Loosen the Grip, Hold the Course
Navigating Complex Programmes Without Tightening Control
Complex programmes cannot be fully planned. Interests shift, suppliers respond differently than expected and risks emerge that were never in the risk log. A practical guide by Raymond Koppe for programme managers and executives who need to keep providing direction when reality departs from the plan.
Premium softcover · English edition · ISBN 9789083392295
About the book
Complex programmes cannot be engineered. But they can be navigated.
Planning, scope and governance assume that reality can be pinned down in advance. In a complex programme, part of that reality only reveals itself during delivery. A temporary solution quietly becomes permanent. A deadline starts to dictate the forecast. An architecture choice turns out to have consequences that were not yet visible when the decision was taken.
The reflex is then to tighten control: more reporting, extra checks, a sharper plan. That acts on what is close by and visible. What makes or breaks a programme often lies deeper, in interests, dependencies, decision structures and human behaviour. Those factors only show their effect later.
This book is written for everyone who leads programmes in a world that refuses to follow the plan.
Raymond Koppe brings together thirty years of experience with (IT) programmes in the Netherlands and abroad. He combines useful elements of methods such as PRINCE2, MSP and PMI with practical tools and lessons from programmes such as the UK’s National Programme for IT in the NHS, the Dutch national electronic patient record and Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
Not organising complexity away, but navigating better, without automatically tightening control.
Questions the book answers
- How do you recognise complexity before it causes problems?
- How do you provide direction without nailing everything down in advance?
- How do you deal with colliding interests, uncertainty and suppliers?
- How do you notice that a programme is starting to drift, before plans and dashboards show it?
- When do you adjust course, when do you experiment and when do you stop?
Navigating does not mean constantly changing course. It means continuing to weigh new information against the chosen direction. The destination remains important, but the route to it does not have to stay the same.
- Part 1Understanding complexity
- Part 2Direction and structure
- Part 3Stakeholders, power and movement
- Part 4Risk, uncertainty and learning
- Part 5Recognising and breaking patterns
Book launch
Join the launch celebration
The book is in the final stage of preparation. The pre-sale opens in December 2026, and in February 2027 we will celebrate its publication with a festive book launch. Would you like to be there, or be the first to hear when you can order the book? Sign up here.
Loosen the Grip, Hold the Course
Advance announcement
- December 2026: the pre-sale opens
- February 2027: book launch celebration; date and venue will follow in the invitation
- Signing up is free and without obligation
- English edition as a premium softcover; the Dutch edition is a luxury hardcover
- Copies for your team or organisation, or inviting Raymond to give a talk? Get in touch
About the author
Raymond Koppe
Raymond Koppe is a programme manager and interim manager in information technology. For thirty years he has worked on a wide range of (IT) programmes in the Netherlands and abroad, for commercial IT service providers and in the public sector.
His work as a programme manager and Director of Operations has been recognised with several management awards at IBM, LogicaCMG and CGI. In 2023 he founded LeadingIT, through which he helps organisations set up, deliver and improve complex projects and programmes.
Contact
Questions about the book?
Would you like to reserve copies for your team or organisation, or invite Raymond to give a talk? Feel free to get in touch.
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Last updated: October 2026