Project & Program Management
(PPM)
Example Smartsheet PPM documents can be shared by request via email here:
Tactical Execution & Delivery
The PPM function focuses on driving execution at the project and program level, ensuring predictable, efficient, and value-driven outcomes. While the PMO sets strategic direction, the PPM function operationalizes those objectives- providing the structure, tools, and facilitation necessary to bring projects and programs to successful completion.
In essence, the PPM function bridges the gap between strategic vision and tactical execution, ensuring that:
- Teams are aligned and focused on the right priorities at the right time.
- Projects and programs are delivered efficiently and predictably.
- Cross-functional collaboration is seamless and productive.
- Execution is adaptable to business needs.
- Resources, risks, and dependencies are actively managed.
By acting as the organization’s tactical enabler, the PPM function ensures that teams execute with clarity, efficiency, and accountability; driving operational success through structured yet adaptable project execution. This is achieved by:
- Providing a Clear & Consistent Execution Framework – Implementing standardized project tools, workflows, and best practices to enable efficient project delivery.
- Managing Programs & Portfolios with Agility – Applying the PPM principles and Lean methodologies to optimize workflows, eliminate inefficiencies, and improve responsiveness.
- Real-Time Coordination & Risk Management – Proactively monitoring project progress, resolving roadblocks, and ensuring projects stay on track.
- Project Team Leadership – Use the GuideStar Leadership principles to equip teams with the right guidance, tools, resources, and decision-making frameworks to execute with confidence while maintaining alignment with business strategy.
As the GuideStar for tactical execution, the PPM function ensures that projects and programs are delivered efficiently, predictably, and in full alignment with the organization’s broader objectives.
Enabling Collaboration
Beyond execution, PPM plays a critical role in facilitating cross-functional alignment, breaking down silos, and enabling teams to work collaboratively across business units. By ensuring smooth coordination, removing bottlenecks, and fostering a culture of shared accountability, PPM enables operational excellence at all levels through the following ways:
Provide a Clear & Consistent Execution Framework: The PPM function executes on standardized, yet adaptable project management frameworks that create clarity and structure across initiatives. By using repeatable workflows, common toolsets, and best practices, teams can focus on execution rather than reinventing processes. A shared project management language ensures alignment across diverse workstreams and stakeholders.
Manage Programs & Portfolios with Agility: Projects rarely operate in isolation. PPM synchronizes work across programs and portfolios, ensuring that cross-functional dependencies are identified and proactively managed. By applying GuideStar methodologies the PPM optimizes workflows, enhances responsiveness, and enables teams to adapt to shifting priorities.
Facilitate Seamless Cross-Functional Alignment: Cross-functional collaboration is one of the greatest challenges in operational execution. The PPM function acts as a central facilitator, ensuring that all teams- from R&D to operations to regulatory affairs- are working toward shared objectives. This includes:
- Bridging the gap between functions by ensuring transparency, clear communication, and structured collaboration.
- Hosting structured cross-functional meetings to align priorities, resolve conflicts, and drive decision-making.
- Providing shared dashboards and reporting mechanisms to keep all stakeholders informed on progress, risks, and interdependencies.
Ensure Real-Time Coordination & Risk Management: A project’s success is often determined by how well risks and roadblocks are managed. The PPM function provides real-time tracking, proactive risk assessments, and structured mitigation strategies to remove blockers before they derail execution. By centralizing risk management, teams can escalate challenges early and implement corrective actions quickly.
Empower Project Teams with Tools & Decision-Making Frameworks: Execution isn’t just about tracking milestones—it’s about enabling teams with the right tools, autonomy, and decision-making frameworks to operate efficiently. The PPM function:
- Provides self-service tools and templates that teams can leverage for project planning and execution.
- Establishes decision-making frameworks that allow teams to take action within a structured governance model.
- Ensures teams are equipped with the right resources and support to drive project momentum.
01
Move the work forward
PPM’s work should always be in service to the needs of the project/program and aligned with overall goals. Stakeholders have responsibilities for their day-to-day job, and the PPM group is generally the responsible for moving the project forward and maintaining a goal-driven culture.
