MSP White Paper V5
MSP White Paper V5
White Paper
October 2007
Everything you wanted to know about MSP in less than one thousand words!
In September 2007, the Office of There are three types of programmes • Designing and delivering a
Government Commerce published the that MSP endeavours to address; each will coherent capability
third revision of the globally recognised require different focus and intensity of • Learning from experience.
best practice framework for Programme resources and control.
Management entitled “Managing
Vision led programmes that start with
The Governance Themes
Successful Programmes”. It was first are a set of references that explain how
released in 1999 when it crystallised the a clearly defined vision, have a top
key elements of the programme should be
evolving concepts of business change from down approach, and focus on strategic
delivered during its delivery lifecycle. The
projects. In 2003 a second version was or innovative opportunity with radical
Governance Themes cover subjects that
released, which reflected the increasing transformation of business, culture or both.
will need to be constantly managed to a
maturity of the concepts. The 2007 version greater or lesser extent on a daily basis:
Emergent programmes evolve from
has captured the evolving knowledge
current uncoordinated initiatives, where
in this discipline whilst remaining true Organisation describes how governance
there is recognition of the value of joined-
to the original concepts. New tools and should be applied, through the Sponsoring
up approach with an emergent vision and
techniques have been added in addition Group and Programme Board, and
end goal.
to a greater depth of explanation to provides guidance on the roles and
help organisations and individuals Compliance programmes can also responsibilities for the Senior Responsible
effectively implement Programme be called ‘must do’ programmes. The Owner, Business Change Manager and
Management successfully. organisation has no choice but to Programme Manager. It also recommends
change, for example because of market additional roles.
forces or the potential negative impact of
Vision is required for the delivery of any
not changing.
programme, MSP sets out the key contents
Unlike project management, which thrives and how it should paint a picture of a
on certainty, programme management better future for the organisation.
recognises and exploits the ambiguity
Stakeholder Engagement and
within which it exists.
Leadership is critical to any programme;
change requires effective leadership. MSP
Risk and Issue Management offers Closing the Programme structures the
advice and guidance on how to avoid the end to the programme, consolidating and
realisation of the events that will cause embedding the change, closing down
the programme to fail. It not only focuses all programme activity and completing
on the need to manage threats, but Stakeholder Engagement.
also to exploit opportunities. There are
four perspectives: Strategic, Programme, In the Appendices of the manual there is
Operation and Project Risk. guidance on programme documentation,
how to implement MSP, undertake Health
Planning and Control are covered Checks and manage a Programme Office.
in detail to explain how to develop
the Programme Plan and maintain
internal control. Acknowledgements
Quality describes how there should be MSP™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of
optimal management of people, resources, Government Commerce.
suppliers, processes, assets, information
and strategic alignment. The swirl logo™ is a Trade Mark of the
Office of Government Commerce.
Transformational Flow
For Further Information:
is the term used to describe the lifecycle
of the programme; it uses “Flow” to reflect www.ogc.gov.uk
the evolving nature of the journey the www.tsoshop.co.uk
programme takes and the adjustments www.usergroup.org.uk
that will need to be made. The following www.apmgroup.co.uk
summarises the stages it passes through.