MSP: an approach for managing strategic change

The leaders of an organisation decide that major change is necessary to keep playing a role in the future: different processes, less bureaucracy, another culture and more competitive.

A County Council is faced with major long term healthcare issues. An aging population, obesity, drugs and alcohol addiction, etc. An radically new approach is necessary, involving a great number of related organisation.

After a merger of two companies integration needs to take place. This involves people issues, new targets, processes and procedures. A new organisation is being formed with a new Board, name, logo and maybe even new offices. Change will take place in every corner of the merger.

 

In each of these cases it is clear that there will be a (great) number of projects but also other activities that will contribute to the overall change. But how should the project portfolio and the activities be controlled? How do we make sure that focus on the big picture is maintained? How do we prevent that individuals or individual projects follow their own ideas and own direction? How do we make sure that stakeholders get involved and stay involved? How do we make sure that the big picture stays valid during the change that may take years, in some cases even decades?

This is where MSP™ is designed for. MSP™ talks about the definition and the managing of programmes that deliver major change. Issues like leadership, stakeholders and communication, vision and planning / measurement of benefits (and "dis-benefits"!) are among the subjects that are discussed by this approach.

A short description of MSP™ can be found here.