In the modern world, only the one who is best prepared for the upcoming actions wins. The program and the plan are two important parts of project management, the implementation of the ideas of which can lead any enterprise to success. Understanding the difference between them is very important for future leaders who want not just to be a cog in the system, but to competently manage resources and determine their future.

Program- a sequential algorithm of actions, the implementation of which will allow the performer to achieve a specific goal. The program can be computer, pre-election, working. All of them have one thing in common: a set of interrelated activities aimed at the implementation of the assigned tasks.
Plan- a series of actions, united by a single goal and intended to be performed before a certain date. The plan allows you to create a work schedule that disciplines both an individual and a group of people, helping them to navigate in time and space.

Difference between program and plan

Thus, a program is a broad concept that denotes a strategy for achieving a result. The activities of any large company and organization, the head of which really wants to achieve success, cannot do without it. The program is flexible, in order to achieve goals, individual points can be changed, adapted to real conditions. Moreover, it can have several plans executed in parallel.
A plan is an outdated way of accomplishing project management objectives. It is detailed, and each event has a time frame, but it is far from the fact that the completion of all tasks will lead to the achievement of goals.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between the program and the plan is as follows:

The breadth of the concept. Program is a broader category that can include multiple plans.
Progressiveness. The program is more flexible than the plan, and it can be adjusted and guided in the implementation process.
Flexibility. Individual points of the program can be performed independently of each other, several outcomes are possible. The plan is always linear, and therefore must be implemented consistently.
Detailing. The program contains only general provisions, goals, and the plan - a detailed study of each step, time frame, resources.
Evaluation of the result. To understand the effectiveness of the plan, it is necessary to compare the planned activities with those actually implemented. The effectiveness of the program can be assessed only after the goal has been achieved.

"Program". Comparison of the concepts of project and "program"

In a number of industries, such as the aerospace or defense industry, the objects created are so complex that work on them is carried out not as part of projects, but as part of Programs, which can be defined as a set of projects or a project characterized by the particular complexity of the products being created and / or methods of managing its implementation. In this approach, the term "project" is usually associated with relatively short-term goals. At present, a number of development programs have been developed and are being implemented in the Russian Federation: fuel and energy, food, transport and communications, housing, mechanical engineering and some others.

Priority federal programs include programs for energy supply, electrification and gasification of rural areas, improving the safety of nuclear energy, using unconventional energy sources, developing gas fields on the Yamal Peninsula, and developing the Kansk-Achinsk fuel and energy complex.

Characteristics of the concept of "project". Project features

The project as a control object is described by a set of certain indicators - the characteristics of the project, which are laid down at the planning stage (see Chapter 1). On the basis of the characteristics, firstly, the feasibility, feasibility and sustainability of the project is determined, and, secondly, the ways and means of achieving the planned indicators. That is why, in order for a financial organization to make a positive decision on the allocation of funds, subsequent effective project management and successful implementation, it is necessary to formulate and justify the planned characteristics of the project.

The main characteristics of the project include the following:

· Purpose and main results of the project, received by the beneficiaries during the implementation of the project and after its completion;

· Financial resources required for the project implementation;

· Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the resources required for the implementation of the project;

· Qualification of specialists and the capabilities of the organizations involved in the implementation of the project;

· Quantitative and qualitative indicators of work on the project;

· Terms of the project.

The current values ​​of these indicators can change throughout the entire life cycle of the project, which is due to the influence of the internal environment of the project and its external environment. The effectiveness of management is precisely what presupposes the achievement of the planned indicators of the project under the action of these influences... Thus, the very purpose of applying the methodology and tools of project management to achieve an optimal result under given constraints and existing risks becomes clearer.

The main differences between the project and the program and operational activities, the differences between projects and business processes

The program has no termination point. Rather, the program is a continuous process of change. The project can be an integral part of the program.

For example, the Apollo 11 project is part of the American lunar program. Program management includes the management of the projects included in it.

A project is a means of strategic development. The goal is a description of what we want to achieve. Strategy is a statement of how we are going to achieve these goals. Projects transform strategies into action and goals into reality.

Thus, each work that a specific employee performs is tied to the achievement of the strategic goals of the organization (Fig.1.1)

The reason for such attention to the concept of "project" is that the methods and tools of project management are effectively applied specifically to the project. However, not all work carried out in an organization is a project. Therefore, companies implementing project management often find it difficult to separate projects and operations.

For example, is an employee training course a project? Any course has a limited time frame, budget, quality requirements. Objectives can be defined for the course. Thus, the training course can be viewed as a project. But if a company conducts dozens of courses a year and the activities for organizing training are routine, repetitive, does not carry any uniqueness in terms of management, is the course a project? Do you need to apply project management techniques for each course, such as appointing a project manager and creating a project timeline? A similar situation can arise in a plant that makes machines. Each machine can be viewed as a small project.

In the above examples, most likely, the training course and the production of the machine are not projects. In fact, in the proposed context of mass production of machines and courses, the company implements the mass production of standard products and services without explicitly limiting this activity in terms of time.

Each project has a well-defined start and end. The project ends with the achievement of all its goals, or vice versa, when it becomes clear that these goals cannot be achieved. Temporality does not mean that the project is short-lived - many projects can last for several years. In any case, the project is finite and cannot consist of constantly ongoing actions.

A lot of enterprises are temporary in the sense that at some point the work on them will stop. For example, it is clear that the conveyor for the production of a certain car model will stop at some point, since the car will be discontinued. However, this kind of temporality does not make the assembly line a project, since the work of assembling the machines is a typical routine operating activity. The fundamental difference between the project is that the project ends when the goals are achieved, while in non-project activities new goals are set for the performers and the work continues.

