Size matters: when should big projects become programmes

Some project managers still like to use the old “rule of thumb” that a project shouldn’t last more than 9 months. This is project management folklore. If a project is longer than 9 months, says the old folklore, then it is likely to fail. So best split it into pieces.

As with much folklore, this “rule of thumb” contains some wisdom, but it’s not rigorous and proven. Methods like Prince2 help to show that project length is only one factor likely to cause project failure. A 9 month project can fail for many, many reasons (as can a 3 or 6 month project);  whereas a  2 year project which is correctly managed can succeed (and many do)

More importantly, the old rule ignores the emergence over the last 20 years of programme management. Programmes are used for handing major initiatives and business changes, and typically take years rather than months.

Does the old rule of thumb maybe need to be rewritten? Should it say “if your project will take more than 9 months, then run it as a programme”?

Let’s consider some of the main differences between a project and a programme
    ❑    A project focuses on deliverables, and is generally shorter and more structured
    ⁃    When the deliverables are in place, the project is finished.

    ❑    A programme is a longer initiative, which often more flexible
    ⁃    delivers one or more strategic objectives
    ⁃    focusses on delivering change - when the benefits from the change are in place, the programme is finished

This tells us that the differences are not due to the length of the project or programme. More important is what it delivers: the vital difference between programmes and projects relate to the nature of the change, not to the duration of the change initiative


One simple way to understand whether to use project management or programme management is consider the nature of the change
    ❑    Project management is good if you are changing things (or making new things)
    ⁃    software and web sites
    ⁃    new or improved products
    ⁃    new IT infrastructure
    ⁃    buildings, roads

    ❑    Programme management is better if you are changing people (or their way of working)
    ⁃    restructuring, reorganisation
    ⁃    new processes
    ⁃    better ways of working
    ⁃    globalisation
    ⁃    expanding, downsizing, outsourcing, off-shoring


So that old “Rule of thumb” is a nice proverb. Like all proverbs, it seems right at times, but often it’s wrong and misleading. Better in today’s world to use another rule of thumb: “If your project will take more than 9 months, attend a course on programme management”.

Aim high to build a high performance team

In today’s fast moving world, most organisations have a large change agenda. Do you have more projects to run than people to run them? Are you forced to use inexperienced staff to run key projects?

One response to this challenge is to look at best-practice frameworks like Prince2 for Project Management, or MSP for Programme Management. But it’s important to set the right goal.

When you start to deploy a best practice framework like Prince2 or MSP for your team or company, you should set the goal high. You want a high performance team, not just a few star performers. If you create team-wide strength in project management, you can really start to deliver your organisation’s change agenda.

Some organisations hesitate to standardise on a framework like Prince2; perhaps they train a few people, but they don’t roll it out to everyone.

They are missing the benefits of a generalised solution. The way to get full benefit from a framework like Prince2 is to generalise its use.

There are three reasons why you should widen the rollout of a framework like Prince2 or MSP:
1) each framework is relatively simple to learn so training is short and relatively cost effective
2) a framework provides a single point of truth to unite the team
3) a framework helps your organisation to improve and innovate.

Let’s look at those points

1) Speed: Learn in a week

All the best practice frameworks  from OGC (Prince2, MSP, MoP, P3O, etc) are reasonably simple to understand. With a week’s training, you can understand the key concepts, pass an exam and get a basic understanding of how to use the framework.

At the team or enterprise level, this means that all your team can learn your method. You can train them all. This is a key to success.

2) Single point of truth

If your organisation uses a framework such as Prince2, you have an external reference.

There are thousands and thousands of books on Project Management. Every author has his or her own ideas. If you don’t have some reference point for your organisation, every Project Manager will have his or her own ideas.

Prince2 has condensed a huge diversity of opinion into one book, which covers a major part of Project Management. That means that an organisation which adopts Prince2 has started to simplify its Project Management problem. With Prince2, you start to introduce a single vocabulary, a single point of view, a single intellectual framework. That’s significant added value, and a second key to success.

3) Improve and innovate

Don’t be worried by Prince2’s apparent complexity. Treat it like a supermarket which stocks 10,000 items, but you only need a week’s groceries. It up to you to choose. You can adapt Prince2 to your needs. This is what Prince2 calls “tailoring”.

If you tailor Prince2 with intelligence, it becomes a springboard to innovation. It becomes easier to implement, easier to use, and easier to adapt to your business needs.

You should start with the standard framework of Prince2, then simplify in order to implement it. If you hit barriers to implementation, then simplify it further. (That’s quite normal - the first simplification is never quite enough!). This simple core is your starting point. It’s your foundation for building team-wide high performance.

As you continue, you can build on this foundation. You have focussed on the essentials of your project management problem. You have  a basis for continuous improvement, for further innovation. And that’s your third key to success.


That’s three keys to success to building in-depth strength, and a high performance team. You need to aim high to increase your project capacity, and to meet the challenge of delivering an ambitious change agenda. Aim high, deliver high performance.