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Supporting Structures for Program Success

November 15, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Program Management

Supporting Structures for Program Success (#5 in the series Structure of Program Management Governance)
By Robert Prieto

This is the fifth and final part of a five part series looking at the governance structure that should be applied in the use of a program management delivery form. This part reviews supporting structures required for program success.

Supporting Structures for Program Success

In the course of implementing a program management delivery approach, there are fundamental practices and governance features which must be put in place. These include strong foundations and windows into the program management effort that were described earlier in the series. This article looks at some of the supporting structures required for program success. These supporting structures provide a framework for:

  • Organization & Change - activity to manage competencies, learning, knowledge and communications are increasingly important given the lifetime of program organizations. Owner and program management organizations must be on the same page when it comes to the capture and utilization of knowledge and lessons learned and governance frameworks sufficiently defined to promote capture of lessons learned for improvement rather than as a tool for assignment of punishment. Communication take on increased importance in a program management delivery strategy but must be matched by having singular points of control for changes. Owner organizational elements which previously had directive authority with respect to certain project types now part of the integrated program management approach, must adjust to an oversight versus directive role with respect to these activities embedded in the new program management organization. Change request must now come through a strengthen change management process to ensure programmatic benefits driven by standardization, common supply and carefully sequenced project execution are not unduly impacted.

  • Oversight - activity to structure reviews, accountability and management of projects, stakeholders or suppliers. The segregation of responsibilities between owner and program management organizations need to be clearly defined and demarked with a bright line. This is not inconsistent with integrated or salt and pepper approached to various organizational elements. Rather in these integrated structures, clear processes for action and decision making are all the more important.

Governance Outcomes

When comprehensively implemented, the program management governance structure described above provides the framework for the desired governance outcome in program management delivery of large engineering & construction programs, namely, the requisite confidence in the program management strategy and organization which is the sine qua non of successful program execution.

Robert Prieto, Senior Vice President

Robert Prieto is senior vice president for Fluor, where he leads strategy for Fluor’s Industrial and Infrastructure group. Mr. Prieto focuses on the development and delivery of large, complex projects worldwide.

Prior to joining Fluor, Bob served as chairman of Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. As head of PB’s board of directors, he was responsible for overseeing management performance, establishing top-level policies, and ensuring the firm’s continued long term success.

He is a member of the executive committee of the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a member of the board of directors of the Business Council on International Understanding, a member of the board of the Civil Engineering Forum for Innovation, and co-founder and member of the board of the Disaster Resource Network. He currently serves on the National Research Council’s committee framing the challenges on Critical Infrastructure Systems. Until 2006 he served as one of three U.S. presidential appointees to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and served as chairman of the Engineering and Construction Governors of The World Economic Forum and co-chair of the infrastructure task force formed after September 11th by the New York City Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Polytechnic University of New York, and was previously selected as alumni of the year by its New York Chapter.

He has had an executive sponsorship role in the World Trade Center Transportation Hub; West Coast Rail Modernization; Train Protection and Warning System; Level 3 Communications Long Haul Network and Superconducting Super Collider.

Prieto holds a master of science in nuclear engineering from Polytechnic University of New York and a bachelor of science in nuclear engineering from New York University.

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) provides services on a global basis in the fields of engineering, procurement, construction, operations, maintenance and project management. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Fluor is a FORTUNE 500 company with revenues of $14.1 billion in 2006. For more information, visit www.fluor.com.

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