Preface to the Fourth Edition Programme and project management have been with us for a long time. Yet we continue to see many businesses not using these essential tools adequately and the effects this has on their performance. These include a lack of discipline, focus and rigour in the execution of project work, an inability to measure project performance and outcomes, the use of non- standard ways of working (which breed confusion) and a break-down of handoffs at organisational boundaries. All of these problem areas can be helped through the effective use of programme and project management, creating a step-change in delivery performance within any organisation. Over recent years, many organisations, across all sectors (private and public) have started to grasp programme and project management as the key to creating beneficial change. It is as relevant in times of expansion, as in times of recession, when survival itself is crucial. Both situations generate opportunities and threats and therefore benefit from a business- led management approach. I regard projects as the core vehicles for directing and managing change and believe that those who do not grasp their significance will find success very elusive. Having competent project managers is only one aspect of the solution. Effective business-led project management starts at the very top of an organisation, where the leadership sets the direction, provides a context for project selection and, through the right behaviours, sets the tone for how change will be directed and managed. This is one area of business where the senior team is very much on the field of play, as project sponsors, taking an active role, rather then handing off to middle management. The Project Workout is about all these issues. It is about the tough choices leaders need to make and the new roles and behaviours people (at all levels in the organisation) need to adopt. The book introduces ways of thinking and working which deal with uncertainty and risk by providing a practical, top-to-bottom guide to making business-led project management work for you and for your organisation. As such, I recommend it to all business leaders who really seek to make a positive difference. Ian Livingston CEO, BT Group PLC xx PR EFACE TO THE FOU R TH EDITION