Program Management vs Project Portfolio Management: Definitions & Differences
| Translated by Julian Hammer
Program management and project portfolio management control several projects simultaneously in a company to efficiently implement strategic objectives and make optimum use of resources.
Program management vs portfolio management – what are the differences? Program management focuses on thematically linked projects with a common objective. Portfolio management comprises the totality of all projects and programs in a company and controls and prioritizes them.
The program management and project portfolio management differ in several central areas. These include objectives, focus, resource management, risk management, metrics for measuring success, stakeholder engagement and the software used. However, both approaches have one essential thing in common, namely the strategic alignment and monitoring of projects so that they are best aligned with the company’s objectives.
Program management is used when projects are closely linked thematically and together achieve an overarching objective. Portfolio management makes sense when it comes to controlling and prioritizing all projects and programs of a company .
In this article, we take a closer look at the definitions, the commonalities and differences as well as the methods in program and project portfolio management. We furthermore explain why the choice of the right software is decisive, for it significantly improves transparency and efficiency in both program and portfolio management.
Table of Contents
- What Is Program Management?
- What Is Project Portfolio Management?
- What Are the Differences between Program and Project Portfolio Management?
- What Do Program and Project Portfolio Management Have in Common?
- When Should Companies Use Program Management?
- When Should Companies Use Project Portfolio Management?
- What PM Software Is Suitable for Program and Project Portfolio Management?
- Conclusion: What Is the Difference between Program and Project Portfolio Management?
- FAQ
What Is Program Management?
Program management refers to the control and implementation of a group of projects which are linked in terms of content and work together towards an overarching strategic corporate goal. A program is viewed as a unit whose projects are not planned and managed in isolation, but in close coordination.
Here, the projects are not only interdependent in terms of content. Resources, schedule and results of the individual projects must be carefully coordinated to minimize conflicts and achieve the overall objective. The content-related connection of the projects is therefore the central feature that distinguishes a program from project management and also from portfolio management.
In the context of program management, projects are the individual, clearly defined components of a program. Their successful realization is necessary for the achievement of an overall program objective.
A project is defined as time-limited, with clearly defined objectives.and aims at creating a product or a service. It is characterized by a defined start and end point as well as concrete requirements for resources, schedules and budget.
These are the most important tasks and objectives of program management:
- Strategic alignment: ensuring that all projects in the program work towards an overarching goal and are in line with the company’s objectives.
- Coordination of the projects: Coordination of schedules, resources and dependencies between the individual projects. Efficient planning and allocation of personnel, budget and materials across all projects.
- Risk management: Identification, evaluation and controlling of risks which can affect several projects in the program.
- Monitoring of the program: Monitoring and controlling individual projects to ensure that milestones are reached and targets are met.
- Communication and Stakeholder Management: Establishment of transparent communication structures and involvement of relevant interest groups.
- Evaluation of program progress: Defining key figures and ensuring that the expected results are achieved.
Program management brings companies clear advantages by bundling projects strategically and controlling them efficiently.
The advantages include:
- Targeted resource optimization
- Strategic focus
- Risk minimization
- Synergy effects
- Improved communication
- Efficient Change Management
- Long-term planning
Program management ensures that resources are deployed where they will bring the greatest benefit and conflicts between projects are avoided. In addition, the priority of projects in a program can be identified more clearly so that the allocation of resources can be coordinated accordingly. The coordination of all projects ensures that they are not only successful individually, but also that larger shared objectives are achieved. Through clear communication and effective risk management, delays are reduced and changes are implemented sustainably.
What is project portfolio management?
Project portfolio management refers to the overarching control, prioritization and optimization of all projects and planning objects of an organization. It is to ensure that these activities are strategically aligned and that the available resources are used effectively.
A portfolio is the totality of all projects and planning objects, irrespective of whether they are linked to one another in terms of content. Their focus is on themaximization of the overall benefit for the company while minimizing risks and conflicts at the same time.
The most important tasks and objectives of portfolio management are the following:
- Strategic orientation: ensuring that all projects and programs in the portfolio add to the long-term business objectives of the company.
- Prioritization: evaluation and classification of projects according to their contribution to the strategy, their business value and their urgency.
- Resource optimization: outline planning of budget, personnel and other resources across the entire portfolio.
- Risk management: identification and controlling of risks which may result from the portfolio constellation.
- Reporting: Ongoing monitoring of KPIs for strategic planning and regular reporting to management.
- Transparency: Creation of a clear project portfolio overview to enable well-founded decisions and to react to market changes.
Project portfolio management offers companies advantages by providing a holistic view of all projects and programs. The strategic focus ensures that all activities are targeted towards achieving the company’s business objectives.
