Peter Kennedy is VP of Programme Management at First Data Corporation in the UK. Here Peter shares his thoughts on why it is important to harness cultural diversity in order to successfully deliver pan-European change programmes.

For me, the most critical part of managing programmes that have stakeholders in more than one European location is to understand other people's culture and have your own culture understood. There are differences amongst European cultures and these trickle down not just into daily life, but into all aspects of business. As in every aspect of life, cultural differences in business can be a positive and powerful element, but can also, if not understood properly, trigger conflict and other issues.

Top Tips for Effective Programme Management

Guest post by Tim Simpson - Change Director with our client Capita Life and Pensions  

In my experience, effective Change and Programme Management is anchored in establishing your "Wildly Important Goals", keeping a dashboard of your progress, making clear action plans, and holding each other accountable for delivery. Those lessons still apply to every change project I work on.

Procrastination and speculation can do great harm to a business.

Guest post by Barry Wyse, Software Engineering Director, previous senior roles at AOL and Critical Path

In my experience, procrastinating on a decision can lead to a lot pain in the future; whilst hedging bets when faced with two choices can lead to confusion, with the organisation often torn in two. It is far better to make a quick firm decision, the outcome of which can be managed, than to speculate and not decide.

Guest Post by Cathal Grogan, Managing Director of Verify Recruitment and 20 years IT experience

'Agile' can be a great method for software development. If used correctly it can be quicker and more effective than other methods with much less time spent on documentation etc. But, in my experience, organisations who are successful at implementing 'Agile' as an approach to delivering great solutions are those that take the time to understand not only the development community but the new roles, responsibilities and contributions expected of everyone involved in the process, most importantly the expert users.