Program management is a discipline that involves coordinating and managing a group of related projects to achieve strategic objectives and benefits that are not possible to achieve through individual projects alone. The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a program as “A program comprises related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually” (PMI 2024).
Similarly, PRINCE2 defines a program as “the coordinated organization, direction, and implementation of a dossier of projects and transformation activities to achieve outcomes and realize benefits of strategic importance to the business” (AXELOS 2024).
To differentiate a project from a program, consider the following example:
Project: Developing a new software application is a project. It has a specific scope, timeline, and budget, and its primary goal is to deliver the software
Program: Implementing a digital transformation strategy across an organization is a program. It involves multiple projects, such as developing new software applications, training staff, and upgrading IT infrastructure. The program aims to achieve broader strategic benefits like increased efficiency and competitiveness
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