Business Project and Program Management

This document provides an introduction to business project and program management, including the concept of program management, the business case for program management, program scope and deliverables, estimating and scheduling, risk and issues management, and program management organization, governance and stakeholders. It also includes a case study of a global technology company and its strategic transformation program.

Business Project and
Program Management

Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
PART A......................................................................................................................................................3
Business Case/ Program Management.....................................................................................................3
Program Scope and Deliverables.............................................................................................................4
Estimating and Scheduling......................................................................................................................5
Risk and Issues Management...................................................................................................................7
Program Management Organization, Governance and Stakeholders.......................................................8
Program Control......................................................................................................................................9
Contracting and Supplier Management..................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Businesses need program management in their systems to ensure that the delivery of a
group of projects achieves greater benefit of business as compared to an individual project.
Program Management can be defined as the process of managing different projects that are
related to each other with the main aim of improving the performance of organization (Badewi,
2016). Business project is a kind of project that is undertaken with the goal of achieving a
business objective. It has a specific date of start as well as an end date so that the project is
completed well within time. In order to ensure that all the activities and task within the business
project are carried out smoothly, a business plan is used. Organization given for this report is SB,
which is a global technology company headquartered in Washington, USA. The company has
now decided to build an organization that delivers a totally integrated technology system to
clients and customers. The report identifies the key issues that should be considered for the
strategic transformation program and also analyses the various scheduling issues for the
program. Program Control Methods have also been identified and in order to manage the
transformation.
PART A
Business Case/ Program Management
Program Management is referred to as a process of effectively managing several projects
that are related to each other. The main aim of program management is to enhance the overall
performance of the organization. A company can carry out all its business processes and
activities effectively with the help of program management. In context to SB, the company
acquired WN and in order to do so, it developed a particular vision (Bourne, 2016). For
acquiring WN, various business practices were conducted by SB which enabled the management
to identify the key issues for the overall strategic transformation program. The different strategic
issues are explained below–
Issue of Job Loss – During the acquisition, there was a huge loss of jobs because the
people working in the company had increased. Therefore, this was one of the major issues that
was faced by the employees.

Poor Quality – As per this particular issue, respective company, SB was not being able
to provide high quality technology to its clients and customers. This in turn was impacting the
overall profitability as well as goodwill of the organization. Apart from this, the company also
faced quality issues in some parts of its outsourced business manufacturing facilities.
Management Issue – While conducting its business operations, the main issue that was
faced by SB was that of poor management (Carvalho and et. al., 2018). The main reason behind
this issue was that the manufacturing facilities of the company overran in time and cost.
Implementation of costs was not controlled effectively, which led to an improper scope
management. Due this, there were questions about if the company was able to manage change or
not.
These are some of the issues that SB faced while carrying out its business operations that
impacted its overall profitability and goodwill in the market. There are some recommendations
that can help the respective company to overcome the issues stated above. The company is
recommended to provide training to its employees so that they acquire all the required skills. It
will also help in motivating them, enhancing their confidence and the overall quality of the work
put forward by them will also improve. This will further lead to the projects within the company
getting completed within the time frame and in an effective manner. As far as the issue relating
to poor management is concerned, SB should have hired experienced and qualified professionals
who in turn would have helped the management in formulating effective strategies for the
development of software. In context to the issue of job loss that happened due to the acquisition
of WN by SB, the management of the company could have thought of relocating some of the
employees to another location or branch of the company. Also, the management should have
informed the employees regarding the acquisition beforehand in order to avoid any kind of
issues.
Program Scope and Deliverables
A deliverable can be defined as a good or service, tangible or intangible which is
produced as a result of a particular project which has to be delivered to a customer or a client is
known as a deliverable. In context to this report, SB had decided to build an organization that
would deliver high quality technology to its clients and customers (Casey and Pearce, 2018). By
mainly focusing on the cost and present operations globally, the company moved its

