MSP Practitioner cheat sheet

MSP defines a programme as a temporary, flexible organisation created to coordinate, direct and oversee implementation of a set of related projects and activities to deliver outcomes and benefits related to strategic objectives.

Three core programme documents anchor governance: the Blueprint (what the future state looks like and enables), the Benefits Profile/Map (which benefits, for whom, measured how), and the Programme Plan (tranches, projects, dependencies, timescales).

The Programme Mandate is the trigger document from the sponsoring group authorising the programme; it is refined into the Programme Brief and then the Business Case at the first tranche boundary.

Seven MSP principles apply to every programme: remaining aligned with corporate strategy, leading change, envisioning and communicating a better future, focusing on benefits and threats to them, adding value, designing and delivering a coherent capability, and learning from experience.

Programme governance is organised into three layers: the Sponsoring Group (strategic direction and approvals), the Programme Board (Senior Responsible Owner, Business Change Manager and Programme Manager), and the Programme Office supporting them.

The Senior Responsible Owner owns the Business Case and is accountable for programme success; the Business Change Manager owns benefit realisation and business readiness; the Programme Manager runs day-to-day delivery.

MSP recognises three broad types of programme: vision-led (strategic change), emergent (evolving from a portfolio of projects), and compliance-led (mandated by regulation or policy).

Themes in MSP cover vision, leadership and stakeholder engagement, benefits management, blueprint design and delivery, planning and control, the business case, organisation, and risk/issue management.

Benefits are first identified in the Benefits Map linking each project output to a capability, then to an outcome, then to a benefit; each benefit needs an owner, a measure, a baseline and a target.

A benefit is a measurable improvement resulting from an outcome perceived as an advantage by one or more stakeholders; outcomes are the changed state resulting from the use of outputs, and capabilities are the completed projects' products combined to deliver that outcome.

Tranches divide the programme into manageable delivery steps, each ending in an End Tranche Assessment and a tranche boundary review that checks benefits, blueprint progress, risk exposure and Business Case viability before authorising the next tranche.

The Blueprint has two dimensions: the business model (what the future organisation looks like) and the design of the operating model (processes, people, technology and information needed to enable it).

Business readiness is achieved through transition management, covering stakeholder engagement, business change activities and confirmation that the receiving organisation can absorb the new capability.

The programme risk register is distinct from project risk registers; programme-level risks include tranche dependency risks, benefit shortfall risk, stakeholder/culture risk and blueprint design risk.

The Business Case is reviewed and refreshed at each tranche boundary; it must demonstrate strategic fit, benefits realisation confidence, cost/affordability and risk balance, and it is owned by the SRO.

Vision statement content: a clear statement of the future state, communicated to all stakeholders, supported by a Blueprint that shows how the vision will be realised.

Stakeholder engagement follows a cycle of identify, analyse (interest and influence), plan engagement approach and act, with a communications plan maintained by the programme office.

Issue and change control operates through the programme office: issues are logged, assessed for impact on blueprint, benefits, business case and plan, then escalated to the Programme Board if beyond the Programme Manager's tolerance.

Quality management in MSP uses a Quality Management Strategy, Quality Register and a blueprint-based approach to confirming that capability meets the required standard before transition.

Programme closure requires confirmation that benefits are on track to be realised, that the Blueprint has been delivered or handed over, and that residual activities are transferred to business-as-usual owners.

The MSP framework is built from principles, governance themes and transformational flow; the themes are applied throughout the flow rather than sequentially.

The transformational flow comprises: Identifying a Programme, Defining a Programme, Managing the Tranches, Delivering the Capability, Realising the Benefits, and Closing a Programme.

Identifying a Programme produces the Programme Mandate, the Programme Brief and the Vision Statement; Defining a Programme produces the Blueprint, Benefits Map, Programme Plan, Business Case and governance arrangements.

Delivering the Capability covers coordinating projects, managing dependencies and confirming that outputs are fit for purpose; Realising the Benefits covers embedding the capability and measuring benefit achievement in business-as-usual.

The Benefits Realisation Plan sets out who will measure each benefit, when, using which measures, and what action will be taken if benefits are not on track.

Programme assurance is independent of the programme manager and reports to the Sponsoring Group; assurance reviews check continued viability of the Business Case and blueprint alignment.

Programme roles: Sponsoring Group (business leaders), Senior Responsible Owner (accountable owner), Business Change Manager (benefit owner and business transition), Programme Manager (delivery), Programme Office (information and control).

The Programme Board typically meets monthly and approves tranche boundaries, Business Case updates, blueprint changes and escalation decisions beyond tolerance.

Tolerances are set by the Sponsoring Group for time, cost, scope, quality, risk and benefits; breaches escalate to the next governance layer rather than being absorbed locally.

Dependencies between projects are managed at programme level via a dependency register and reviewed at each tranche boundary and Programme Board meeting.

Benefits categorisation commonly distinguishes cashable/non-cashable and tangible/intangible benefits, and each benefits profile should state the measurement method and reporting frequency.

Lessons learned are captured continuously and reviewed at tranche boundaries, feeding the 'learn from experience' principle into subsequent tranches and future programmes.