Institute - The standard for program management

X1.1 ABOUT THIS APPENDIX

To fully understand the changes that have been made to the structure and content of The Standard for Program Management Fourth Edition, it is important for the reader to be aware of the update committee's objectives as well as the evolution of the standard.

Through the process of updating the Third edition of the standard, it became clear that the growing importance of program management as an organizational competency was generating an increasing demand for clearer lines of distinction between The Standard for Program Management and PMI's other core standards, including A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOKGuide), and The Standard for Portfolio Management. It was also at this time that the document shifted from a process-based standard to a principle-based standard. The Fourth edition team continued down a similar path, and focused primarily on fine tuning the principles and concepts that make up the standard, as well as ensuring consistency with other foundational standards and applicable practice standards and practice guides.

X1.2 OBJECTIVES

Specifically, the update committee's objectives included:

• Maintain the standard as a principle-based document that describes the fundamentals that shape program management and what constitutes good practice on most programs most of the time.
• Update the content to reflect current program management accepted practices.
• Ensure that the updates interlink and harmonize with other PMI standards as appropriate.

X1.3 APPROACH

To prepare the current update, the project committee developed an approach to the revision that incorporated a number of important strategies and principles, including format and layout ().

X1.3.1 FORMAT AND LAYOUT

When first encountering The Standard for Program Management Fourth Edition, readers will immediately notice fundamental modifications that have been made to the format and layout of the standard. There are a number of important factors that were considered during the design of the framework for the Fourth Edition that will be beneficial as background information for readers familiar with earlier editions, and will help explain the transition from the format of the Third Edition to the current. To explain the current framework, a brief summary of the evolution of the standard from the first edition to the present is provided:

• First Edition. When it was published, the First edition of The Standard for Program Management presented three key themes that captured the prevailing understanding of program management work. These themes included Stakeholder Management, Program Governance, and Benefits Management. Accompanying the themes was the definition of the program management life cycle. This life cycle was integrated into the initial chapters of the standard and further elaborated on in the later chapters. This framework presents a decidedly domain-oriented approach to the standard; to the definition of program management work; and to the role of the program manager.
• Second Edition. The Second edition of The Standard for Program Management retained some discussion of the three program management themes described in the First edition. Many of the updates, however, focused on expanding the presence of the program management life cycle. This approach positioned the program management life cycle as the predominant thread throughout the entire standard document. In addition, a structure for the standard was adopted that mirrored the layout and format of PMI's project management standard, the PMBOKGuide. Within this structure, the program standard described specific program management Process Groups and Knowledge Areas. With this framework in place, the Second Edition revealed a clearly evident life-cycle-based, process orientation to the presentation of program management work and the role of the program manager.
• Third Edition. Considering the previous two editions, emphasis for the Third edition was on usefulness and readability. Careful analysis of the most effective elements of the earlier editions resulted in a decision to change from the Second edition's structure that paralleled the PMBOKGuide's Process Groups, Knowledge Areas, and inputs/tools and techniques/outputs in favor of the domain-oriented presentation of the First Edition.

Within the Third Edition, the following key changes were made:

• The return to the domain-orientation of the First Edition,
• The focus on the program management performance domains presented in the RDS,
• The benefits of the learnings and advancements derived from both previous editions of PMI's The Standard for Program Management, and
• An alignment to, and recognition of, other standards and writings in program management from outside the United States.

• Fourth Edition. It was determined that significant changes between the Third and Fourth Editions were not necessary, and changes instead focused on addressing deferred comments from the Third Edition update as well as comments submitted by subject matter experts through an internal review and exposure draft process. Given that a major update occurred between the Second and Third Editions through the shift to a principle-based approach, it was also an opportunity to increase consistency throughout the eight sections. summarizes major changes across the sections:

Table X1-1. Fourth Edition High Level Changes