Core Principles
Creating a High-Functioning PPM
With its role as the execution engine of the organization, the PPM function ensures that projects and programs are delivered with clarity, efficiency, and adaptability. However, success in project and program management is not just about delivering outcomes- it’s also about how work gets done. To be truly effective, PPM must not only manage execution but also enable teams, simplify processes, and create a structured yet intuitive environment for all stakeholders. This is achieved through four core principles that define how the PPM function operates:
02
Make it Easy
Stakeholders shouldn’t have to work hard or learn significant new skills to contribute and get the information they need to perform work. For example, a stakeholder should (almost) never directly interact with a project plan. Instead, they should have dashboards to consume data and forms to add data.
03
Reduce Cognitive Load
Whenever possible, all dashboards, forms, and other tools should have a similar look and feel with similar information in similar places. That way, stakeholders can quickly move between projects and still have basic familiarity with the tools.
04
Be organized & Predictable
PM’s must maintain the massive amount of data that modern projects produce- it needs to be consistent and readily accessible. In addition to that, stakeholders should never be surprised by a PM’s actions or methodology, so that data should be stored in the same place, with the same naming convention, in the same format whenever possible. Combining these two concepts creates consistency for projects and makes it easy for PMs to cross-cover and bring new stakeholders up to speed.
PPM Approach
There is no one-size fits all approach to enterprise project management. The right approach fits the project’s needs
Modern projects, especially in dynamic environments, rarely fall neatly into purely agile or waterfall methodology- and forcing a project to conform to a specific model presents a serious risk of failure and frustration for stakeholders. The PPM approach covers a spectrum, with agile and waterfall bookending the extremes. There is a time and place for each end, but generally we will work in a hybrid management model that provides flexibility but with additional structure to help the organization know what to expect. The closer a project is to each, the more it will start to resemble that model.
Iterative and flexible, designed for adaptability and continuous improvement. It emphasizes collaboration, feedback, and incremental progress.
- Iterative Development: Work is divided into small increments (sprints or iterations), typically 1-4 weeks long.
- Flexibility: Changes in scope and requirements can be accommodated throughout the project.
- Collaboration & Feedback: Frequent communication with stakeholders ensures alignment and quick adaptation.
- Continuous Improvement: Teams regularly reflect on their processes to enhance efficiency.
Agile
Waterfall
Linear, sequential where each phase must be completed before moving to the next.
- Structured & Predictable: Clear milestones, deliverables, and deadlines are established from the start.
- Detailed Planning: Extensive documentation and planning occur before execution.
- Phased Approach: The project progresses through predefined stages (e.g., Requirements → Design → Implementation → Testing → Deployment).
- Minimal Changes: Changes in scope or requirements are difficult to accommodate once the project is underway.
Hybrid
Combines aspects of Agile and Waterfall methodologies, allowing teams to balance flexibility and structure. This is particularly useful in operations, where some processes require strict regulatory compliance while others demand iterative improvements.
Hybrid Management
Most projects will fall somewhere in the hybrid spectrum- These are high level concepts to drive success
Structure
Define Fixed & Flexible Components
Waterfall Components (Fixed)
- Regulatory milestones (IND, BLA, GMP compliance)
- Infrastructure projects (facility design, lab setup)
- Budget approvals & legal contracts
Agile Components (Flexible)
- Continuous process improvements (Lean lab practices)
- Training and change management for new systems
- Adaptive scheduling (e.g., adjusting timelines based on trial recruitment rates)
Apply
Agile Inside Waterfall Milestones
Define major project phases using Waterfall.
- Example: "Complete Facility Build by Q4 2025"
Break down each phase into Agile sprints.
- Example: "Sprint 1: Optimize workflow for new facility layout (2-week iteration)"
Run Agile cycles within each phase to continuously improve processes or create product
- Example: "Sprint 2: Gather user feedback from lab staff, adjust procedures accordingly.”
Organize
Organize the teams based on their tasks
Improve
Work toward Continuous Improvement & Growth Mindset
- Regular Retrospectives: After each Agile sprint, review what worked and what needs improvement.
- Utilize Dashboards and governance meetings to provide updates outside the project teams
- Lean Waste Reduction: Use Lean tools (5S, Value Stream Mapping) to optimize workflows within Waterfall structures.
- Feedback-Driven Adjustments: Keep learning from execution and refining processes over time.
Building a Scalable Toolset
The foundation of any portfolio or program is the project. That’s why the Project & Program Management (PPM) function—or PMO in more mature organizations—should begin by developing a strong set of project management tools. For the purposes of this document, we'll assume a PMO or is in place.
