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Enterprise Program Management

5 minutes 5 Questions

Enterprise Program Management concerns about managing and coordinating multiple projects that contribute to a common business objective. It's about achieving strategic objectives and benefits realization through successful delivery of programs and projects. Although both program management and project portfolio management focus on managing multiple projects, the enterprise program management concentrates on the achievement of benefits and strategic alignment, rather than optimizing the use of resources across the portfolio.

Guide to Enterprise Program Management

Enterprise Program Management (EPM) is a strategic an approach centered on the management of projects within an organizational, usually business, framework.

Importance of Enterprise Program Management: EPM is important because it helps in aligning projects, programs and portfolios with business strategy. This ensures effective resource allocation, risk management, and improved decision-making.

What is Enterprise Program Management: EPM is the process of managing multiple projects or programs that are linked together to deliver benefits. The focus is on strategic integration, coordination, and optimization of projects and resources across the enterprise.

How Enterprise Program Management works: EPM works by creating a structured framework for project delivery. This includes setting up clear objectives, standards, and governance models. The process involves the identification, prioritization, authorization, management, and control of projects.

Key Elements of EPM:

  • Strategic alignment
  • Portfolio management
  • Program and project management
  • Resource management

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Enterprise Program Management:
  • Understand the core concepts and elements of EPM
  • Be able to explain how EPM contributes to business value
  • Show understanding of the EPM process

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Question 1

You are managing a company-wide program which involves multiple work streams. The work streams are not aligned and fail to meet their collective objectives. What is the most effective solution?

Correct Answer: Add a layer of program governance to ensure strategic alignment across work streams

The most effective solution when work streams are not aligned and fail to meet objectives is to 'Add a layer of program governance to ensure strategic alignment across work streams'. Program governance offers a structured framework to align various work streams towards a common goal, ensures mutual understanding, and thus helps all the disparate work streams to meet their collective objectives. Explanation for other options: 'Providing additional resources to the workstream that is lagging the most' is not very effective, as improving one work stream may not optimize the overall program. 'Terminating the workstream that is not meeting its objectives' is an extreme step, and there may be several variables causing the failure. The work stream may be crucial for the program, so termination is not always an effective solution. 'Redistributing the resources equally among all workstreams' does not necessarily ensure alignment. Some work streams may require more resources than others, and equal distribution may result in resource surplus in some areas and shortage in others.

Question 2

You are managing a large-scale enterprise program. One of the projects is failing to meet its objectives but its failure doesn't impact the program's overall outcome. What should be your course of action?

Correct Answer: Focus on the strategic alignment of the projects and re-prioritize resources if needed, but do not stop the program.

The best course of action in managing a large-scale enterprise program when a project fails, but does not impact the program's overall outcome, should be to focus on the strategic alignment of the projects. Focusing on the strategic alignment will ensure the right projects are worked on, addressing those that offer the most value. In this case, resources may need to be re-prioritized, but this does not mean the program should be stopped. The other options are incorrect, stopping the program immediately and focusing on the failing project disregards the fact that its failure does not affect the overall program. Similarly, directing all the resources to the failing project may hamstring other projects that contribute more significantly to the program's overall outcome. Ignoring the failures completely disregards potential learning opportunities that could improve the execution of other projects or even turn the failing project around.

Question 3

As an Enterprise Program Manager, you discover that the program's benefits realization is lagging behind expectations. What should be your primary focus?

Correct Answer: Reassess and realign program components with strategic objectives

The best answer is to reassess and realign program components with strategic objectives. This is the most appropriate action for an Enterprise Program Manager when benefits realization is lagging behind expectations.

Reassessing and realigning program components with strategic objectives allows the program manager to:

1. Identify the root causes of the lag in benefits realization
2. Ensure that the program is still aligned with the organization's strategic goals
3. Make necessary adjustments to improve benefits realization
4. Optimize resource allocation and prioritize critical components

This approach addresses the core issue directly and provides a comprehensive solution to the problem.

The other options are less effective:

Increasing the frequency of stakeholder meetings may improve communication but doesn't address the underlying issues causing the lag in benefits realization.

Implementing new program management software might help with tracking, but it doesn't solve the fundamental problem of lagging benefits and may even introduce additional complexities.

Conducting an extensive audit of deliverables and milestones could be time-consuming and may not directly address the benefits realization issue. It focuses more on past performance rather than future improvements.

In conclusion, reassessing and realigning program components with strategic objectives is the most effective approach to address lagging benefits realization, as it allows for a comprehensive review and adjustment of the program to better meet its intended goals.

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