The Standard for Program Management Fifth Edition: What’s new?

“The Standard for Program Management—Fifth Edition identifies program management principles and performance domains and provides guidance on the principles of program management that guide the behaviors and actions of organizations, professionals, and stakeholders who work on or are engaged with programs.” (PMI)

1. Program management principles  and the knowledge system

As we all know, Knowledge does not reside in the content; it resides in the method by which that content is accessed.  The method guides us to master the content. In case of any change or challenge, mastering the content without the way how it is created, will not ensure the success? However, when we master how this content is created, in face of any challenge, change, risk or issue, we could return back to the how content is created, recreate it and tailor it to the new conditions.

Fig 1: Program management as knowledge system

In this perspective, the standard for program management fifth edition, in addition to the performance domains, 8 principles were added.  They will serve as fundamental background where the program managers to return back and tailor performance domains or as written in the standard for program management Fifth edition: “principles serve as beacons of knowledge, proven practices, and accumulated wisdom. While they serve as foundational guidelines for strategy, decision-making, and problem-solving, principles also represent fundamental norms, truths, or values.” (PMI).

When we add performance domains , principles and the PMI value we could imagine a knowledge system  or a mindset for program management (Fig1).

The  8 program management principles are presented In Fg.2

Fig 2. Program management principles

Each program principle management is further detailed in several goals in order to provide guidance for the behavior of people involved in programs.

Fig.3 Performance domains and program management principles, from Standard for program management Edition 4  to edition 5

2. Performance domains and the role of Human Being abilities

In order to “Creates and maintains synergy across stakeholders, both internal and external, to optimize benefits delivery and realization”, the Collaboration performance domain was added. This domain will foster the interaction between the five other domains in order to, on one hand manage the program as a whole system and on the other to build on  the human been specific abilities as integration, synergy creation and resource optimization. (Fig.3).

Fig 4. Program management performance domains

Actually, Collaboration Performance domain to cement the five other domains and boost importance of human been abilities.

“The collaboration domain should address the benefit and value delivery domain in a synergetic way with the value system of the organization. It should address also the program components and program activities in order to balance the overall goal of the program: benefit realization and isolated optimization and execution efficeoincy initiatives by the components.” (PMI)

The collaboration domain includes:

• Collaboration factors impacting the program success (Fg.6)
• Collaboration for benefits and value delivery planning (Fig.5)
• Program components and activities collaboration (Fig.5)

Fig 5. Program management collaboration performance domain

Fig 6. Collaboration performance domain factors

3. Integration Management considered as program activity

One of the points that was creating some confusion to the managers is the integration management activities position. In the standard for program management fourth edition, the integration management was “as” included with life cycle performance domain when other management activities (change management, communications management, financial management, information management, procurement management, quality management, resources management, risk management, schedule management, scope management)  were treated  as one area of program activities.

The standard for program management fifth edition, considers integration management as one part of program activities (Fig.7).

FiG 7. Program management activities, from Standard for program management Edition 4  to Edition 5