Programs have a larger scope and provide more significant benefits

A project manager is therefore responsible for ensuring a project delivers on its intended output in line with a defined time frame and budget.

What is a program/programme?

A program refers to multiple projects which are managed and delivered as a single package.

A program manager is therefore tasked with overseeing all the projects comprising the program – to ensure it achieves its outcomes.

How projects and programs differ

• Structure: 
  • The components of a project are specific and exact.
  • The scope and goals of a project are well-defined – while programs are typically less clear-cut.
  • Because a program covers multiple projects – a program team tends to be larger as it also incorporates the project managers and their project team members.
     
• Effort: 
  • A project represents a single, focused endeavour.
  • A program is a collection of projects – together all the projects form a connected package of work. The different projects complement each other to assist the program in achieving its overall objectives. It’s likely the different projects within a program will overlap – the program manager will therefore assess these overlaps and work with the relevant project managers to ensure the program’s smooth progression.
     
• Length: 
  • While some projects take several years – the typical project will not take very long to complete.
  • Programs often take a very long time to complete as they intend to deliver more. It’s therefore common for programs to be organised into phases or tranches.
  • A particularly long project may also be organised into multiple phases – but this is less common.
     
• Benefits: 
  • Projects focus on achieving tangible outputs, i.e. what you gain upon completing the project.
  • Programs focus on outcomes – which are often not tangible. The benefits provided by a program depend on the collective benefits of its projects. Examples of a program outcome include a cultural or political change within an organization – or a change in the way in which an organization operates.

How are Project and Program Managers different?

• Project Managers need to focus on the deliverables of their project which must be achieved within certain cost and time constraints.
   
• Program Managers must be comfortable in being less hands-on and they need to have a vision of the benefits the program will achieve.

The best thing for the organisation running program and projects is that everyone understands the different pressures faced by their colleagues.

So if you are a project manager it’s well worth finding out more about program management and similarly program managers benefit from understanding the challenges that project managers face.

How do I become a Project or Program Manager?

Get trained and certified.

The Praxis Framework Certification is an effective, respected way to verify both your project and program management knowledge in one fell swoop.

Before Praxis arrived an aspiring project or program manager would have to look at several courses to learn the core skills of a competent, well-rounded manager. Praxis trims the fat - compiling the necessary knowledge into a single course.

Praxis quickly gained prestige amongst the project and program community - its Bridging Course has been endorsed by Australia's leading project management association, AIPM.

You'll gain a nifty digital badge if you pass the exam so you can showcase your certified status online.

According to PMBOK Guide – Seventh Edition, program management is a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually. Programs may include elements of related work outside the scope of the discrete projects in the program.’

AXELOS defines program management as: ‘the action of carrying out the coordinated organization, direction and implementation of a dossier of projects and transformation activities (i.e. the program) to achieve outcomes and realize benefits of strategic importance to the business.’

From these two definitions, it can be inferred that program management refers to a series of related, ongoing projects within an organization. Together, these related projects become one big program.

For example, imagine a company is about to launch a product in the summer, and a series of projects are happening simultaneously in different areas of the company such as engineering, sales, marketing, and distribution. To manage all those projects in an effective manner that meets the business objective is known as program management.

Organizations will have a team in place – Program Management Office, or PMO to manage the overall program.

It may not always be a new product launch for it to be a program; a newly acquired company that is being integrated into the existing enterprise setup will also constitute a program. For example, if the previous organization had its own projects, then integrating disparate customer data, training new employees, managing the new brand in terms of marketing, incorporating both the HR systems and more, will all be many projects, which in turn will be one big program.

Benefits of Program Management Approach

1. Gives a Comprehensive View:

Program management is specifically designed to give a more comprehensive view of the organization’s activities. Program offices or PMOs generally run multiple projects that may span across the entire organization, covering different locations. The program managers will be able to compare project requests and activities to ensure that projects or assets do not conflict with one another and that there is no duplication of effort.

2. Helps to Achieve Strategic Goals:

Program managers will be able to evaluate major activities of the organization to ensure they are working towards achieving strategic business goals. Just because a project can be done does not mean the end result will add value to the organization. Many issues, such as project governance and risk, can be managed more successfully as the program team or the PMO coordinates efforts and has an overall view of processes and progress that might not be visible to individual project managers.

3. Provides Consistency:

Every time a project is initiated in your organization, the project leader has to outline the process, the rules, and the modes of communication. With the help of PMO, those processes are defined for all projects in advance and it is ensured they remain consistent from one project to another. This helps the project teams, as they do not have to waste time conducting meetings to discuss how everything is going to work. Hence, this results in fewer communication blunders within a project.

4. Greater Cost Savings:

The PMO evaluates all new requests and groups them to ensure efficient use of resources through project prioritization and integration. This means that one project effort could be initiated that satisfies the needs or requests of more than one functional group. For example, a project can be taken up by the organization to create a program that would send emails about daily status reports to respective managers in marketing, sales, finance, and operations. Without a PMO, this single project would have been four separate projects with four separate developers and four separate budgets.

5. Helps in Transition Management:

Program management helps in a smooth transition from existing to future business operations by clear identification of roles and responsibilities. It prepares the organization for migrating to new ways of functioning.

As a practice and skill area, program management is growing in popularity due to its wide acceptance from both public and private sector organizations across the globe. With program management, change can be managed effectively, senior management can take the right decisions, and all related projects are completed on time and within the allocated budget.

Do share your views on how program management methodology has helped your organization in its business endeavors.

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Lucy Brown

Lucy Brown has many years of experience in the project management domain and has helped many organizations across the Asia Pacific region. Her excellent coordinating capabilities, both inside and outside the organization, ensures that all projects are completed on time, adhering to clients' requirements. She possesses extensive expertise in developing project scope, objectives, and coordinating efforts with other teams in completing a project. As a project management practitioner, she also possesses domain proficiency in Project Management best practices in PMP and Change Management. Lucy is involved in creating a robust project plan and keep tabs on the project throughout its lifecycle. She provides unmatched value and customized services to clients and has helped them to achieve tremendous ROI.

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