manufacturing facility from Far East to the United States. This decision proved out to be
successful as the overall quality of products improved. The company wanted to expertise in
software development, primarily the interface within mobile technology. Also, the organization
developing the current products of the organization, both hardware as well as software was also
not large. There was a portfolio of projects that that had been late and not delivered to the clients.
Apart from this, different other deliverables of the company included releasing Tablet
Computers in partnership with DDC, which is an external consultancy company (Kogila, 2016).
When these computers were delivered, the output did not come out as planned and as a result,
did not succeed. The reason that was identified behind this was that the overall development
process was not managed effectively. Respective company made various efforts like Agile or
Scrum method etc. to improve the overall performance of the project. But still, it did not go as it
was planned by the management. Moreover, the product development project of the company
also faced a lot of challenges and did not succeed. SB’s new vision was to enhance its overall
competencies in software development and stand out against competitors in the market. And in
order to do so, the company made a decision to acquire WN, a company that manufactured
mobile phones. This decision did add to the overall competence of the respective company as the
company acquired new skills relating to software and product development.
Although shifting manufacturing facilities was successful, it did come along with some
challenges that included questions being raised regarding if the company would have been able
to handle change or not. Some of the projects that are explained above were successful and
contributed to the overall performance of the company whereas on the other hand, some of them
failed. For example- respective company failed to manage tablet computers which the customers
or the clients did not find easy to use because their user interface was limited (Larson and Chang,
2016). Also, after the manufacturing facility was shifted, it was not managed effectively.
Therefore, it was understood that all the changes in the projects that didn’t work out wouldn’t be
implemented in any f the future projects.
Estimating and Scheduling
While conducting various projects in order to enhance overall performance, the
management of SB faced a lot of challenges like loss of jobs during the process of acquisition,
poor management as well as quality of the products etc. In order to overcome or avoid these

issues, management of the company did conduct various approaches/processes to also ensure an
improvement in performance. Two of the approaches are explained below –
P3M3 Model
It is referred to as a management model that provides an outline of an organization as to
how does it delivers its projects and programs. It is an effective model because it not just looks
into the processes but the whole system of the company. As per the view point of Patty Mulder,
the respective model is used to assess the management maturity of an organization, organizes
structures and measures particular organizational activities in a simple yet practical manner
(P3M3 Maturity Model, 2020). Therefore, the model helps the management within a company to
understand how can project management be implemented. P3M3 model not only helps the
different departments but the organization on the whole. As a result, it can improve its overall
performance and efficiency in an effective manner. Portfolio, Program and Project Management
model has different maturity levels within the model are as follows –
 Awareness – In this level, the organization defines its overall strategic intention and can
make use of the GAP analysis or a Balance Scorecard that outlines the long-term
objectives.
 Repeatable – A repeatable process that remodifies where does the company want to be in
a duration of say five years.
 Defined – In this process, all the tasks and activities that have to be carried out during the
process are specified.
 Managed – This process is basically about managing all the projects effectively and are
also compared to similar ones.
 Optimized – This is the last stage of the P3M3maturity model that primarily focuses on
obtaining the desired result.
Agile or Scrum Method
In the Agile Scrum Method, the person who is the owner of the project works closely
with a team so as to personalize and identify the functionality of a system (Lückmann and
Feldmann, 2017). Agile methods specifically require a high degree of involvement as well as
commitment of the team members if they want the project to be successful. When SB

