Co-ordinate it with Programme Management

Defined as 'The co-ordinated management of a portfolio of projects that change organisations to achieve benefits that are of strategic importance'.
It is mainly used as a framework for delivering business strategies and initiatives, which can be broken down into a number of projects, and together deliver the required benefit.
In addition to specific business change I also use the principles to manage IT projects.
This has many benefits but may go against the principles of true Programme Management as there is no overall benefit, no end to the programme and therefore the benefits cannot be achieved except at the project level.
But we can use several of the techniques to manage multiple IT projects and therefore there is benefit to using those, even if the purist may argue that it should not be called Programme Management but something like Project Control Method.
So what are the benefits and how do we do it?
A main benefit is that we can view all projects at a summary level (we use Ms Project to show all projects under the programme as tasks.) and quickly see where any problems are.
It is a great tool to communicate to a business group and to review projects with an IT project management group.
In large departments the Project Management Office (PMO) probably maintain it with input from individual project managers at least monthly.
Each project is listed with its name and description plus its priority and whom it is being delivered for. It also has a traffic light system for a quick visual status on the health of the project. (We use green - on target, amber - issues but under control, red major issues or delays)
You could also show priority and size (small - up to 2 months/medium 2-6 months/ large over 6 months)
Other information would be milestone information such as project start/ analysis/ design, build/ test/ complete and various sign off milestones inserted in-between. Plus if required budget information such as budget/ actual spend to date/ projected spend.
Once baselined it is not too difficult to track progress and debate status with the project manager.
The form is split into approved projects, which is the main focus as these are mainly active, pending projects and completed projects. The latter two types only show basic information.

Before a project is approved it should go through an approval process, maybe using a process known as Portfolio management. This would link the projects within the programme with the strategy and start to complete the cycle.

Let me know your thoughts on this or if you have a better or improved way of managing multiple IT projects?

Project Management gives control

The answer to the IT juggler who drops balls or who throws them so hard they get stuck up the tree? With Change the only certainty in managing IT we need a method of managing all the activities and that has to be project management. More and more companies, certainly in the UK, are becoming project driven and training their people in project management methodologies. In particular the Prince2 methodology is probably the UK de facto standard. Some people get concerned or worried when you mention something like Prince2 and think that it will wrap everything up in 'red tape' (Definition from Wikipedia: a derisive term for excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making) but that is down to you as all these methodologies are adaptable as long as you maintain the framework or core elements which after all are the reason you are doing it. Project management gives a number of benefits. It ensures the project is properly defined and understood, the Stakeholders are known and catered for, the tasks within the project are identified and managed, it is broken down into manageable phases, resources are assigned and progress can be monitored and communicated. Common sense really and when you think about it, no magic art, only a process and some tools.It can be adapted for small or large projects and although it is better known for Large projects a number of people like Colin Bentley and organisations like Spoce - with their mini method have come up with advice on how to use it for small projects.
When you have a number of projects then you can put these all together and run them as a programme.
Lets talk about that next.