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Program Management

Structuring Projects as Part of a Program

Multiple projects are often run as part of a program.

Say you wanted to adopt a new technology and use it to change the way your organization works. To do this, you'd need to implement a number of different projects, focused on different areas of your organization.

However, there are interdependencies between the projects, and they need to share some key resources. Also, your organization needs to manage the costs for each project within a single overall budget. Instead of running each project separately, it probably makes sense to manage these projects within a single program.

But, what type of program structure should you use? And which activities do you need to manage at program level, rather than project level?

In this article, we'll explore program management. We'll look at what a program actually is, and review different types of program structure.

Definition of a Program

A program usually consists of a number of projects that contribute to the same strategic goal, and which have the same business sponsor. Some organizations also refer to large and complex projects as programs.

The main benefits of managing projects in a program are: