All projects and programmes are by nature temporary. They are defined, planned,

executed and closed and are not a continuous process in their own right.

Unless a Programme Management Office is implemented the organisation will need to develop a

supporting infrastructure for each new project and programme. The lessons learnt from one may not be passed onto the next!

It is essential to provide a central control for projects and programmes otherwise the monitoring and control can become a logistical nightmare.

To provide the organisation with the focus and the means of addressing the need to -

• support the planning of projects and programmes
• support the monitoring and control of projects and programmes
• maintain, update and extend the scope of the project and programme support infrastructure
• to provide a repository for the experience and knowledge gained
• audit the use of the project and programme support infrastructure
• train and equip the programme Management office with staff who have the required skills, knowledge and experience
• create a vision of what can be done, ensuring that the expectations associated with this vision are managed (that this vision will be reached by incremental steps towards it)
• direct and support the move towards project management best practice
• support the business planning process