ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the categorization of project programmes. It focuses on some existing categorizations of projects by attributes such as complexity, size and the like. Crawford provides two reasons in their abstract why organizations need to categorize projects: capability-related and strategic alignment. Pellegrinelli and Murray-Webster and Thiry propose three configurations of programmes – three different ways in which component projects of programmes can be grouped to facilitate more effective programme management: portfolio or chunked; strategic or goal–orientated; and incremental or 'heartbeat'. Projects and other associated work are grouped around a common theme. This common theme may be a business unit, knowledge area and/or group of resources. Primary advantages of chunked programmes are organizational efficiency. Projects and other work are grouped around a common aim or purpose. This is most often a strategic objective where there can be some uncertainty of the specific final outcomes.
