Comments on: The difference between projects and programmes

By: LUCAS LEYTON

LUCAS LEYTON — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:36:04 +0000

PROJECTS SEEMS TO BRING CONTRADICTION WITH APROGRAMME

By: mais sobre projetos e programas | Tabuleiro de Projetos

mais sobre projetos e programas | Tabuleiro de Projetos — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:42:38 +0000

[...] sobre a diferença entre projetos e programas. Acrescento mais uma visão sobre o assunto do artigo The difference between projects and programmes, blog PMTips. Many of us would class ourselves as project managers, and some of us aspire to be [...]

By: Project Manager

Project Manager — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:02:21 +0000

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for posting the article, it’s a common question we get asked and I feel you’ve answered it well!

Readers may also find the following link useful on the PM Careers website:

http://www.pmcareers.co.uk/project-management-role-definitions.htm

Thanks,

Baz

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:35:47 +0000

I think that there is a place for definitions and dictionaries, especially for beginners to project and programme management. However, there are inherent limitations on any vocabulary and we need to recognise that too. The risk is that by presenting the beginner with four different (albeit allied) definitions of a programme we create more confusion. More advanced practitioners can debate the intricacies of the meta-language created by PM as they see fit.

I would argue that it doesn’t matter how you define a programme: if you find a way of getting cohesive agreement from all parties about the work that you are doing and the benefits it will bring, whatever that definition looks like, you are in a good place to be one of the programmes that succeeds – and not one that fails.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

By: Dr. Paul Giammalvo

Dr. Paul Giammalvo — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 04:28:37 +0000

Hi Elizabeth and Leroy,
With all due respect to Leroy’s dictionary, 2 years research conducted by Bill Duncan, Ishi Ishikawa and I for the Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards (GAPPS) showed that in the marketplace, the definition Leroy is but one of 4 definitions for program. http://www.globalpmstandards.org/program-manager-standards/general/defining-program-types/

I think it is a disservice to the practice of project and program management that we publish these dictionaries without recognizing that multiple definitions exist and providing background as to why one definition is prefereed over another. An example of this would be the highly regarded work of Max Wideman, with his Comparative Glossary of Project Management Terms. http://www.maxwideman.com/pmglossary/index.htm

Bottom line- I would honestly hope that we move the practice of project management to a more advanced level, not by rehashing what already has been done, but by performing a critical analysis of what is and why project and programs seem to fail with such alarming frequency and regularity. I think a good place to start would be with the lexicon.

BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
http://www.getpmcertified.com