Large and complex transformations of processes, roles and technology should have a relentless focus on continuous improvement at each stage of the program lifecycle to achieve the best results and meet desired business outcomes. IV&V identifies gaps and redundancies in processes, ensures that metrics are well-defined and meaningful and that your efforts are delivering business value.
Every transformation is unique. Smaller programs and projects require rapid, short-term IV&V support, while larger, long-term, multi-year programs require ongoing IV&V engagements that occur at different milestones throughout the phases of the transformation lifecycle. Large Program IV&V uses Agile methodology to engage, from the beginning and throughout your transformation, on-demand at key phases identifying areas for improvement and helping your organization implement recommendations and guidance as you go.
What does Large Program IV&V look like in practice and how does it augment the Rapid Engagement IV&V approach designed for smaller transformations?
IV&Vs for Large Programs are conducted at Integration Points, meaning Agile IV&Vs occur at multiple milestones per program needs throughout the lifecycle of Large Programs. These integration points provide focused recommendations to optimize the Program Execution phases.
- A Large Program IV&V starts with an initial 12-week engagement that includes an exploration of the Current State and Initial Gap Assessments. The second phase includes analysis and assessment of the information gathered to gain a clear understanding of the Problem Space and Program needs, providing the foundation for the recommended scope and timings of the IV&Vs going forward.
- Each phased IV&V starts with a health check on the results of execution from the previous IV&V Recommendations.
- Since the IV&V starts delivering Recommendations early and on an iterative basis, it can run concurrently with program lifecycle phases.
- Targeted IV&V can be conducted after or before a particular lifecycle phase, based on the unique requirements of the program.
Common Challenges to Assess
What are some of the common challenges that can be assessed throughout phased Large Program IV&V engagements?
People & Scale - Large programs cross organizational boundaries, Management teams and Stakeholder groups. It is necessary to have alignment, agreement on business outcomes and robust collaboration among Stakeholders.
Visibility - Lack of visibility among teams can lead to undefined and unresolved dependencies. Cross-team, cross-unit dependencies must be clearly mapped and considered during program planning. Using tools such as Program Boards and Portfolio Kanban can help bring in this visibility.
Communication & Collaboration - For large programs, communication and collaboration among disparate teams is vital. Any communication gaps can lead to timeline failures. Large programs can be better facilitated through the creation of multiple Value Streams that provide opportunities to map dependencies and foster collaboration.
Planning - Large programs imply that planning and roadmapping are done at multiple levels, which is essential to meet the short-term, near-term and long-term goals. Lack of planning and roadmapping can lead to schedule slippages and missed timelines. Lack of decentralized decision-making also leads to issues in planning as ground-level views are ignored.
Process - Gaps, inconsistencies and redundancies in key Program and Project Management processes such as Scheduling, Scoping and Planning lead to delays and additional expenses. Large Program IV&V can identify issues and provide remediation at key phases throughout the transformation.
To learn more about how Large Program IV&V can help you validate that you are on the right track and identify potential for increased business value throughout your long-term transformation, download the Ensure Transformation Success with Large Program IV&V eBook.
