Product-centric management structures and adoption of Agile development approaches for project delivery, particularly in software-intensive environments, are now commonplace, as there is a requirement for agility in IT. These new operating models provide challenges to existing project management practices.  Organisations can easily lose sight of the value of programme and project management and the strategic importance of its role.

This masterclass is aimed at project and programme executives, directors, product owners and senior project and programme managers who are accountable for the safe delivery of business change. It focuses on the theory and application of shaping and structuring change initiatives by:

• demystifying the confusion between product and project delivery and considering when and where project management approaches should be employed
• understanding how adaptive approaches can be used in structuring and delivering projects, identifying where and how to focus effort when faced with challenging delivery environments
• selecting the most appropriate development method, recognising when and how Waterfall and Agile can be exploited and the rationale behind their selection, or indeed combination, to achieve the optimum delivery approach
• exploring the management layer tensions of balancing Agile development approaches with the need for stakeholder confidence and certainty
• exploiting techniques for building agility and pace into delivery, with particular attention to governance.

This masterclass is not designed to teach methods; its value is in informing senior level judgement in recognising when and how to adapt project approaches in the project environment to achieve success. To get the most from the day, participants are expected to have knowledge and experience in overseeing project delivery and exposure to Waterfall and Agile development methods.

Learning is gained through knowledge transfer, discussion and the sharing of experiences.   The level of focus on each topic area can be flexed to suit the needs of the participants. For example, if there are any particular areas of difficulty currently being experienced by the organisation.

The sessions are highly interactive and designed to encourage participants to discuss their own experiences and concerns.   Additionally examples, drawn from CITI’s own experience, are used to explore the concepts.  Key messages are strengthened through the sharing of current experiences and by emphasising the significance of ensuring management attention is maintained and focused on key areas.

• Which delivery management structure? (product vs project)
• Life cycles explored (product development vs project vs product)
• The project delivery approach (designing the approach)
• Product development (predictive (Waterfall) or iterative (Agile))
• Managing tensions (stakeholders and Agile delivery)
• Pace in delivery (structuring and appropriate governance)

This can be run as a one-day masterclass or extended over two days in a workshop-style format for deeper discussion around application of the theory within the organisation and the development of an associated action plan. The content can be customised to the organisational context and ‘in-house’ development life cycles. The optimum learning experience is achieved with a minimum of 8 and maximum of 12 participants per cohort.