Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti

CASE CHAIN
Indicators of
readiness for
change
Intent
Visible need and
pressure for
change and
sustained
momentum
Clear and shared
vision, a sense of
direction, and a
commonly
accepted goal
Purposeful plan
for the change
content, the
change process,
and the program
structure
Resources
Skillful and
charismatic
leaders, incl.
program owner
and program
manager
Dedicated
program team(s)
with committed,
motivated
members
Descriptions Illustrative quotes
(To illustrate the program’s situation at the end of the initiation stage, the quotes are from the
second round of interviews, unless noted otherwise)
Program activities were started by preparing for mandatory
replacement investments, providing a clear need for
change. As the business environment was drastically
changing, there was visible pressure for development.
The overall goal was set by the top management by
defining a figure for the desired cost savings. Most agreed
that there was a sense of direction, but some complained
about the lack of an overall picture of the end state.
The program structure and main management principles
had been stabilized after some reorganizing. Major
decisions on the program’s projects were made by the
program steering group, but otherwise projects were very
autonomous. Plans were created within projects as seen
appropriate and each project could decide on how to
organize its internal work. A development area that had
initially struggled was also finally seen to be on the right
track.
At the end of the initiation stage, the program had strong
and committed managers. The program coordinator’s
extended mandate was confirmed by his nomination as the
program manager. The original program owner was also
replaced by a more active, highly committed owner.
Program work was conducted by fairly autonomous project
teams that in general had the access to the required
resources. Some projects reported a lack of skilled
resources due to Chain’s lack of experts in those areas.
Program coordinator in round 1: ”It must be an ideal starting point that we have to make these replacement
investments, the fact that we must do something.”
Project manager in round 1: ”All the trends point to the same direction: if we don’t do something like this,
the company will be in big trouble within just a few years.... We are forced to do this, or if not this then
something else, something very dramatic.”
Program owner: ”Of course we have a vision of the end state in a sense that we have prepared a business
case and so on, but the discussion is still ongoing: it’s not set in stone that we would know that “this is what
we’ll be doing until the year 2015”.”
Sub-program manager: “I guess the right direction will be found little by little, as we gain more
understanding … I’d say that we’re still looking for the direction.”
Program owner: “We also had an external consultant to perform an audit of the program, who gave an
evaluation of whether we are on the right track with this. It supported our perception that everything related
to the project management dimension is in a pretty good condition.”
Sub-program manager: “That [another sub-program that had suffered from delays] has made significant
progress. During [the first round of interviews] it was very vague and unclear. In my opinion it has shown
very positive progress in the last 1.5 years: now every project has a dedicated staff and a schedule.”
Sub-program manager: ”The program manager has gained a deep understanding of these matters, he
understands many things even surprisingly well ... I genuinely appreciate him. He has grown and developed
remarkably.
Sub-program manager: “I think that one central success factor is the chairman of the steering group [i.e. the
program owner], because of his abilities and his touch in that task. That is a crucial factor contributing to
why this is working so well.”
Sub-program manager: “Our people are very committed to this task and they do high quality work. Thus, we
have succeeded in selecting the right people for this.”
Sub-program manager: “We haven’t had enough experts … We should have taken in new people a few
years ago to grow, to learn the job … Now we have to do this with just 2–3 key persons who are totally
overloaded … They are irreplaceable.”