Program Management

What is program management?

Program management is the act of overseeing a group of individual projects that are all linked together through a common goal for an organization or a shared area of impact. The main focus of program management is to help a business reach specific business goals through specific and strategic initiatives. 

Typically, these involve various projects all related to one another. It’s the program manager’s role to oversee the team of individual project managers as they work to complete the tasks within each project. Program managers can use program management software to assist in managing related projects across various departments. 

As an example, if a business is looking to accomplish a collaborative project to create a new website with a corresponding marketing campaign, the use of program management would be essential to the success of all related projects.

If a company has multiple projects happening at once that are connected, they are grouped together so the entire program can be managed effectively and efficiently. 

Benefits of program management

When done correctly, program management can lead to many advantages for an organization. 

• Boosting efficiency and effectiveness across projects and teams as the processes and resources are streamlined throughout an organization
• Ensuring that the objectives of individual projects align with the larger goals of the organization
• Improving visibility and management of risks associated with projects for an increased chance of success

Program management responsibilities 

When conducting program management, some components are common no matter the size and scale of the program. This general practice is applied and used by project managers as they oversee program managers. 

• Aligning schedules for everyone involved 
• Working toward various milestones and tracking the progress of said milestones 
• Updating stakeholders on the program as a whole, as well as individual projects
• Managing and allocating resources
• Updating the baseline that measures performance, schedule, cost, and project plan scope 
• Keeping tabs on the roadmap, usually a Gannt chart timeline, that organizes all projects in the program and charts them together based on task level
• Mitigating and identifying risks ahead of time

Program management best practices

To manage programs effectively, an individual needs to have a particular set of skills that will come in handy due to the varying types of responsibilities and tasks associated with managing programs. 

• Problem-solving skills: As obstacles and challenges arise, a program manager must come up with solutions and action plans that keep everyone on track and ensure the program and projects aren’t in jeopardy.
• Clear communication skills: A program manager will need to have excellent written and verbal communication skills to deliver status reports and updates to stakeholders, as well as needing to be a voice to advocate for the value of the program and the projects within. Communication is also needed to help project teams understand how their work helps the organization achieve its goals. 
• Multitasking skills: A program manager has to juggle numerous teams, goals, budgets, components, and strategies, so it’s best that they keep up with all of these tasks and ensure everything is aligned towards the common goal.
• An eye for opportunity: It’s important that a program manager looks within the project portfolio and sees if there are ways they can save money, streamline resources, or improve processes. Doing so ensures the program stays on-budget and on target to hit all necessary deadlines.
• Utilizing software: In order to streamline all of the tasks associated with program management, it’s in everyone's best interest to use the right software solutions to keep track of responsibilities, deadlines, resources, and more.

Program management vs. project management

Program management is sometimes confused with project management, but there are core differences.

Program management, or the program manager, oversees ongoing initiatives within multiple related projects with the main focus being on the business goals and the requirements needed to accomplish these goals. They maintain a plan and schedule for all programs, update and advise stakeholders, and review the statuses and progress of each project. 

Some organizations may consider establishing an official Program Management Office (PMO) that serves as the centralized location for managing strategic projects.

Project management, spearheaded by the project manager, works with the individual deliverables that have specific start and finish dates. The main focus is on the specific goals and requirements of the individual projects within the program.