The temporary nature of projects affects other aspects of project activities as well. For example, projects usually have a well-defined time frame for creating a product or service, because the market situation for them is favorable for a limited time. In addition, the project team, as a rule, disintegrates upon its completion, and its members move on to other projects.

Unlike a car assembly line, a good example of a project would be the development of a new car. Development is carried out within a limited time frame and continues until a certain result is achieved - a prototype of a new car. When the result is achieved, the car is sent to production, and the project team - designers, designers, engineers and others - can be involved in a new project, although not necessarily in the same composition.

Thus, operational activities consist of the constant repetition of the same operations with the aim of producing the same product (or providing the same service). Examples are batch production, sales of standard products, accounting transactions.

The main difference between operational and project activities (Table 1.1) is that operational activities operate with the usual results in established business processes, and project work implies unique results and a limited period of work.

Differences between projects and business processes

You can reach your destination only when the course of movement is correctly set, and all participants know where and why they are going. The project and program are categories of Western management, where special attention is paid to competent planning. How to understand the difference between them and what are the differences?

What is a project and program

Project- an interconnected set of activities and processes, the main goal of which is the implementation of a large-scale task. Its main attributes are the availability of deadlines, resources, mission. The implementation of the project can be calculated quantitatively as well as qualitatively (the set goals have been achieved or failed).
Program- a group of projects united by a common goal, management, resources, mission. Their result is a qualitative change in state caused by the implementation of the planned tasks. The healthcare development program envisages the implementation of a number of projects: the construction of hospitals, research, staff training and much more.

Difference between project and program

So, the most important difference between these concepts is their scale. The program is several projects united by one goal. It is not measured quantitatively, but qualitatively and involves a change in state. The timeframe for the implementation of the project, as a rule, is rigidly determined, and their postponement will inevitably affect the implementation of the program.
There are also differences in the complexity of the implementation of the tasks set. The implementation of the project seems to be simpler, since for success it is enough to achieve the goals by a certain period of time. The program is just a hypothesis (the fight against alcoholism or drug addiction), which must be confirmed in practice. Not always interconnected projects and their successful implementation lead to a change in state, and the result may be completely unpredictable.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between the project and the program is as follows:

The scope of the concept. A program is a broader concept that includes a set of projects.
Duration. The timeframe for the implementation of the program is broad, the project is specific and measurable.
Result. The project is implemented when the planned activities are completed by the specified date. The result of the program is a change in state, an impact on the situation. Thus, even its partial implementation may be successful, and the resulting effect may exceed all expectations.
Complexity. The implementation of the program is more difficult than the implementation of the project, since all the components of the task need to be coordinated.

Indicate the main differences between the project and the program and operational activities, the differences between projects and business processes?

A program is a complex of interrelated projects.

A program is a set of projects or a project characterized by the particular complexity of the products being created and / or methods of managing its implementation. The main difference between project activity and operational activity is the time of activity. A project is a temporary venture designed to create unique products or outcomes. An operational activity is a function aimed at continuously performing activities to provide a recurring service or to produce the same product.

Projects differ from operational activities in the following:

• · Projects have a limited time frame, i.e. projects are temporary;
• · Projects have a large number of critical risks;
• · Projects can take a large number of significant changes;
• · The team, as a rule, is formed for one project.

A business process is a regularly repeating sequence of interrelated activities (operations, procedures, actions), during the implementation of which the resources of the external environment are used, value is created for the consumer and the result is given to him.

Table 1. Differences between projects and business processes

Have you ever confused the term stage with the term process? And the term briefcase with the term final result? Probably not, but project management terminology can be confusing. This article will help you find answers to your questions.

In this article

Familiarity with the basics: stages, processes, portfolios and products

A project is simply a set of actions that occur according to a schedule and create some kind of output. Some projects are standalone, with a "No" attitude, other workers are transitioning into the organization. On the other hand, some projects are part of larger activities such as phases, processes, programs and portfolios.

Stages

Projects can be planned based on stages, which allows you to jointly manage multiple projects related to the same goal. Suppose a charitable organization has to fundraise every year. To manage all of the projects associated with this task, the charity divides projects into three phases: planning, event, and follow-up. Each stage contains several projects.

Processes

Activities in two different projects can be interrelated; thus formed processes... Let's say there are two projects: one contains the activities required to develop a technical issue tracking system, and the other contains the activities for hiring and training support personnel.

The combined set of activities from the two projects forms the process of creating a call center. The result of the process is a fully operational call center.

Programs

Program is a group of projects that are managed together to effectively use their relationship. For example, a construction company that is working on a new neighborhood manages each house in the neighborhood as a separate project. Grouping projects into a neighborhood program makes it easy to track the progress of the entire neighborhood and plan for outsourcing, such as cement trucks or landscaping contractors.

Briefcases

Some project managers may use portfolios to align projects and programs with their respective strategic business objectives. For example, a software company has identified three strategic business goals: Industry Innovation, Secure Software Development, and Superior Customer Support. The organization creates portfolios for each of these goals (Innovation, Safety and Support) and compares current projects and programs against them.

Final results of the project

Projects, stages and processes lead to some result, which is called the end result... Typically, the end result is a specific tangible item, such as a document or finished product. The end results can be not only products and goods, but also results or services. The following table lists some examples of these types.

Microsoft Project and the existing project management system

Stepping even further, the project management "system" refers to an integrated set of processes, techniques, methodologies, and tools that are used to plan and track projects. Microsoft Project is a tool within a larger project management system. Projects, also called project plans, will be saved as separate files within Project 2010 and can be grouped into larger events such as phases, processes, programs, and portfolios.