EPMO Software

Top priorities for efficient program management

As customer expectations continue to rise and new technologies evolve in response to these demands, companies must shift their focus to project management to capitalize on creativity and innovation. Quick turnaround times and flawless execution are key, as straggling businesses are often left behind in consumer perception. This means an enterprise program management office is often necessary, combining the expertise of a program manager with resource capacity management tools to create an approach aligned with meaningful business objectives.

However, pursuing goals and objectives across an entire enterprise takes well-crafted organization and stakeholder coordination. Program management becomes a delicate balancing act — one best left to experts in EPMOs.

As influencers of strategy and driving forces behind project execution, EPMOs often have their work cut out for them. Top priorities include:

• Strategic alignment: To bring any idea to fruition, EPMOs must align strategic objectives with overall business goals and values. Without this alignment, a program could fail to deliver value or, worse, drain resources across the enterprise.
• Effective execution: It’s not enough for EPMOs to create a solid yet flexible strategy; they must also ensure this strategy is executed appropriately by every stakeholder and at every touchpoint. This requires visibility at all levels, combining an enterprise-level view with the ability to zoom in on granular details.
• Efficient task management: During the strategy execution process, EPMOs often run multiple programs simultaneously. That means they need fast, efficient ways to keep track of task completion and results, allowing them to visualize progress, set realistic deadlines and measure the completion of objectives and goals.
• Standardized best practices: Human error can quickly turn program management into a struggle. Every portfolio management office must have the capability to identify best practices and standardize them across the organization, optimizing execution and aligning with business objectives at every level.

To manage these priorities, EPMOs need tools specifically designed for program and portfolio management. Perhaps more importantly, they need to coalesce their responsibilities into a single touchpoint, allowing each individual stakeholder to interact with multiple projects without having to switch between platforms or software systems. These needs ultimately lead portfolio management offices to solutions like enterprise program management software.

Enterprise program management FAQs

What are the biggest challenges for EPMOs?

Although EPMOs face unique challenges depending on the nature of their organization, there are a few obstacles inherent to the program management process. These are almost exclusively related to the control and oversight of numerous moving parts. For example, a single enterprise often runs multiple programs with similar goals and objectives but different value expectations; as such, it’s the EPMO’s responsibility to keep these programs separate but aligned while streamlining execution for every stakeholder.

Are program and portfolio management solutions interchangeable?

Program management and portfolio management are closely related topics, so it makes sense that their associated solutions have significant overlap. However, a program management solution may be more granular, while a portfolio management solution may be more focused on the big-picture strategy.

For most organizations, the key is finding a solution that allows EPMOs to manage both individual details and enterprise-wide portfolios — all within a single platform. That way, each solution informs the other and enables EPMO experts to track strategy, execution and goals at every level.

What will EPMOs look like in the future?

As technology continues to advance, projects will only become more intricate, complicated and difficult to manage. EPMOs will likely adapt to this continued change by prioritizing flexibility over solidity — that is, they’ll favor solutions that allow them to pivot when necessary. This suggests a shift toward digital-first approaches like EPMO software, which enables EPMOs to manage the execution of multiple programs without limiting their view or otherwise minimizing flexibility.

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