Book Structure
Following an Executive Summary, the content of this book is set out in three parts, containing 11 chapters, a Conclusion and References as follows:
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Executive Summary
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PART I - THE PROGRAM CONTEXT
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1.
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Background and Definitions
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2.
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Organizational Context
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3.
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Program Context
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PART II - THE PROGRAM CONSTITUENTS
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4.
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Key Program Functions
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5.
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Program Actors
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PART III - THE PROGRAM LIFE CYCLE
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6.
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Program Life Cycle Outline
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7.
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Program Definition (Formulation)
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8.
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Program Definition (Preparation)
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9.
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Program Deployment (Capabilities Delivery and Transition)
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10.
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Program Deployment (Capabilities Integration and Benefits Appraisal)
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11.
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Program Closure
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Conclusion
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References
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The chapters in Part I explain why program management is an essential tool for achieving strategic decisions and how different people view programs differently. The relationship between programs and other components of the business is outlined, and how a program culture can be developed to increase an organization's program maturity.[9]
The two chapters in Part II identify the constituents and functions that make program management what it is in a program culture context. In addition, change management and strategic decision management are introduced together with the steps required to make and implement decisions in a complex environment. Finally, the roles and responsibilities of the different actors of the program are described in detail, both in terms of the responsibility to lead and manage the key components through each stage of a program's life cycle.
Part III, with its six chapters, is the largest part of the book. This part describes how the program management life cycle with its three main stages of Definition, Deployment and Closure, must reflect the rhetoric and concepts of strategic long-term management, rather than the product-centric short-term view of traditional project management. This is necessary to gain executive management support. It also describes in detail all the steps necessary to successfully deliver a program from its definition to its closure, while the last two chapters present a step-by-step program methodology.
The book has a total of 278 pages. It does not include a Glossary of Terms, and since the author uses a large number of acronyms, a listing of them and their meanings would also have been helpful.
9. Ibid, p13
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Introduction
