10 July 2008

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Next Level Up
Program Management Is Crucial to Project Management’s Value

By Jack S. Duggal, MBA, PMP

The following was shared at a presentation at PMI’s recent Mega SeminarsWorld^® in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Imagine an intricate train network in a city. The trains run on time and within budget to their specified destinations, but the people who use the trains are unhappy. The problems are systemic – the transfer connections between many train lines are not linked, destination stations are inconveniently located. There is no overall program.
 
People can relate to the above scenario in their organizations. Projects proceed efficiently and are completed on time, but systemic issues cause disconnects and misunderstandings. There is no program.

More accurately, there is no program management.

By definition, program management addresses systemic issues and focuses on business and strategic aspects of projects and programs that cannot be resolved at the project management level.

Program management is an increasingly important organizational concept.

Organizations that have matured along the project management continuum are looking at how to address the next level of challenges to better integrate and coordinate multiple projects to deliver business value.

Project managers understand the need for program management, and educate and evangelize stakeholders and management on how program management is crucial to realize more value from project management efforts.

As you start to articulate the need for program management in your organization, think about these key points: 

• Project management focuses on the tactical tasks, deliverables and outputs. Program management focuses on the strategic and business objectives, benefits and outcomes.
• Program management focuses on systemic issues that prevent projects from achieving their objectives. It provides an integrated approach to resolve inconsistencies and disconnects across projects and organizational silos that cannot be necessarily resolved at the project level.
• A program approach provides a holistic perspective to address the entire lifecycle, from the conception to the realization of the benefits. It does not focus on discreet pieces that may not necessarily connect, or get diluted as they are passed from one phase to the next.
• Program management focuses on the big picture. It provides different perspectives to better manage multiple stakeholders, realize strategic benefits and satisfy customers.

Mr. Duggal is a PMI SeminarsWorld^® leader, managing principal of Projectize Group LLC and leader of the seminar Building the Next Generation PMO and Portfolio Management. For questions on the content of the seminar, please contact Mr. Duggal.