ABSTRACT
For total program management, implementation tracking must be fully compatible with the tools and concepts used for strategic alignment, business justification, benefits mapping, and action planning. For a program manager, “value” needs to represent the value from the point of view of the receiving organization—that is, the potential benefit of the work accomplished to date. The approach is to recognize that projects aim at deliverables, whereas programs aim at benefits. For a program, therefore, the goal is to translate from progress on delivering the scope of the program components into progress on realizing the benefits. The benefit value schedule variance indicator measures the how early or late the program is in achieving its earned benefit with respect to the planned schedule. The chapter presents a broad extension of earned value management into the program management domain by the defining a generalized earned benefit method.
