolerances. This allows the programme to maintain its direction while giving teams the freedom to adapt to changing circumstances.

Making benefits part of the programme

Stakeholder engagement needs to begin at the start of the transformation, rather than when a project is ready to go live. This means setting expectations, understanding what matters to stakeholders, and working with them throughout the transformation.

Stakeholder involvement can also shape a programme’s priorities and ensure the programme responds to what the organization needs. For instance, while one project may appear to take precedence from a delivery perspective, stakeholders may identify another change as more important to the business.

The programme manager and BCM bring complementary skills and perspectives, collaborating closely as new capabilities are delivered into the business. By connecting programme delivery with what the business needs, they help ensure these new capabilities are embedded and the intended benefits realized.

Benefits don’t necessarily have to wait until the programme is complete. Because programmes typically deliver change incrementally, capabilities can be delivered and embedded through successive tranches, realizing benefits along the way. This can demonstrate value early, build stakeholder support and, in some cases, even contribute to a self-funding programme.

Bringing people along from the start

The most important advice for programme managers coordinating transformation is to involve people from the very beginning.

This starts from the genesis of an idea and continues throughout delivery. Internal stakeholders, project teams, suppliers, joint venture partners, and others involved in the transformation all need to be part of this journey.

This means working with people across the organization and beyond; understanding their needs and involving them throughout the change. For major transformations, bringing people along from the outset can help build the support needed throughout the programme.