Programmes
- Less well defined end date, some go on for many years, or until a defined organisation state has been achieved
- Focus is on delivering benefits (or maximised income), requires involvement after projects have ended. Every programme must directly benefit the organisation in some way
- More complicated; interfaces with strategy, contains many projects, drives operational change
- Exist in a world that is constantly changing. These changes need to be constantly monitored and their impact on the programme and its project controlled and managed
- Macro view; have to consider the combined effect of a portfolio of projects, which should produce synergistic benefits, but sometimes conflict with each other. A balanced view is needed, which is sometimes detrimental to a few projects in the portfolio
Projects
- Defined start and finish dates
- Focus is on delivering products. These products will be used by the operational parts of the organisation, but not all of them will directly produce benefits
- Simpler; only have to focus on delivering defined products.
- Projects are ‘ring fenced’. Change control is a more structured and it is easier to control activities.
- Micro view; only concerned with delivering what has been defined, on time, to budget and to acceptable quality. Project Managers are only concerned with other projects if their project is dependent on them. They will fight against any other project with threatens the success of their own project.
