Project and Programme Management

Differences Between a Project and a Program
A project refers to a set of activities that has to be completed within a stipulated time, cost and
achieve stated objectives. A programme, on the other hand, is defined as a group of related
projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing the
projects individually. Although closely related, there exist distinct differences between a project
and a programme as illustrated below:
A project has a defined start and endpoint and specific objectives that, when attained, signify
completion while a programme is comprised of multiple projects and is created to obtain broad
organizational or technical objectives
A project by definition has a beginning and an end while some programmes may be having a
beginning but have no end in themselves. This implies that projects have a definite end while
programmes are continuous in nature. For instance, while a project may be the completion of one
floor of a house, a programme on the other end may entail an annual construction programme.
The components of a project are specific and exact while those for a programme are more
general. Whereas a project manager may be concerned with only on one single objective, a
program manager is tasked with overseeing all the projects comprising the program to ensure it
achieves its outcomes.
The scope and goals of a project are well-defined – while programs are typically less clear-cut.in
any project, the objectives are very specific and the project manager works towards achieving the
specific objectives as outlined. For instance, in a rehabilitation project, the project activity can be
the rehabilitation of 400 youths who are addicted to alcohol only. In the case of a programme,
several other variables besides alcohol may come in such as addressing unemployment among
the youth, stress, Gender Based Violence (GBV) among others. This makes the programme to
be characterized by no clear cut objectives and thus its continuous nature.
A project represents a single, focused endeavor while a program is a collection of projects –

together all the projects form a connected package of work. The different projects complement
each other to assist the program in achieving its overall objectives. It’s likely the different
projects within a program will overlap – the program manager will therefore assess these
overlaps and work with the relevant project managers to ensure the program’s smooth
progression.
Programs in most cases take a very long time to complete as they intend to deliver more while
projects in most cases take a shorter period of time before completion. It thus follows that
programmes have to be arranged into various phases before their successful completion is
achieved while a single project may be achieved within a short period of time. For instance, the
Universal health care is a programme advocated by the Government of Kenya and is now in its
2nd year. Within this programme is the project activity of HPV vaccination which is expected to
be completed within some months since inception.
Projects focus on achieving tangible outputs (output in this case refers to is gained upon
completing a given project) while programs focus on outcomes which are in most cases not
tangible. The benefits provided by a program depend on the collective benefits of its projects.
For instance, a programme introduced by the government of Kenya in addressing the education
system in Kenya is the introduction of the Competent Based Curriculum which is likely to span
over a decade while a project within it is the introduction of computers in schools whose impact
is an IT versed learner upon completion of studies.
The success of a project is measured in terms of achieving specific deliverables in terms of time ,
quality and cost while programme success is measured in terms of business success, Return on
Investment (RoI)
Projects are more strategic compared to programmes as they are concerned with benefits and not
deliverables. Projects can thus be said to be geared towards doing the right thing rather than
doing things right-a phenomenon that is associated with programmes.
Programmes may change in their scope while implementation is ongoing since they are wide so
as to meet the ever changing needs of an organization. A project on the other hand sticks to its
scope as they compete against time, cost and quality.
Projects are usually confined to a single functional unit within an organization while programs
span multiple functional units in an organization. For instance, in an NGO, the project manager
may come up with a project of assisting mothers suffering from fistula access treatment between
the period January to December of a given year. This project is to be undertaken by the health
department of the NGO without necessarily touching other departments within the same
organization. If it is to be adopted as a programme, it implies that it will cut across all the other
departments such as finance, human resource involving all the other functional units.
Program Managers create high-level plans used to provide guidance to projects. While detailed
plans are created from this guidance by the Project Managers
Program Managers manage managers. Program Managers need to facilitate and manage political
aspects, relationships, and conflict resolution while a project manager is concerned with
management of people such as specialists and technicians involved to deliver the product.
In a project, the risks are relatively easy to identify and manage since the scope is limited thus in
the event that a project fails, the resultant effect will relatively limited on the organization as
compared to the case of a program whereby should a program fail, the resultant effect will be
detrimental to the entire organization as more departments are more likely to be affected.
Compiled by:
Ngoge Onderi Haron
BED(Arts)-MMUST ,DPM(KIM),M.A PM (UON)

Project and Programme Management

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Project and Programme Management

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Differences Between a Project and a Program

A project represents a single, focused endeavor while a program is a collection of projects –

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