Forecasting Programs - book

For Table of Contents, click here.  This book has 375 pages.

NOTE the eBook version is available on Amazon.com here in the Kindle format that can be read on any device with the Kindle Reader software. 

Summary

The meteorite shower on the front cover is our artistic metaphor for programs: Long-range impacts, highly visible, many moving parts, overwhelming in nature and sometimes highly destructive (for reputations). That's what programs are.

Regardless of the challenges in managing programs, the author, Eric Uyttewaal, thinks that programs inherently are not more complex than projects:

• The deliverables in a project are like projects in a program.
• Dependencies between activities within a project are now dependencies between projects in a program.
• Project objectives are called strategic benefits in programs.

Since programs are very similar to projects in nature, one might mistakenly think that programs can be managed with the same tools and techniques as projects. However, program managers who try do that are doomed to fail. Program management has its own tools and techniques. So, what are those? That is what this 375-page book is about. Eric and his team developed special tools and techniques specifically designed for program managers. These innovations allow program managers to forecast their programs and see a clear Critical Path for the entire program running through multiple project schedules. The tools also facilitate that the Critical Path can be shortened.

With these new tools and techniques, program managers do not need to be monthly-messengers-of-bad-news any longer! They can gain control back over their program and manage expectations in a more-timely fashion at a minimum.

We prefer to think though that these tools and techniques will turn program managers into monthly-messengers-of-good-news! How about that instead of ending up on the front-page of news media? 

Reviews

This is what the first readers, the technical editors, are saying about this book:

Eric Uyttewaal’s latest book is a masterpiece of program forecasting for active practitioners and senior executives. Forecasting Programs is sure to join Eric’s previously published works as the relevant industry standard for program scheduling. Kurt H. Gering, PMP, Professor, College of Business, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

If you are about to start your first Program or are a seasoned Program Manager, you will find this book to be the ultimate resource to help guide you, and show you exactly what to do, with example files and how‑to instructions. Before you subject yourself, your teams or your customers to the challenge of forecasting programs, save your reputation and give your programs greater potential for success by following what Eric prescribes in this book! Angelo Arcoleo, PMP, Master Scheduler, Lead Planning Analyst, Harris Corporation

Eric's unique approach and special humor effectively conveys 'why' certain advanced scheduling concepts and techniques are important. This comes with his concise explanations of 'what' to do and 'how' best to get it done.  After reading Forecasting Programs, you will be modelling efficiently and managing your most complex programs with confidence. Brian Journeaux, Senior Program Management Consultant

I have learned a lot from reading “Forecasting Programs”.  As a PMO consultant, I now bring even more knowledge and insights to the table: program managers and directors quickly appreciate the value of using Eric’s concepts. By configuring Microsoft Project, he designed a clever way to integrate the Critical Path method and Agile in a single project schedule. Eric's books are the gold standard that program and project managers should be following. They need to be in your library! Michael Wharton, Project MVP

There is no other consolidated source, except Eric's courses and books for scheduling a program (master and sub project schedules on a shared file server, in Microsoft Project, Project Online or Project Server).  Before this book, I had applied techniques that caused schedule corruptions.  Fighting the corruptions prevented me from providing the program manager with early insights and pushed the resources into heroic efforts to recover to the baseline.  Be forewarned of the dangers and be enlightened by the scheduling that will work ... buy this book! Oliver Gildersleeve, Master Scheduler, Engility Corp.

Forecasting programs is one of the very few books that mixes program management standards, best practices and tools in the right ratio to give you insights on creating the right projects for your program. It doesn't stop there, the book also focuses on how you should carefully weave the projects to get optimized results, ways to overcome challenges and achieve business outcomes. B Sai Prasad, PMP, PMI-SP, Microsoft MVP (Project), Cognizant Technology Solutions

(PMI, PMP, PgMP, CAPM, PMI-SP, PMI-RMP, and PMI-ACP are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.)