2/8 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE DOMAINS SUMMARY

Program Management Performance Domains are groupings of related activities in program management. They include:

1. Program Strategy Alignment: Aligns program outputs with organizational goals.
2. Program Benefits Management: Defines and maximizes the program's benefits.
3. Program Stakeholder Engagement: Manages stakeholder needs, expectations, and communications.
4. Program Governance: Enables decision-making, establishes practices, and maintains oversight.
5. Program Life Cycle Management: Manages activities from program definition to closure.

Organizations initiate programs to achieve objectives and introduce changes, such as new products or services. These changes are managed within the five domains mentioned above. The domains are interconnected and run concurrently throughout the program's duration. The program manager's role involves working within these domains, adjusting to the program's complexity, and managing uncertainties.

Programs often originate from an organization's strategic planning, where investments are evaluated and aligned with the organization's strategy. As strategies change, programs are reviewed to ensure alignment. A program's lifecycle includes formulation, delivery, and closure, with individual projects and subsidiary programs starting and ending within this lifecycle.

While both portfolios and programs consist of projects and activities, they differ in two main aspects: relatedness and time. Programs involve interrelated work that collectively contributes to outcomes and benefits, while portfolios group work for oversight without necessarily being interrelated. Programs are temporary with a defined start and end, while portfolios are ongoing.

Programs differ from projects' management of uncertainty, change, and complexity. Programs face higher initial uncertainty, proactively manage internal and external changes, and deal with complexities arising from governance, stakeholder interests, interdependencies, resources, scope, and risks. In contrast, projects focus on delivering specific outputs with more defined constraints and are characterized by their unique nature, leading to uncertainties in time, cost, and specifications.

Source: Standard for Program Management 4 edition