"A program is defined as a group of related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually.
Programs are not large projects. A very large project may be referred to as a megaproject. As a guideline, megaprojects cost US$1billion or more, affect 1 million or more people, and run for years."
This statement is as per Guide to PMBOK 6th edition.
Thanks Kiron, those are very useful links.
Najam, Kiron,
The statement is interesting but fall short of explaining the why. "Programs are not large projects" is an affirmation that is not explain.
I was on a megaproject, the way it was manage was much closer to a Program with many PM affected to 7 blocs that is close to a program. The benefit could not have been realized in a series of independent projects.
Reading the PMBOK statement doesn't clarify de distinction.
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1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Jan 09, 2018 2:48 PM
Kiron Bondale
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Vincent -
For me, the key differentiator is that the rationale for structuring an initiative as a program is to derive sufficient incremental benefits that you wouldn't get by treating it as either one large project or a set of interdependent but independently managed projects.
However, I will say that it a grey area - a program in one organization is run as a big project in another. Mature organizations will profile their initiatives and come up with a set of criteria to clearly distinguish one from the other.
The term "mega-project" itself may be misleading... perhaps we should be calling them "mega-program".
The statement is interesting but fall short of explaining the why. "Programs are not large projects" is an affirmation that is not explain.
I was on a megaproject, the way it was manage was much closer to a Program with many PM affected to 7 blocs that is close to a program. The benefit could not have been realized in a series of independent projects.
Reading the PMBOK statement doesn't clarify de distinction.
Vincent -
For me, the key differentiator is that the rationale for structuring an initiative as a program is to derive sufficient incremental benefits that you wouldn't get by treating it as either one large project or a set of interdependent but independently managed projects.
However, I will say that it a grey area - a program in one organization is run as a big project in another. Mature organizations will profile their initiatives and come up with a set of criteria to clearly distinguish one from the other.
The term "mega-project" itself may be misleading... perhaps we should be calling them "mega-program".
Kiron Saving Changes...
SVETLANA POLUEKTOVASr Program Manager| Palo Alto NetworksSanta Clara, Ca, United States
Here is the link to the article by Bent Flyvbjerg: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1409/1409.0003.pdf What You Should Know About Megaprojects, and Why: An Overview
By Bent Flyvbjerg
Professor and Founding Chair of Major Programme Management
Said Business School
Oxford University Saving Changes...
I am a program manager, and I am running a megaproject. This may sound confusing, and it was made even more confusing by PMBOK v6 with its rather infamous quote: "Programs are not large projects. A very large project may be referred to as a megaproject. As a guideline, megaprojects cost US$1billion or more, affect 1 million or more people, and run for years." This quote never made it to PMBOK v7, for a good reason. Let me break it down.
The distinction between a project and a program is one of complexity and management approach. We can manage a given scope as a project, and we can manage it as a program. The more complexity there is in the objective, the more adaptive it has to be to the changing environment, the more likely it is to be managed as a program, with its specific attributes. Now, the term "megaproject" refers basically to the size of the endeavor, money- and time-wise, usually in construction industry. In a way, it is not even a management concept, which explains why it was shot down in PMBOK v7 and does not appear neither in Prince 2, nor in PMI Lexicon, nor in IPMA ICB. The way I like to see it, megaproject can be managed whatever way it's best: as a project, or as a program. But given the complexity, size and duration megaprojects entail, it is very likely that program management approach is going to be considered in sizable part, if not in a majority, of cases. This way, we don't have to add a rather redundant term "mega-program", which, unfortunately, I've stumbled upon in a few cases, and I hope, this also clears a terminological conundrum. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
All Mega Projects I have heard about indeed are programs.
They have multiple projects, deliverables, a project office, a overboarding governance including government, sometimes multiple owners and their success is about benefits, often reputational. Take Olympics, Opera houses, Infrastructure etc.
For the public the term mega project indicates something big and complex and for politicians they are simply projects, but mega. Saving Changes...
