Deciding when to build a program

We know what a program and project are, but this has all been with the assumption of a pre-existing program. As a TPM, one of your jobs will be deciding when a program needs to be created – when it is appropriate to the needs of your organization to do so.

Knowing when to create a project 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.

However, knowing when a program should exist is a bit more nuanced and depends on the situation. There are two avenues in which a program is created: from the beginning when requirements are given and during project executions where a need arises. Let’s explore both scenarios.

Building from the start

Deciding to form a management program around a set of requirements is how most people perceive program formation as it fits the form that project creation takes and...