Is there a difference? Is a programme not just a big project? And, if there is a difference, what do we do with it? Does it really matter?
According to project management accreditation standards, government agencies and specialists in the sector, projects and programmes have fundamental differences and they require distinct management approaches and governance. According to the PMI, determining if the work to be undertaken is a project or a programme “is important because it will determine what management approach to use. Attempting to manage a programme as a project can lead to suboptimal outcomes and, at its worst, to failure”.
A project is “a temporary management environment, undertaken in stages, created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products or outcomes” (APM). A project has defined objectives and scope is progressively elaborated during the project cycle. An example of a project could be the industrialisation for the production and release of a new vaccine for COVID-19. A programme is “a temporary, flexible organisation created to coordinate, direct and oversee the implementation of a set of projects and other work components to deliver outcomes and benefits related to a set of strategic objectives“. A programme has a wider scope compared to a project and it is also more focused on benefits. An example of a programme could the public health package of interventions to control the current pandemic with COVID-19.
There is more to the above. In this article I collate information gathered from various sources in the attempt to summarise other key differences between projects and programmes in relation to success criteria, schedule, risk management, monitoring and control, stakeholder management, leadership and the implications for such differences. Let’s have a look…
Success criteria
Project– The success in a project is linked to the quality of the product or service (the final output). The keeping to the budget and timelines to those set at the project inception would also be key in the evaluation of the success: a successful project delivers the output on time and on budget.
Programme – The success will be measured by the degree to which the programme satisfies the needs and benefits of the beneficiaries for which it is undertaken. A successful programme is focused on the overall benefits being created. There is the possibility of taking more time (or spending more money) to deliver increased benefits and achieve a better outcome. With programmes, “value” is the driver, rather than budget or timekeeping.
Schedule
Project – For a project generally the timescale is well defined, as “the time to be taken to create the deliverables expected at the end of the process”. The project team seeks to encompass 100% of the work within the schedule.
Programme – The schedule will be the aggregation of the schedules of the individual programme components. The timescale is generally longer and less well-defined than a project. The programme manager will incorporate the project schedules at a summary level and will manage the gaps and interfaces between the projects.
Risk management
Project – Risks are typically considered threats. The project team will try to minimise undefined risks by locking on benefits and mitigating negative outcomes. The risk management framework of a project should be largely definable, with an intention to seek certainty before commencing execution.
Programme – The risk management profile for a programme is open-ended and heavily influenced by external factors. Uncertainty is expected, with also undefined risks expected to occur. The programme risk management framework will look at the keeping of adequate contingencies for those occurrences. Risks are often looked as opportunities to create value.
Monitoring & control
Project – The project manager directly monitors and control activities and deliverables in the project.
Programme – The programme manager uses programme governance mechanisms for monitoring and control the progress with the various activities. In a programme, projects and other non-project operations can run simultaneously, with the projects arranged in various manners: sequentially, in parallel or as a network (see figure below). With this arrangement there is clearly a need for a greater sophistication in the monitoring and control measures compared with an individual project.
Stakeholders management
Project – The project manager works within a more constrained framework for stakeholder management, seeking an alignment with stakeholders on the project’s objectives at the inception of the project. The view is to minimize unnecessary changes in scope once project starts.
Programme – Stakeholder management is a far more complex activity. It is a critical burden on the programme manager as most benefits can be realized only in the future. There is a need for continuous engagement with stakeholders and use of the relationships to map future possibilities, validate progresses and maximise the benefits. Consider also the importance in managing stakeholders and beneficiaries’ expectations when managing gaps between the projects.
Leadership
Project – The project manager is focused on producing the optimum deliverable and it is a function mainly oriented to execution. The project manager is part of the team.
Programme – The programme manager is the leader with the vision, focusing on the integration of deliverables associated with the various projects in the programme. It is a function of mediation that aids in conflict management across teams and projects.
Implications
Project and programme managements are on a different complexity scale. As said at the beginning of the article, according to the PMI, determining if the work to be undertaken is a project or a programme is important as attempting to manage a programme as a project can lead to suboptimal outcomes and possibly to a failure. [More guidance on the subject can be found in this publication from the UK Government, in this conference paper from PMI or in the introduction to the P3M3 maturity model.]. According to the PMI, while it is absolutely possible (and often desirable) to contract a project to an independent third party (e.g. the industrialisation of a vaccine can be contracted to a specialist manufacturer with strong, specialised experience and the project manager will be from the contracted organisation), it is virtually impossible to effectively contract out the programme management role. The PMI reckons that a programme manager must be an integral part of the organization’s strategic business.
There are many other implications in terms of processes and methods. Organisations should carefully consider the management framework put into action for projects and programmes. Programmes have multiplicity in requirements, deliverables, beneficiaries, stakeholders, sectors & specialisations, interacting collaborating organizations and agencies. This complexity must be analysed and ensured that it is addressed with the right arrangement for governance. One useful approach is by considering four drivers: Size, Risk Profile, Technical Difficulty, Relationship Complexity. Once analysed, a careful consideration of methods, processes, training and staff profiles must be considered. For those with a specific interest, I suggest checking the P3M3 model by Axelos as a possible reference for a model.
Getting kitted up for programme management is indeed a big project in itself (or rather a programme??)
I hope that this overview was useful. As always, please get in touch for comments and feedback.
Marco Bottacini, Senior Portfolio Manager, GALVmed
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinion of GALVmed.
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