The prioritization of projects according to, for example, business value and urgency allows for optimal resource planning, avoiding thus both bottlenecksand over-capacities. Risks arising from the composition of the portfolio are identified and managed at an early stage, which increases the reliability of planning and action.
In addition portfolio management creates transparency regarding status and performance of all projects, facilitating thus well-founded decision-making at management level. The ability to react flexibly to changes in the market environment or new opportunities makes companies more agile and competitive.
What Are the Differences between Program and Project Portfolio Management?
Program management and project portfolio management differ fundamentally in terms of scope, objectives, focus, time and processes. In terms of content and strategy, program management is aimed at a group of connected projects that are to achieve an overarching goal together. Portfolio management considers the totality of a company’s projects and programs.
Program management focuses on managing dependencies and overlaps in the implementation of projects and maximizing synergies, while project portfolio management prioritizes and optimizes projects and programs strategically to achieve the greatest possible business value.
Another difference is the time horizon. Program management is limited to the duration of a program and its projects and ends as soon as the objectives are achieved. In contrast, portfolio management is a long-term and continuous process which covers all current and future planning projects.
The processes also differ. In program management, the focus is on the operational coordination and synchronization of the projects. Project portfolio management, on the other hand, is focused on strategic evaluation and decision-making processes.
The different objectives in program and project portfolio management also lead to different procedures in risk management, resource management and in general responsibilities.
In the table below you will find a clear overview of the essential differences in objectives, scope, focus and time frame between program and project portfolio management:
| Area | Program management | Project portfolio management |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Implementation of the projects of the respective program | Prioritization of all projects of a company |
| Scope | Projects of a program that are related by their content | All projects of an organization |
| Focus | Operative implementation | Strategic prioritization |
| Time frame | Start with the start of the first project and end with the completion of the last project in the program | Continuous and mostly planned in annual installments |
What Is the Difference between Program and Project Portfolio Management in Risk Management?
In program management, the focus of risk management is on cross-project risks which can occur within a program due to dependencies between projects. These are operative risks like delays, resource bottlenecks or conflicts which may occur due to links between projects. The aim is to identify risks and minimize their impact on the overall objective of the program.
In portfolio management, on the other hand, risk management relates to strategic risks. which can jeopardize the entire portfolio and thus the achievement of objectives at company level. These include risks such as the misalignment of projects with the corporate strategy, overloading of resources or insufficient diversification within the portfolio.
There are different risk management methods for both program management and project portfolio management which allow you to identify risks and take measures in an efficient manner.
How Do Program and Project Portfolio Management Differ in Terms of Resource Planning?
In program management, resource planning focuses on efficiently coordinating the allocation of resources between the individual projects. Dependencies are taken into account to ensure that the projects are completed on time and with the necessary resources. Resource bottlenecks or overlappings between projects are avoided by careful planning to ensure the achievement of the overall objective of the program.
In portfolio management, resource planning takes place at strategic level. Here, the focus is on the optimum distribution of the limited resources of the company to all projects and programs of the portfolio. Prioritization is based on the strategic importance, expected business value and urgency of the projects. The aim is to ensure that resources are focused on the projects that offer the greatest benefit to the company.
While program management coordinates resource planning within a program at the operational level, project portfolio management aligns resource distribution strategically across all programs and projects of a company.
How Do Program and Project Portfolio Management Differ in Terms of Responsibilities?
In Program management vs portfolio management there are also differences when it comes to responsibilities. The program manager is responsible for program management. He/she is the person who manages the coordination, target achievement and dependencies of the individual projects. He/she reports to the program management or the management board.
In project portfolio management, the portfolio manager is responsible for the strategic selection, prioritization and resource distribution at company level. He/she directly reports to the company management or the executive board.
How do PM methods differ in program and project portfolio management?
In project management, a distinction is made between traditional and agile methods . Traditional methods include, e.g., milestone trend analysis (MTA) or the waterfall method. When it comes to agile project management methods, Kanban and Scrum are particularly popular.
In program management, traditional project management methods are often used. These linear approaches are particularly suitable for programs with clearly defined goals and fixed schedules, as they enable structured planning and control.
With its sequential procedure, the Waterfall method offers transparency and traceability, which is advantageous for the coordination of several projects within a program. Milestone planning helps you to monitor progress and to ensure that all projects stay on track.
Project portfolio management, on the other hand, primarily relies on agile methods . These flexible approaches enable quick adaptation to changes and promote iterative planning, in which the project portfolio is often coordinated on a quarterly basis.
With its visual management, Kanban offers a clear overview of the status of different projects and facilitates prioritization. Scrum supports continuous portfolio improvements and adjustments through short work cycles and regular checks.
As a general rule, traditional methods are of advantage when the focus is on stability and predictability. Agile methods are more suitable when flexibility and quick reaction time are required. A combination of both approaches can be useful in many cases to ensure both structure and adaptability.
