Program Management System Goals

Program management's objective is to keep an accurate view of all the projects within the capital program to meet the goals of the organization. To accomplish this the organization must track funding for projects and monitor project progress to see that available funding matches the target schedule of the organization. The purpose of the Program Management office is to control and manage the projects contained within the program, rather than to have the projects impact the organizational goals.

Project Management System Goals

The Project Management system tracks the individual project and the activities that comprise the project. The progress of activities within the project schedule is coordinated with the performing resources. Critical assessment as the project proceeds is required to determine if the timeline is adequate to meet organizational goals or funding windows outlined by the Program Management office.

Resource Management System Goals

The Resource Management System monitors the performing resources within the organization that accomplish the activities for each project. This involves keeping abreast of relevant activities across all projects for each performing resource and planning for maximum utilization of available resources.

Program Management Issues

Vast numbers of different systems, sometimes resting on a mainframe, to complete projects. This results in transferring data from one system to another and contributes to inaccurate and out of date information. Maintaining a summarized level of detail to monitor all projects in the organization. Often Program Management is asked to view projects at a level of detail that creates confusion when examining many projects at once. Ensuring that funding is available to projects at the appropriate stage of completion. Adjusting and communicating program level scheduling changes to the Project Managers. Managing complex funding sources and obligations. This results in the under spending and overspending of available funding because it is difficult to balance what has already been obligated and to look at all projects underway in terms of the capital program. Maintaining project history so that research can be easily performed to evaluate and plan future projects. Evaluating potential projects to determine which projects should be funded as part of a program. Assessing future projects involves collecting the same basic project data. This information is normally not entered into the capital program until after the project is approved, resulting in double entry. Tracking cost estimates and final cost incurred to enhance better planning for future projects. Accessing real-time data for all projects. The current environment of multiple systems to track project data results in inconsistent project data and cumbersome reporting capabilities. Capturing data at a specific point in time to facilitate program reporting and long-term organizational goals.

Project Management Issues

Manually bringing the performing resources into the tracking and updating of progress on activities. Too much time spent trying to obtain progress from the performing resources. Conflicting information is often recorded in several different places or databases within the organization. Many of these have been developed as needs demanded to accommodate projects in the program. The interface required to maintain multiple sources of data is tedious and results in inaccurate information in one or more sources. Dramatic fluctuations in workload based on funding deadlines. Creating schedules either by hand or from a template to reflect new projects accurately as they are initially entered into the system. Creating a new schedule when a project has undergone significant scope changes without losing history on progressed activities. Communicating schedule changes or slippage to Program Management or Executives. Maintaining project specific characteristics in one central repository where they can be adjusted and maintained as the project progresses. Too much time spent managing the project plan and not enough time managing project issues. Communicating data discovered in the project process that should be available to other organizational units. In some cases these units should be using the data to reflect more current information than they currently show. Unless this data capture is shared, the updates are lost and a later discovery process may or may not recover this information in a timely manner.

Resource Management Issues

Balancing the need to perform activities with shifting program/project schedules. Keeping track of projects that need work performed by the available resource pool. Communicating with Project Managers progress on activities as they are performed. Predicting resources requirements to accomplish scheduled activities. Over and under utilization of resources is common because of fluctuations in demand for resources. The inability to plan and predict staff needed to accomplish projects in the capital program results in cost overruns in both dormant staff and temporary staff needed to respond in times of great demand. Communicating with Project Managers circumstances that necessitate the delay of scheduled activities.