implemented these methods in one of its projects and it didn’t turn out as expected, the main
reason behind that was lack of involvement of the employees of the company. Also, they did not
contribute as much as they were supposed to. An advantage of this methodology is that if the
team members or the employees effectively participate in the process, they will be highly
satisfied, the project will be successful and there will be innovation and creativity in the system.
The basic difference between the two methods is that P3M3 model is used to evaluate the
maturity level of the management in an organization. It organizes and measures specific
activities of an organization in a very simple manner. Whereas Agile Methods help in providing
responses that are quick and unpredictable that are received in a particular project (What Is Agile
Methodology, 2020). Regular assessment of the projects is done through team meetings that are
called sprints.
Risk and Issues Management
By implementing the concept of risk management within its system, an organization can
identify potential risks in their initial stages and thus address them effectively by developing
strategies. This way it can conduct business operations in an effective manner and also improve
its overall performance in the market. The process of identifying and prioritizing different risks
that can impact the profitability and performance of a company is known as risk management. In
context to SB, when it acquired WN, the company should have assessed various risks which it
failed to do. As a result, it faced many risks/challenges that are described below –
 Issues in Manufacturing – This was a risk that SB faced during the acquisition as the
employees failed to understand the different operational processes in its system (Maylor,
Blackmon and Huemann, 2016). As a result, the resources were not managed properly
and there was a mismanagement.
 Style of Working – The company followed the traditional style of working and
conducting operations which impacted its overall performance.
 Product Quality – This was the most important risk that affected the overall
performance because the company failed to deliver quality technology to its clients and
customers.

 New Product Development – During the development of new products, the company
faced the risk of cost which was because the budget that was set by the management for
the same was very low.
 Unemployment – Due to the acquisition, many employees within the company lost their
jobs as the overall number had gone up.
These are some challenges that were faced by the management of the company while
conducting operations (Nicholas and Steyn, 2017). An analysis as to how can these risks be
managed properly is explained below –
 Identifying risk – This is the first and foremost stage wherein the potential risk and its
impact on the performance and profitability of the company will be identified.
 Assessment of the risk – Once the risk is identified, an assessment will be done by
performing risk assessment to identify its potential impact.
 Prioritizing – In this particular stage, the risks that are identified will be prioritized based
on their impact so that effective decisions can be made. Also, it will help in addressing
the different risks properly.
 Tracking the risk – This stage involves SB tracking the risk so as to identify the amount
of impact it can have on the performance and profitability of the company.
 Implementation and Monitoring – This is the final stage of analysis wherein the
strategy will be implemented and also professionals will monitor the same from time to
time so as to ensure a smooth functioning.
Program Management Organization, Governance and Stakeholders
Organization structure is determined as technique according to which an organization
conducts their business operations and functions in order to attain desire goal. Through this
management able to carried out their activities or practices properly so that they ensure that
activities conduct properly. In respect of SB, they have several functional areas as well as
department who work in collaborative manner so that company attain their desire or set goal
effectively. While conducting work or operations respective firm is facing several issues such as
poor management, loss of jobs, production of low-quality products and many more (Rahimi,
Møller and Hvam, 2016). So, for overcoming it SB may adopt several strategies like provide
training session to employees, motivate them so their performance gets increase and so on.

Moreover, respective company also needs to develop rules and regulation according to
the host and home countries laws. In addition to this there are several stakeholders in every
company such as suppliers, employees, government etc. In respect of SB, their main stakeholders
are employees, board of directors, owner of SB and WN, customers and so on. It is essential for
their management to these stakeholders in decision making process as they have them in gaining
competitive advantage at the marketplace. If the company will carry out evaluation of the market
from time to time, it will be beneficial for it as the risks can be identified properly and also
addressed in an effective manner. Lastly, the company should also take into account the view
points of its customers as well as the management.
Program Control
It is necessary for SB to identify different methods of program control in order to manage
the transformation process. Program Control is the process of controlling various activities of a
business in order to achieve goals and objectives (Sadgrove, 2016). The different methods of
program control assist the company identifying a specific problem that is faced by a company
and identifying the right solutions for the same. A critical evaluation of different methods of
program control for the respective company is explained below –
Cybernetic Control – This is a method of program control that is used by different
companies to ascertain the complete output of a particular project. The program which is being
considered in this report comprises of both input as well as output. This makes it very crucial for
the selected organization, i.e., SB to get the desired outcome so that goals and objectives will be
achieved. Cybernetic Control is among the most effective methods of program control that can
also help in attaining the desired output that matches business standards apart from controlling
the same. A drawback of this method it that leaves the input and only pays focus to the output.
Go/ No-go control – This is another method of program control wherein all the products
are tested so as to make sure that all the conditions of the project that were set earlier are met. In
context to SB, it is difficult to test all products and services as it will involve a lot of time. But, if
the management of the company decides to do so, it will be beneficial because any defects or
errors in the projects will be identified as well as the quality will also be determined (Sato,
2017). The products that fail to meet the requirements can be eliminated and good quality
products can be delivered to the clients or customers. Go/No-go control can be a very useful

