Projects are getting larger in size and heterogeneous in characteristics. Thus, Program Management (PM) is being recognized as a domain that needs design clarity with an added degree of standardization. Understanding the design of PM requires dealing with aspects of structure, governance, processes, and competencies. Therefore, understanding PM design can be taken from various perspectives, with each throwing distinct light on its design elements.

The focus of this white paper is to understand PM design from the perspective of the cybernetic theory of organization structure, namely the Viable System Model. This adds an interesting perspective in understanding the abstractions and inter-dynamics in PM function, and therefore, provides us with a conceptualization of how the PM functions can be defined and made adaptive.