Each level of project management (Project -> Program -> Portfolio) should build iteratively on the tools established at the project level. This ensures consistency, reduces cognitive load on stakeholders, and improves usability.
For example, if a senior stakeholder is accustomed to reviewing a portfolio dashboard, they should be able to quickly find relevant details for a specific project because the format and structure remain familiar across all levels.
Balancing Standards with Customization
Project teams may sometimes request modifications to tools based on personal preferences. While adaptability is important, it is critical that project managers limit changes to only those that do not disrupt the overall PPM strategy.
Establish
Governance
Even with standardized templates and dashboards, there needs to be clear governance on how and when updates or modifications are made. Consider implementing:
- A Change Management Process: Define a structured way to propose, review, and approve tool modifications.
- Version Control: Track changes to templates and dashboards, ensuring all teams are working from the latest version.
- Regular Audits: Conduct quarterly reviews of PPM tools to ensure alignment with business objectives.
Ensure Data Integrity
& Automate
Inconsistent or missing data can quickly reduce the effectiveness of dashboards and reporting tools. Strengthen your PPM tools by:
- Defining Required Fields & Standardized Inputs: Clearly specify mandatory fields (e.g., project status, budget, risk levels) to ensure uniformity across projects.
- Automating Data Entry Where Possible: Use integrations between project management software (e.g., Smartsheet, Jira, Power BI) to reduce manual input and errors.
- Creating Data Validation Checks: Set up alerts or conditional formatting to flag missing or inconsistent data.
Provide Flexibility
within Structure
While standardization is crucial, some level of flexibility is necessary for different project types or teams. Consider:
- Creating a “Core vs. Custom” Model: Define which elements (e.g., key metrics, reporting format) must remain fixed and which can be adapted.
- Allowing Custom Views on Dashboards: Enable filters so stakeholders can view only the data relevant to their needs without altering core structures.
- Providing a Sandbox Environment: Give teams a space to experiment with custom reporting, then integrate successful modifications into the standard PPM toolkit.
Measure
Effectiveness
To ensure PPM tools remain relevant and useful:
- Monitor Usage Metrics: Track which dashboards and reports are used most frequently and where engagement drops.
- Collect User Feedback Regularly: Implement surveys or feedback loops to understand what’s working and where refinements are needed.
- Iterate Based on Business Needs: Just like Agile projects, continuously refine PPM tools to align with evolving business goals.
Train &
Adopt
Even the best tools fail without proper adoption. To ensure teams effectively use standardized PPM tools:
- Develop Quick-Start Guides & Training Sessions: Provide step-by-step guides and short training videos on how to use dashboards, templates, and reporting tools.
- Host Regular Tool Clinics: Allow PMs and stakeholders to ask questions, share best practices, and raise concerns about usability.
- Designate a Tool Champion or Help Desk: Assign a go-to person within the PMO for tool-related support and troubleshooting.
TOOLS FOR DEVELOPMENT
Each organization has different needs
Tools (and overall need) must be coordinated through the PMO. There are some basic ones that must be developed and refined for effective project management. Below, you’ll find a non-comprehensive list of tools necessary for a PM to complete their work. The primary tools are must-haves, and should be developed early with an eye toward future integration and improvement.
In an ideal, and mature organization almost all the tools should be developed and used. That’s often not the reality. Tools and documents shouldn’t be developed until there is a clear use-case. The PPM function should never create work for work’s sake, and should always have a clear and definitive reason for how a tool will benefit the organization and facilitate moving a project forward.
Primary Tools
(Must-Haves, aligned across portfolio)
- Schedule/Timeline
- RAID Log
- Document Library
- Basic Dashboard
- Project Charter
- KPI Tracking
- Stakeholder Register
- Communication Plan
- Business Case
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Time Tracking/Workload leveling
- Kickoff Deck
- Handoff Documentation
- Training materials
- Kanban (Agile toolset)
- Backlog
- User Stories
- Daily Stand-up template
- Sprint Retrospective template
Secondary Tools
(Create when needed)
Primary Tools
These tools represent the backbone for project and program management and are basic examples of scalable best practices. They are developed using Smartsheet, but similar principles should be applied regardless of software. Deploying them consistently throughout the organization is critical to success and overall PPM leadership. The following documents are overviews.
