From Kickoff to Sustainment: The Full Lifecycle of Program Management Execution

Launching a program is exciting—it brings energy, executive attention, and the optimism of transformation. But what happens six months after go-live? When the business case is being audited and users are still adapting in year two, that initial optimism can fade.

Too often, programs stall or unravel after their initial launch, not because the technology failed, but because there was no plan to sustain progress.

At Andrew Reise, we guide clients through the full lifecycle of program management, ensuring sustained adoption and realized benefits. We structure programs from end to end across four critical phases: kickoff and discovery, project management office (PMO) execution, change management integration, and post-go-live sustainment.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how to structure your program across these phases for lasting organizational transformation.

Kickoff and Discovery: Setting the Foundation

The first phase of any program is about clarity—understanding the why, what, and how before any delivery work begins. This is where we align expectations, identify risks, and ground plans in reality.

During program kickoff, we help clients:

• Reconfirm the business case: Validate assumptions around cost savings, revenue, and customer experience (CX) improvements
• Identify stakeholders and sponsors: Ensure executive alignment and role clarity
• Map vendor capabilities: Confirm that solution partners are aligned with scope, timing, and integration requirements
• Create program charters: Establish clear governance, decision-making models, and escalation paths

For one past insurance client, we led a discovery phase that revealed a key misalignment with a vendor regarding data readiness timelines. Addressing this early avoided major issues during system testing later in the program.

A strong kickoff sets the tone and builds trust across internal and external teams.

PMO Execution: Orchestrating Delivery

After design and planning, the program enters the execution phase. The project management office (PMO) plays its most visible role here, coordinating essential activities such as:

• Designing and building: Technical architecture, user experience, and process design
• Testing and validating: Unit integration, user acceptance testing (UAT), and defect resolution
• Ensuring go-live readiness: Final sign-offs, cutover plans, and hypercare preparation

Throughout execution, the PMO needs to:

• Track milestones and KPIs across all workstreams
• Coordinate vendor deliverables and issue resolution
• Manage change requests and scope alignment with business value
• Keep the executive steering committee (ESC) informed with scorecards and dashboards

In one retail transformation effort, our PMO managed more than 30 workstreams and four vendor platforms. Weekly integrated status reports and issue escalation logs allowed the leadership team to maintain visibility without getting lost in detail.

Execution is about delivering value in sync with business readiness.

Change Management: Enabling Adoption

Even the best solution will fail if it’s not adopted. That’s where organizational change management (OCM) becomes essential. Change must be embedded, not treated as a side project.

Our OCM approach includes:

• Stakeholder readiness assessments: Identify impacted roles and tailor messaging
• Training and enablement plans: Create role-specific content, train-the-trainer models, and on-demand resources
• Change champion networks: Assign local leaders who support communication and feedback loops
• Sentiment tracking: Take pulse surveys, create adoption dashboards, and get frontline feedback

For a past client implementing new call center AI tools, we built a change plan that began in the design phase. Engaging supervisors early, developing coaching tools, and tracking training completion led to faster adoption and fewer support tickets after launch.

Sustained change doesn’t happen by accident—it requires planning, empathy, and data.

Post-Go-Live Sustainment: Keeping Up Momentum 

Too many programs treat go-live as the finish line. In reality, go-live is just the beginning of value realization.

Sustainment planning should begin during design and include:

• Hypercare support models: Establish enhanced helpdesk, floor support, and subject-matter expert (SME) escalation paths
• Performance monitoring: Track key metrics such as adoption, error rates, and satisfaction post-launch
• Ongoing training: Provide refresher courses, new hire onboarding materials, and updates as processes evolve
• Benefit realization reviews: Measure actual impact against the original business case

In one logistics program, our sustainment plan included weekly adoption reports for 90 days following the launch. When user satisfaction dropped in one region, we rapidly deployed additional training and support, avoiding costly rework and frustration.

A good sustainment plan ensures your transformation doesn’t fade into the background. It keeps momentum alive and helps organizations evolve with confidence.

What Does a Full Program Lifecycle Look Like in the Real World?

End-to-end programs encompass discovery, design, rollout, and long-term enablement, as well as change management and post-launch sustainment support. 

One of our past clients in the financial services sector embarked on a multi-year transformation of its digital onboarding experience. The initiative included CRM integration, new customer portals, identity verification tools, and enhancements to the mobile app.

Here’s how we supported the program management lifecycle:

Kickoff and Discovery

• Facilitated stakeholder alignment workshops
• Documented 10+ cross-functional dependencies
• Validated vendor readiness against timeline assumptions

Execution

• Managed 25 workstreams and four vendor platforms
• Created dashboards for ESC meetings and field updates
• Maintained risk logs with weekly triage sessions

Change Management

• Trained 300+ branch employees through a combination of in-person and digital channels
• Developed change champion networks in each business region
• Monitored adoption through satisfaction surveys and helpdesk logs

Sustainment

• Designed a six-month support and optimization phase
• Conducted quarterly business case reviews with finance and operations
• Created a feedback loop that informed version 2.0 of the platform

This plan led to faster customer onboarding, higher digital adoption, and a governance model that became a blueprint for future initiatives.

Transformation Is a Lifecycle, Not a Moment

Enterprise programs aren’t one-time events. They are journeys that span strategy, delivery, and value realization. To succeed, organizations must manage the full program lifecycle with discipline, agility, and empathy.

From kickoff through sustainment, every phase must align with your:

• Business case outcomes
• Stakeholder expectations
• Operational readiness
• Customer and employee experience

By treating programs as living systems, not just projects, organizations ensure lasting success.

Master Your Full Program Management Lifecycle

Whether you’re launching a new platform or optimizing what’s already live, Andrew Reise can help you manage the journey. Work with us to execute programs that start strong and finish even stronger.