program control method but also come along with many drawbacks, one of them being high
complexity in testing all the company’s products.
By above analysis, it can be said that Cybernet Control should be adopted by SB if it
wants to attain desired output. This is because it will help in completely focusing on output and
high-quality technology will be delivered to the customers and clients (Vidgen, Shaw and Grant,
2017). This will also help the company in gaining a competitive advantage against competitors.
Also, products can be manufactured based on the needs and requirements of customers. Lastly,
the output that is generated can be analyzed so that it matches the desired business standards.
Contracting and Supplier Management
Organization that is chosen for this report, wants to build a new software center of
excellence so that all of the expertise that is required to manufacture the products is available
within a single location (Silvius, 2017). This makes it essential for the company to identify
various ways in which it can procure and select suppliers and also contract with consultancies.
This way, the company will be able to make effective decisions and achieve organizational goals
and objectives. The various options that should be considered for the same are explained below –
Contracting the consultancy – Selecting the best consultancy organization is important
for the respective organization as it can assist the company in building the Center of Excellence.
It will assist SB in making decisions and plans that are effective so that the desired goals and
objectives can be achieved (vom Brocke, Zelt and Schmiedel, 2016). The company can connect
with a consultancy through different ways like making using of the internet to find the most
eligible consultancy that also fits in the budget of the company. Internet is a useful source
because all the necessary information will be readily available and the company will only have to
find the one that will match its needs and requirements. Another way of connecting with a
consultancy is to set up a meeting through a third party. A trust worthy agent or a company can
suggest a consultancy or introduce the management to the same. This method has a big drawback
that it consumes a lot of cost as well as time.
Selecting Suppliers – Suppliers play an important role within a company and the
company has two options of selecting them. One is that the company can do this on its own or
opt for a vendor who can do this for it. Both methods can help the company in selecting effective
suppliers but they have their own benefits and drawbacks (Turner, 2016). If SB chooses to adopt

a vendor to help it in selecting efficient suppliers, it will be helpful as the vendor will have
effective knowledge about the suppliers within the industry. On the other hand, if the company
decides to select the suppliers on its own, it will involve a lot of time and cost. Also, the process
will be very tiring and there can be a chance that the management does not a proper
understanding of all the suppliers in the industry.
Procuring – Several methods are available that can help in creating and delivering
products of excellent quality too the customers and clients. Some options available to the
respective company are explained below – Joint Venture: Within a joint venture, all the parties involved will share the responsibility
of sharing different tasks with each other efficiently.
 Management Contracting: The consultant will play an important role in this and will
design the building. On the other hand, the contractor will overlook and monitor all the
activities relating to management (Uhl and Gollenia, 2016). To obtain desired results, SB
should hire a qualified and experienced professional. Traditional Method: This is the basic method wherein the consultant will have the major
responsibility of designing as well as managing all the management activities that are
related to construction. While the contractor will be responsible for taking care of all this.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that companies face many challenges and
issues while carrying out their business operations. And in order to overcome them, effective
strategies should be developed so that organizational goals and objectives are achieved. Also,
Project Management is an important concept that should be incorporated in every organization to
ensure that all its business operations are carried out smoothly ad in an effective manner. In order
to do so, a company should plan and develop strategies and plans that are measurable and can be
achieved properly. Also, the deliverables that are developed by the company should be closely
and properly assessed by professionals in order to identify any errors and mistakes. Once this is
done, they should be rectified properly. A business plan can be used in order to carry out all the
operation of the company in a smooth and efficient manner.

REFERENCES
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