Example Smartsheet documents with included formulas and links can be shared by request via email:
SCHEDULE / TIMELINE
1.
Simple status indicators are improtant in providing quick and actionable feesback for tasks. It is recommended to follow this standard:
- Red=Behind
- Yellow=At-risk
- Green=On time
- Double Green=Ahead
- Blue=Complete
- Grey=Not Started
The status is calculated using a helper cell to compare a target percent of completion to actual completion. The use of an "Ahead" identifier allows for better allocation of resources and effort recognitions.
2.
This number is based exclusively off how many parent cells a task has, with level one always being the overall Project. This allows for targeted reporting and consistant project planning based upon "zoom," i.e the higher the level number, the more granular the task. Additionally, this will help with Scaling and reporting up through the portfolio.
3.
To drive accountability and recognition, each task must have one - and only one- assignee. If necessary, a PM can add another column for teammates that are assigned to help, but ultimate responsibility must always be clearly identified.
4.
These are standard PM data sets to fill out. Additional information can be found through the PMI.
5.
Integrated tools, like Smartsheet's "Last Comment" should be utilized whenever possible. The last comment feature on Smartsheet is a convenient way to track notes for tasks and is a tool for reporting the notes out.
6.
Add toggles or checkboxes to make it easy for the PM to report or exclude certain line items from reporting. No matter what KPI we track, there will always be a need for ad-hoc reporting.
7.
Excluding purely Agile projects, there should always be a solid critical path for every project. Doing this gives several important advantages:
- Ensures good project management practices in regard to planning- an end-to-end critical path is only attainable if all predecessor relationships are accounted for.
- Gives the PM visibility to the highest value tasks and where team focus should be
- Provides the Portfolio with a clear basic plan when integrating with other projects.
8.
Use the baseline functionality. This gives a clear picture of the PM's ability to deliver a project to the plan made- which, in the long run, also gives data points and stories for continuous improvement and PPM operational excellence.
RAID(E) Log
1.
RAID logs are a key part to executing a project. Generally they include Risks, Actions, Issues, and Decisions. We add in an extra: Escalation. This gives us the ability to clearly articulate when a senior leader needs to get involved (Ideally before there is a problem). This helps drive clear decision-making and expediency in execution.
- R- Potential events that could impact the project
- A- Tasks needed to keep the project on track
- I- Current problems affecting the project
- D- Key choices that impact the project direction
- E- Requires higher level management involvement
2.
This The description and action items should be descriptive and succinct. If there is additional context or data that needs to be associated with an item, use the Comment feature.
3.
Similar to Timelines, To drive accountability and recognition, each entry must have one - and only one- assignee. If necessary, a PM can add another column for teammates that are assigned to help, but ultimate responsibility must always be clearly identified.
4.
We include "Raised by" for historicity and, if eventually necessary, investigation of an issue.
5.
Status must be kept as simple as possible for overall portfolio reporting. Any additional categories should be evaluated by the overall PMO and PPM team to assess impact to reporting and scalability.
6.
Priority should be one of four time-bound categories:
- Critical- Immediate Attention
- High- Attention within 7 Days
- Medium- Attention within 30 days
- Low- Attention more than 30 days
Automated "Created" and "Closed Date" help drive reporting and accountability for completing and assigned work in a timely way.
7.
Days open is a simple calculated based on the Status, Created, and Closed cells. This gives us the ability to quantify how quickly work is completed and identify trends for inefficiency early for overall project tracking and mitigation, especially on "mission critical" work.
8.
Project Dashboard - Project Level
1.
Dashboards should be automated to reduce PM workloads and primarily target stakeholders as the consumers of the information.
Sections should go from big picture to granular, always starting with the timeline. As the data gets more granular, stakeholders should see exactly what they need to do.
2.
Include graphs and metric where appropriate to quickly understand the overall overall status of the project and individuals' assignments
3.
Include interactive elements- like Entry forms for RAIDE items or navigation widgets for accessing common information.
4.
Provide the correct information to "Manage by exception"- Highlight deficient items first so they can be quickly addressed and resolved.
5.
For additional efficiency, consider coordinating a standardized project update meeting format and dashboard organization (ideally through the PMO). This can replace the need for a weekly bespoke agenda and reduce the need for constantly updating slide decks.
6.
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