The purpose of Program and Project Management is to plan and oversee program and project in support of their objectives. 

Outcomes

As a result of successful implementation of this process:

• Projects are completed by the committed target date and within the allocated budget
• Stakeholder value is maximized through continuous evolution with stakeholders of project parameters (scope, budget, timelines, quality) as necessary
• The risk within the customer’s business environment is reduced through precisely defined projects with clearly identified and managed risks
• Programs controlling multiple projects achieve maximization of value through coordination of trade-offs between requirements and solution space, and of incremental project completion and delivery
• Productivity is increased by a clear definition of roles, responsibilities, and deliverables, which result in faster startup through the use of knowledge management, less rework, and more productive time available to the project
• Project resource commitments are clearly separated from operational workload demands
• Customer and project teams form more quickly and use common terminology, facilitated by clearer communication
• Customer satisfaction increases through visibility of the project plans, schedule, and actual performance against the project objectives
   

Scope

Programs and projects are similar in that they both require planning and oversight. However, they are different in a number of ways. Projects are a temporary endeavor with a simple management structure, whereas programs are long-term, have a more complex management structure (typically involving a steering committee), and are carried out by a number of projects. In addition, the success or failure of a program is more likely to affect the bottom line of a business.

The same activities apply to both Program and Project Management, but with differing scope and timescales. Activities within the Program and Project Management process can be classified into four basic groups:

1. Defining and initiating
2. Planning
3. Executing, monitoring and controlling
4. Closing

A project usually consists of a series of phases, known as the project life cycle, and these groups of process activities can be applied to each phase individually or to a set of multiple phases. Therefore, these groups do not necessarily correspond to the phases of the project life cycle. For example, in a waterfall project, executing and controlling activities can be completed in the design phase of a project, alongside or followed by planning activities for the development phase.¹

The activities described represent a broad model for Project Management activities, which is largely applicable to both projects and programs alike. A program is realized through multiple projects and ongoing activity.
 

Includes

• Identifying program and project goals
• Establishing clear and achievable objectives
• Balancing the competing demands for quality, scope, time, cost factors and resources
• Creating project plans
• Program and project status reporting to stakeholders
• Reconciling the specifications, plans, and approach to the different concerns and expectations of various stakeholders
• Running joint projects with any external agent (such as business, customers, suppliers):
  • Such projects might need to establish agreed standards and conventions
  • Alternatively, in the case of multi-supplier projects, there can be reporting responsibilities to the prime contractor while in-house practices apply within each contractor's scope
    

Excludes

• Performance and delivery activities (many process categories carry out this work)
• Promotion of the end result to production (Deployment Management, usually within a program or project context)

 ¹ IBM® WWPMM Concepts.