Hi All,
My current client is an interesting one. They're more or less starting their business from scratch, and the business is centered around developing a web-based product that they will ultimately host and 'sell' using a SaaS business model.
I came in as a PM and have started putting the usual things in place; a PM process (PRINCE2 based but allowing for an Agile delivery model), PID, the usual control documents etc.).
We've now had a new guy come onboard as an Non Exec Director, who has introduced some interesting techniques (what I would call techniques) for managing the project. He comes from a development background and is quite senior in another major web-based company that everyone's heard of, and has introduced the Kanban board for managing the entire project by doing standups every morning with the management team. Though I'm used to this in a development team context, I have to say that so far this is actually a good technique for keeping track of high level work that us management people are doing.
However, he has now started to refer to the project as the 'Program' (deliberate spelling), and activities on the board as 'Projects'. Although I run the standups and I am the PM, this terminology and the associated concepts of Programme Management that I and other here are used to is becoming confused and inconsistent.
We don't really have a Programme (in the UK/PRINCE2 sense), we actually have a Project with multiple work streams (in the PRINCE2 sense). He also calls these work streams, 'swim lanes'.
To me this all sounds like a very American/'Agile development' way of doing things and I have a looming concern that the entire project is being too heavily influenced by Agile development/technical concepts (which isn't always a bad thing but tends to steer attention away from formal project governance).
We're now having a debate on what terminology to use: Project, Program, Programme, etc.
So I don't really have a question, but rather I'm asking for some advice and asking if any of you guys have been through this before and ultimately know what will be best for the project?
It's an interesting position to be in, and I feel the choices we make now will affect how well the project is run later, hence the reason for this post.
Thanks and look fwd to an interesting discussion!
P
My current client is an interesting one. They're more or less starting their business from scratch, and the business is centered around developing a web-based product that they will ultimately host and 'sell' using a SaaS business model.
I came in as a PM and have started putting the usual things in place; a PM process (PRINCE2 based but allowing for an Agile delivery model), PID, the usual control documents etc.).
We've now had a new guy come onboard as an Non Exec Director, who has introduced some interesting techniques (what I would call techniques) for managing the project. He comes from a development background and is quite senior in another major web-based company that everyone's heard of, and has introduced the Kanban board for managing the entire project by doing standups every morning with the management team. Though I'm used to this in a development team context, I have to say that so far this is actually a good technique for keeping track of high level work that us management people are doing.
However, he has now started to refer to the project as the 'Program' (deliberate spelling), and activities on the board as 'Projects'. Although I run the standups and I am the PM, this terminology and the associated concepts of Programme Management that I and other here are used to is becoming confused and inconsistent.
We don't really have a Programme (in the UK/PRINCE2 sense), we actually have a Project with multiple work streams (in the PRINCE2 sense). He also calls these work streams, 'swim lanes'.
To me this all sounds like a very American/'Agile development' way of doing things and I have a looming concern that the entire project is being too heavily influenced by Agile development/technical concepts (which isn't always a bad thing but tends to steer attention away from formal project governance).
We're now having a debate on what terminology to use: Project, Program, Programme, etc.
So I don't really have a question, but rather I'm asking for some advice and asking if any of you guys have been through this before and ultimately know what will be best for the project?
It's an interesting position to be in, and I feel the choices we make now will affect how well the project is run later, hence the reason for this post.
Thanks and look fwd to an interesting discussion!
P
).
Comment