Deciding when to build a program

Now we know what a program and project are, but the discussion has involved defining the boundary using a pre-existing program as an example. As a TPM, one of your jobs will be deciding when a program needs to be created and whether it is appropriate to the needs of your organization to do so.

From a project perspective, knowing when to create one is straightforward – you receive requirements to deliver a new application or service, a new feature, and so on, and you create a project to deliver on those requirements. Projects can be done standalone and do not need to be part of a larger program. In many industries, this is how almost all work is done: through independent and discrete projects.

However, knowing when a program should exist is a bit more nuanced and depends on the situation. There are two avenues through which a program is created: from the beginning when requirements are determined and during project executions where a...