Dependencies and PMO: Is your Change Programme getting what it needs?

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”.

A line written in 1624 may not seem particularly relevant when discussing PMO and Change Management, yet transformation can often be stranded on an isolated island without hope of success.

We’re constantly reminded that we are each less and less of an island than ever before. The ease of instantaneous communication, the frenetic stream of notifications and the constant demands on our time unites us, at least digitally with our continent. Despite the increasing connectivity of our lives, change and transformation are often kept isolated. Carved out into a transformation portfolio or handed off to a separate team to deliver.

Successful change and transformation cannot be alone on an island. The change will need to call upon skills, resources and capabilities from across the organisation or from external parties beyond your control. How you manage these inputs is critical to the success of your transformation. If your transformation is stuck on an island, PMO can help you get what your change needs, and be a piece of the continent, a part of the main.

How can you get the inputs your change programme needs to thrive?

Delivering your portfolio of transformation will need the effort and inputs of many individuals and teams. You may require physical resources, technology, business team capacity and capabilities. Many of the changes’ needs will be met by resources dedicated to the transformation like the programme team. However, many key inputs will need the support and effort from others outside the team. Others who have their own priorities and demands on their time. Bringing the right inputs together at the right time is critical to successful delivery.

Using effective Dependency Management, supported by a great PMO you will be able to ensure your transformation receives the support and input it needs from groups outside of your immediate control. By making the inputs the programme is dependent on specific and clear up-front, negotiating and agreeing what will be delivered and when with the individuals and teams who will supply them you will be able get what you need, spot potential problems. Critically those you are dependent on will be able to supply your transformation and your change won’t be stranded on an island.

Knowing what you need – Identifying Dependencies

The first step in getting what you need, is knowing what you need. The transformation will be complex with many Dependencies on others. If the change is being planned effectively (another area where PMO can support you) you will have a good view of the interdependencies between different parts of your change, and dependencies which lie outside your change.

As the change is planned the inputs required should be considered during inter-dependency analysis. By properly identifying and considering the inputs needed well ahead of time several dependencies will be identified. The Dependencies which should be considered include those between:

• Projects within a Programme
• Projects and Programmes across the Portfolio
• The Project/Programme and business or operational teams or third parties.

As dependencies are identified they need to be captured for onward agreement and management. Dependencies should be documented in a way which clearly describes:

• Description – A short description of what needs to be supplied and why. By clearly articulating what specifically is required the supplier can be confident they know what is needed from them.
• Required By Date - When the change needs the input to continue to progress to plan. The required date will need to be reviewed and agreed between the Supplier and the Consumer. Dependencies must have an achievable and agreed delivery date which the supplier can meet before the Dependency is agreed.
• Supplier – Who (team or individual) outside of the change who will undertake the work to produce the input needed. They may be internal or external to the organisation. This person/team will need to be consulted and agree to the dependency before you can have confidence the Dependency will be delivered and therefore confidence in your Plan.
• Consumer - Who (team or individual) within the change needs the input from the Dependency. The consumer is responsible to the management of their specific Dependency and working with the Supplier to ensure it is delivered.

By taking the time to properly consider the activities which will be needed in the change (part of planning effectively) and the items which these activities are dependent upon will allow a full set of dependencies to be identified. Being specific and clear in what is needed at this stage will maximise the chance of getting what’s needed (e.g. “The Programme requires office space and access to 20 desks including standard IT connectivity by 20th June” is more helpful than “The team need desks”). Including sufficient detail at this stage or making clear where items will be clarified and by when will help the supplier to understand the need.

Supplier Understanding – Dependency Assessment

To have confidence that a Dependency will be delivered, the Supplier of the Dependency must have the opportunity to review, understand and assess the deliverability of the Dependency. The Consumer who is requesting the input and the Supplier who will deliver it coming together to discuss and understand the dependency is a key step in bridging the gap or isolation in the change. Creating a dependency in the transformation’s Plan or Dependency Log without consulting with the supplier is never going to be sufficient for its successful delivery.

During the assessment, the Supplier should be asked to:

• Review the described Dependency, confirm their understanding of what is required and confirm any outstanding specifics of what they are being asked to deliver. Once assessed the Supplier should confirm if the ask is achievable or not. If it’s not possible to meet a dependency (e.g. there may be insufficient space in the Office) the change team may need to re-consider how it intends to meet the need (e.g. with greater remote working, or additional off-site office space).
• When the Supplier understands the ask from the change and has assessed it as deliverable, they are also asked to review is the date by which the dependency is required to confirm it’s being achievable within the supplying teams work. If the date isn’t achievable with the Suppliers current workstack negotiation on prioritisation and resource allocation may be needed to confirm a date which is acceptable to both the Change and Supplier.

Once the assessment has been completed both the Change and the Supplier should have a clear understanding of what will be delivered, and by when. The Dependency can now be agreed between the parties.

Turning an Ask into a Promise – Dependency Agreement

A fully described and assessed dependency gives both parties Supplier and Consumer a common baseline. But until the dependency has been agreed and committed to by the supplier, there can’t be confidence in the activities which need the input or the plan they contribute to.

A mutual understanding or ‘best efforts’ aren’t sufficient commitments to a Dependency to give the change confidence in their delivery.

When agreeing the Dependency, the Consumer and Supplier must be sufficiently empowered to make decisions for their team. Within the programme the Delivery Manager should be consulted to agree delivery dates. PMO should help the team understand the impact of any proposed changes or delays to the delivery date of the input on the programmes plan. The individual agreeing for the Supplier must have control/authority over the workstack/priorities of the team who will deliver the Dependency. If Dependencies are agreed to by individuals who don’t have control over work and prioritisation, it is possible that the Dependency won’t be met due to the team working on other demands or resource contention.

Once agreed, the Dependency can be included in the change plan. Where the supplier is another project or programme, the work which results in the dependency being met should be built into their plan. If the Supplier is an enduring team (rather than a transformation team) the work to deliver the Dependency should be included in the teams’ work-management tool or backlog. Only when both ends of the Dependency (Supply and Consumption) are included in the relevant Plans/Backlogs can the dependency be tracked.

Making it happen – Monitoring and Fulfilment

With the Dependency agreed and work progressing the transformation team must regularly monitor the dependencies fulfilment. By working with the Supplier to understand progress, any risks or potential changes to the delivery of the Dependency, the change can be kept moving at pace. It isn’t acceptable to assume that the Dependency will be delivered to time, and it must be actively managed by both the Supplier and Consumer.

Once the dependency has been fulfilled, and the input received and accepted by the change team the dependency can be closed. The change will have got what it needed to keep moving at pace and delivering effectively.

With PMO driving strong Dependency Management, your changes will be able to call upon the skills, resources and capabilities from across the organisation when needed. The transformation won’t be isolated on an island but part of a successful main.