Programs and projects both are considered to be the heart of majority of the business endeavors. You can consider projects to trains that are run or operated by project managers. They have to help pull the work of an entire team and then achieve a common goal.
Similarly, a program can be called a collection of trains that is running on different tracks and yet they are headed to the same station or goal. The program manager here is the station conductor whose job is to direct the various project trains.
In this article, we are going to talk about both project management and program management and understand the differences between them.
Understanding the differences:
First let us take a look at what program management is:
What is program management?
Program management is a very organized process of managing different programs which are mapped to business objectives that can improve the overall organizational performance. It is the job of program managers to oversee and coordinate a variety of projects. Similarly, they also have to take care of other strategic initiatives throughout an organization. To explain further, let us take a look at what a program manager does.
It is the job of a program manager to help drive organizational change through agile transformation. This includes implanting DevOps practices and principles as well.
A program manager has to align program management practices and processes with agile values which include empowerment, collaboration, team autonomy, and delivering values to customers. You might be interested in best team building training classes.
Similarly, it is the job of a program manager to facilitate his team by tailoring programs according to the requirements of the business.
Therefore these and many other tasks are performed by a program manager.
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What is project management?
Now moving towards project management which is the process of leading a project where the team works together to achieve a common goal. The most common one here is to build a new product. When we talk about a project, then it usually represents a single and highly focused piece of work that has a specific scope and defined output.
Did you know there are many projects that can run for many years but still the focus remains the same? Whatever the project a team is working on, its success is always measured by the delivery of artifacts and deliverables that eventually lead to larger goals. To explain further, let us take a look at what a project manager does.
A project manager has to make effective strategies and do planning.
Similarly, he has to determine how to achieve goals that were laid out during the beginning of the project.
Moreover, he has to track progress of the project regularly.
Next, he has to allocate resources to the right areas.
Then he has to manage risks and communicate with his team in the most effective possible manner.
Therefore, these and many other tasks are performed by a project manager. Check out How Leadership can play a role for organizational behavior?
What does programs have?
Mostly programs have quite unknown deadline. It is because of the large scope and impact of work that has to be done for a longer period.
Programs also are multiple deliverables that have inter-related dependencies and continue to evolve based entirely on the changing business needs.
Next, a program is considered a series of deliverables which are completed together with the purpose of increasing efficiency and accuracy and reliability. You might also be interested in Reviews for Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization.
What does projects have?
Similarly, projects have a certain set of tasks that have a clear deliverable and a strict deadline of completion.
Projects are related to creating and updating and reviewing a particular document or outcome.
Moreover a project is a predefined scope that is only limited to a specific output.
Tasks of a program manager:
A program manager has to perform the following tasks:
Evaluating the state of portfolio:
As a program manager, you have to review and evaluate a portfolio by getting in touch with teams. Similarly he also has to identify risk mitigation if any.
He has to manage risks:
Risks in projects can be timeline slipping, asking for change in requirements, or additional stakeholders. So it is the job of a program manager to be aware of all these factors that can slow down the progress of the project.
He has to run the program:
Program manager has to run the program very efficiently and manage budgets and other resources as well. Similarly, he has to define the operating parameters and controls as well.
Engage with stakeholders:
A program manager has to get in touch with the stakeholder and get a sense of the wider context that is relevant to the goal. When coming in contact with the stakeholders, it becomes easy for the program manager to guide the project teams. Why project resource management is so important?
Tasks of a project manager:
Following are the tasks of a project manager:
Checking the status of a deliverable:
He has to check the status of a deliverable and then determine whether it can be delivered within the given time and budget or not.
Reviewing a queue to identify new work:
A project manager has to review a queue for the purpose of identifying new work and monitor any existing tasks.
Creating a plan for achieving a milestone:
A project manager has to make sure that he has created a plan that can help the team reach a specific milestone.
Conclusion:
So this was everything we had about project management and program management. We hope this detailed comparison would have helped our learners understand what both terms are and what they are supposed to offer.
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