FACULTY OF COMMERCE

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

NAME SURNAME REG NO

LINOS TICHAZORWA R156200N

KUDZANAI PICKIE R175077H

TAFADZWA NDAMBANI R171647E

QUESTION 4: What is the difference between a project and a programme? Give an

example of an organization you are familiar with.
A project refers to a sequence of unique, complex and connected activities having one goal or
purpose and that must be completed by a specific time, within budget, and according to
specification. The phases of a project make up the project life cycle. It is convenient for the
project managers to divide the project into phases for control and tracking purposes. Each
milestone at each stage is then elaborated and tracked for completion. The basic phases of a
project are dependent on the kind of project that is being carried out. For instance, a software
project may have requirement, design, build, test, implementation phases whereas a project to
build a metro or a building may have different names for each phase. Thus, the naming of the
phases of a project depends on the kind of deliverables that is sought at each phase.
Where by a programme refers to multiple projects which are managed and delivered as a
single package. A programme manager is therefore tasked with overseeing all the projects
comprising the program – to ensure it achieves its outcomes.

Many people might consider a program to be just one really large project. A project is a
singular effort of defined duration, whereas a program is comprised of a collection of
projects. Problem solved,

Actually, it’s a bit more complex than that. While programs and projects actually have
several different characteristics and different functions within an organization, they also have
many commonalities. Let’s look at how they’re different and how they’re the same

Structure: A project is well-defined, with a Project Charter that spells out exactly what the
scope and objectives are for the project. A program tends to have greater levels of
uncertainty. The team is also bigger. The program teams are supervising and coordinating the
work on a number of projects so while the core team may not have that many people in, the
wider team includes the project managers and all the project team members

Effort: This is the most significant difference between projects and programs. A project
represents a single effort. It is a group of people forming a team working towards a common
goal. A program is different; it is a collection of projects. Together all the projects form a
cohesive package of work. The different projects are complimentary and help the program
achieve its overall objectives. There are likely to be overlaps and dependencies between the
projects, so a program manager will assess these and work with the project managers
concerned to check that overall the whole program progresses smoothly.
Duration: Some projects do go on for several years but most of the projects you’ll work on
will be shorter than that. On the other hand, programs are definitely longer. As they set out to
deliver more stuff, they take longer. Programs tend to be split into tranches or phases. Some
projects are also split like this, but not all projects last long enough to be delivered in multiple
phases.

Benefits: A project team works towards achieving certain outputs, that is, what you get at the
end. For example, this could be a set of deliverables that form a software package, or a new
retail branch, or whatever it is that you are working on. The benefits of a project tend to be
tangible: you get a ‘thing’ at the end of it. A program team works towards delivering
outcomes. Outcomes can be tangible but are often not. The benefits of a program are the sum
of the benefits of all the different projects and this could amount to a policy or cultural
change, or a shift in the way and organization works.

Moreover programs have Program managers responsible for overseeing many projects. That
means they manage multiple project teams, but also in many cases the project managers for
those projects within his program. The overall success of the programs rests on the shoulders
of the program manager whereas A project manager is responsible for one project and its
plan, scope, schedule, managing resources, budget, etc. They will hire a team and manage
their tasks, while monitoring and tracking performance to make sure the project is on track.
Their goal is to deliver a successful project outcome, which is the delivery of a quality
product or service, within budget and on time.

All that might make programs seem really different to projects. However, while projects and
programs do have differences, there are some characteristics that are similar to both. Here are
four traits that projects and programs have in common.

They are temporary: Projects and programs are not long term endeavors. They exist for a
while until the work is done, and then the project or program structure and the team are
disbanded. This is part of what makes project and program work so interesting – you can
always see the end and you have the opportunity to work on lots of different initiatives over
your career!
They deliver change: This is the big one – projects and programs both deliver change. You do
a project or a program and at the end something is different. This could be something big, or
something small. Programs tend to have larger goals for changing the status quo and often
include an element of cultural change but the concept is the same.

They have business cases: This is similar to all the work that a company does, even the
business as usual stuff. Projects and programs should only start when they have a valid
business case. In other words, as project and program managers, we only work on activities
that will add some real value and that have already been shown to make good business sense.
There is no point in wasting time working on something that isn’t going to benefit the
company.
REFERENCES

Argyris, Chris. Overcoming Organizational Defenses: Facilitating Organizational Learning.

Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1990.
Carlzon, Jan. Moments of Truth. New York: Perennial, 1987.
Deming, W. Edwards. Out of the Crisis. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
1986.
Graham, Robert J., and Randall L. Englund. Creating an Environment for Successful
Projects. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997.
Lewis, James. Team-Based Project Management. Beard Books, 2003.
Lewis, James. Mastering Project Management. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Lewis, James. The Project Manager’s Desk Reference, Third edition. New York: McGraw-
Hill, 2006.