If I dust off my PMI standard, we know that a project is a “temporary endeavor used to create a unique product or service.” A program is “a collection of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and controls not available from managing them individually.” It might seem like running a program is similar to running a bunch of projects, but there are several key differences between how a project and program moves through the project lifecycle. A program will rely more on a rolling plan, as multi-year programs will need to adjust their plans as the business changes. Projects are, essentially, just basic solutions to basic issues; they fill in the gaps that need to be filled. Oracle® is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. However, a program manager is typically a more senior role than a project manager. Product Manager vs Program Manager vs Project Manager Product Manager. Adobe®, the Adobe logo, Acrobat®, ReaderTM, and Macromedia Flash PlayerTM are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Successful execution is all in the details! His assessment will focus on how the program will impact the company in general. More often than not these roles … Project Management vs Program Management. Good project managers are essential in many industries. As you familiarize yourself with the difference between project management and program management, and even consider program manager as the next step in your career, it’s important to identify exactly how these roles differ. A program risk management plan and a program communication plan are thus created. Project management is the more tactical of the three. After listing the main differences between these two professional roles, it remains only to mention a great resemblance between the two. A project manager focuses mainly on the execution and management of the functional elements of the project, this includes meeting deadlines, respecting the budget, delegating activities and achieving results. Differences between Program manager and Project manager: the two roles compared, The responsibilities of the Program Manager, The digital project manager: when the project meets the web. Once the project has been completed and its goal has been achieved, the role of the project manager, with respect to that single project, ceases. Below are a few of the key distinctions. ● Conduct project conclusion and lessons learned. I’ve seen this word misused many times. If IT was late, the site development was impacted. Is yours up to snuff? In the PMBOK, integration management is the set of project management processes used to make sure that projects are properly coordinated. Project managers focus on producing the optimum deliverable. However, the satisfaction from delivering across complex organizations is a rewarding one! The concepts of program management vs. project management are worth understanding, as both have specific benefits that play into the success of your strategy execution efforts. The closure phase is the last phase where the project or program manager formally closes the project. Program managers focus on long-term business objectives; project managers have short-term, concrete deliverables 3. Program managers are strategic; project managers are tacticalNeed further explanation? Otherwise, you’ll be reviewing every issue and risk during program status meetings, and that would take hours. In short, a project manager has a more focused view on work within a single project; on the other hand, the program manager has a broad view of all workflows that lead to a “higher” goal. A program will often cross multiple organizations, and this has an impact on stakeholders, sponsors, funding sources and even assigning the right program manager. Each project in a program will have its own set of lessons learned; however, the program PMO or project lead will also a set of lessons learned. Have a log for common risks and issues, so they can be categorized. Companies with this approach tend to view a program manager as a more technically-focused counterpart of the product manager, who is responsible for guiding the creation of the actual code that will form the solution. The distinction may seem subtle, but there are clear and important differences between the two. As a program manager, it’s also important to understand the major dependencies across project teams. The program manager focuses on how many efforts are tracking against goals like company growth, while the project manager oversees the delivery of an actual body of work. As the program unfolded, both European and U.S. marketing teams needed to know when specific components would be delivered by the IT team. Wrong! The project manager manages the operations of the individual projects within the programs. Did you know the difference between project manager and program manager? UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd. Yes, it does! Sun, Sun Microsystems, Solaris, Java, JavaServer Web Development Kit, and JavaServer Pages are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Project Manager . ● Transition solution to operations team. It’s easy to get confused because in some organizations program managers do work that looks a lot like what program managers do. He (or She) coordinates the time, budget and resources needed to complete the work within the program guidelines. In our example about the conference, the program manager would be responsible for ensuring that the conference in its entirety is a success. In describing the product manager’s role, our friends at Mind the Product cite Marty Cagan’s book Inspired, which explains succinctly that the job of a product manager . Suse is a trademark of Novell Corporation, Fedora, Red Hat, Red Hat Enterprise Linux of Red Hat Corporation. The job focus of the project manager is both narrower and deeper than that of the program manager. Also, the names are so similar it’s hard to separate their meaning. Some of these include budget planning tools, Gantt charts, Google docs, and of course, email. The programs are instead composed of several underlying and interconnected projects. If the business strategy changes, the program manager must communicate it to the various project managers so that they are aware of the changes and can implement them into the individual projects. Programs have projects, but projects don’t have programs. . Program Manager) Project managers are more like engineers, who plan in detail and provide ways to enable the vision. Let’s recap the three main differences between program managers vs. project managers: 1. Projects are temporary, are implemented one-off, and are generally limited by costs, resources, budgets and time constraints. In reality, the Program Manager and the Project Manager, although sharing similar responsibilities, have positions that are quite distinct due to key differences. It may be useful to think of a program manager as an architect who designs a project. The responsibilities of the Program Manager include: recruiting teams, implementing strategies, measuring ROI and other high-level activities and tasks. Program Manager. Program managers are more like architects, involving overall vision made up of function and form. Since it can take longer to initiate a program after its conception, the organization might have to validate the business case to ensure the program goals are still worth pursuing. Every project has issues and risks. The program manager creates a main schedule for managing dependencies between projects. Moreover, he reports to the Program Manager on progress and any changes made to the initial project plan. Program vs. Stakeholder management is a far more complex and important issue for program managers, as most benefits can be realized only in the future. Scope, schedule, and resources all apply to both programs and projects although the planning is conducted at different levels. Programs are more susceptible to market changes and shifting business goals. Every effort has a planning phase. Interbase® is a registered trademark of Borland® Copyright© 1994- 2014 Borland Software Corporation Both are “structured” roles that require heterogeneous skills and individuals who want to strive to make a difference in the business and industrial world to which they belong. The program manager therefore does not manage the projects, but rather provides the necessary supervision to ensure that the pieces of each project are completed in an effective and efficient way. All other brand and product names appearing on this Site may be the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Check out this helpful video. PostgreSQL is copyright © 1996-2002 by The PostgreSQL Global Development Group The control of a program manager goes well beyond the life span of the single projects and focuses on long-term benefits for the company. It is easy to get confused for the assonance, but above all because in some companies the Project Manager carries out tasks and activities that are very similar to those of the Program Manager. Program managers and project managers, two roles with similar titles will not be so different, right? Projects have clear end dates and short-term goals that turn into tangible results or derivables. Program management is an important role in a project-driven organization. Product Management: Responsibilities Project Management “Project managers are often at the forefront of delivering new strategic objectives, so they’re able to execute key initiatives while gaining exposure to stakeholders across all levels of … I’ve been on other programs where teams struggled with developing integrated project schedules, mainly due to the tool they’re using (or aren’t). In a program, the program manager will also staff a project management office (PMO) to help manage program scope, costs, and overall timeline. Obviously, a program manager, due to wha… They are... Project Manager. Therefore, it seems right to assume that the responsibilities of these two leadership positions would be similar. According to the PMBOK Guide, “A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.”So, we can say that the nature of a project is temporary, i.e., once the project achieves its objective it exists no more, and the objective of a project is to create a unique product, or develop a system to provide you any service or is the result of any task.For instance, assuming, you have been given a project to se… In reality, a program manager must wear different glasses in order to look at the program from different perspectives and thus have an overview. 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