What Do Program and Project Portfolio Management Have in Common?
Program and portfolio management have several central common points. Both approaches help to pursue the strategic objectives of a company by ensuring that projects and planning objects are targeted, prioritized and ultimately implemented.
Both program and portfolio management focus on the monitoring and controlling of progress in order to ensure the achievement of objectives. Furthermore the involvement of relevant stakeholders plays a decisive role in ensuring transparency, communication and support.
What Are the Common Challenges in Program and Project Portfolio Management?
There are several common challenges in program and portfolio management that arise from the complexity and strategic importance of both approaches.
Both programs and portfolios require clear prioritization to ensure that resources are focused on the most important and strategically relevant projects.
Resources such as budget, personnel and material are often scarce. The challenge is to allocate them efficiently, avoid overlaps and prevent bottlenecks.
Both approaches require you to identify and control dependencies between projects or programs to minimize delays or conflicts.
Risks that affect several projects or programs must be identified at an early stage and addressed with suitable measures. A transparent communication across all levels is decisive when it comes to including stakeholders, avoid misunderstandings and clearly communicate the objectives.
These challenges require systematic approaches and close collaboration to ensure overall success.
When Should Companies Use Program Management?
Program management is particularly suitable when operational projects with a common goal need to be coordinated. Project portfolio management is more suitable when it comes to strategic planning.
A typical example is a software company that works on a number of updates for a map service platform. These updates and the associated projects can look as follows:
- Inclusion of additional locations
- Improved search function
- Display of remote areas
- Advanced route planner
Different project managers oversee the work on individual components, while a program manager takes responsibility for overall coordination and monitoring progress.
When Should Companies Use Project Portfolio Management?
Companies should use portfolio management if they continuously need to strategically manage several projects and programmes that are not necessarily linked in terms of content, but all contribute to the long-term goals of the organization. Program management is not a good choice for this because it focuses on the operational implementation of projects.
An example for this is the digitalization strategy of a leading German manufacturer of luxury furniture. The company has used digitalization to realize optimization potential along the entire value chain.
Individual projects within this strategy include:
- Introduction of a digital merchandise management system
- Optimization of production processes through IoT technologies
- Development of an E commerce portal
These projects differ thematically but they call for a uniform prioritization and controlling in portfolio management to be able to implement digital transformation within the framework of the company portfolio.
What PM Software Is Suitable for Program and Project Portfolio Management?
A project management software that covers both program management and portfolio management must meet different requirements to support companies in a targeted manner. While project portfolio management makes strategic decisions on the selection and prioritization of projects, program management focuses on the operational management of projects that are bundled into programs. The software should therefore meet both the strategic and operational requirements.
With PLANTA Project , PLANTA offers you a suitable software for this end.
- PLANTA Project supports project portfolio management by enabling the evaluation, prioritization and strategic planning of projects. Companies can evaluate and prioritize planning objects based on defined criteria and deploy their resources in a targeted manner. Monitoring and progress control ensure continuous optimization of the project portfolio.
- Furthermore, PLANTA Project supports companies in the planning, controlling and monitoring of their projects. The software offers functions such as date and resource planning, cost control and risk and change management. PLANTA Project can be easily integrated into the existing software landscape thanks to the integration options offered by various tools. The software enables process-oriented planning and control of projects, supported by customizable process models and company-specific workflows.
Conclusion: What Is the Difference between Program and Project Portfolio Management?
Program and portfolio management differ in terms of focus and objectives. While project portfolio management strategically prioritizes all of a company’s projects and allocates resources, program management focuses on the operational coordination of projects within a program.
Portfolios strive for long-term strategic company objectives, while programs implement projects with the same subject matter and objectives..
Both approaches complement each other, with project portfolio management supporting the corporate strategy and program management ensuring operational implementation.
Companies benefit from using PLANTA Project to efficiently implement both strategic and operational goals.
FAQ
What Is the Difference Between a Program Manager and a Portfolio Manager?
A program manager coordinates projects within a program, takes care of their alignment and timely implementation. A portfolio manager strategically controls all projects of a company, prioritizes them in line with the company’s strategic business objectives and optimizes resource distribution. The program manager is focused on the operational side, while the portfolio manager’s work is focused on strategic objectives.
How Can I Measure the Success of Program and Project Portfolio Management?
The success of program management is measured based on KPIs such as achievement of objectives, adherence to budget and schedules as well as the achievement of cross-program milestones. These include, for example, cost savings or increased efficiency, which are realized through program synergies. Portfolio management evaluates the strategic achievement of objectives, ROI, resource utilization, risk reduction and the balance between short-term and long-term investments.
What Is the Difference Between a Project and a Program?
A project is a time-limited project with a clear objective and concrete results. A program consists of several thematically related projects that are collectively aligned with overriding objectives.
