Program Management: What You Need to Know About This Career

Are you an organized, strategic, and motivational leader? Program managers are reliable and communicative professionals working in business, government, and non-profit industries who direct programs that may consist of multiple projects.

As a program manager, you’ll oversee different teams, working towards different goals and with separate work schedules. Projects in your program will be connected by overarching organizational objectives or within the same business function. You’ll track project progress, align project managers and project outcomes.

Learn all about this career path and what it takes to become a program manager.

What is program management?

Program management is the process of coordinating, monitoring, and controlling an aligned group of projects. As a program manager, you'll manage a portfolio of related projects that impact the same parts of the organization or rely on each other to be delivered successfully. Program managers must coordinate multiple projects to avoid redundancy, track progress, and meet schedules.

As a program manager, you take a strategic approach. You will have to consider scheduling, scope, cost, and risk dependencies and how each project fits the critical path towards program objectives.

Program managers drive organizational change by assisting teams with Agile transformations to develop and implement DevOps processes. They may apply these principles across the company to achieve business goals.

The program management life cycle

The program management lifecycle is a framework that helps manage large, complex programs. As a program manager, you’re responsible for the success of a program from beginning to end.

This cyclical process has five distinct phases:

1. Developing the concept or idea

2. Defining the program

3. Planning, scheduling, and organizing the program

4. Executing the program, including monitoring and controlling 

5. Closing the program

Each program involves multiple workflows, each undergoing this lifecycle. Some projects may last the duration of the program. Other projects may be opened, completed, and closed in a single program phase. 

Who works in program management?

Individuals who have authority over projects work in program management. As a program manager, you may work with subject matter experts; program sponsors or funders; program coordinators, managers, and directors; budget managers and planners; technical leads; and program office team members (finance, operations, administration).

Program manager vs. project manager

While the term "program management" may seem like it's interchangeable with "project management," there are important differences between the two.

Program managers usually operate at a higher level than project managers. Program management requires managing multiple projects to achieve a common goal and business objectives. They coordinate the duties of multiple project managers, overseeing the entire life cycle of a program from start to finish. They don’t have day-to-day control over specific projects, but instead, create an environment where individual projects can succeed.

Project managers are responsible for delivering individual projects within a program. The work might involve developing new software to launching an advertisement campaign. They oversee individual projects while managing tasks and communicating with project owners to ensure they meet the program or business goals.

Read more: Program Manager vs. Project Manager: What’s the Difference?

Can a project manager become a program manager?

Program managers are usually project managers who have gained enough experience to manage multiple projects at once. Becoming a program manager requires advanced knowledge of scheduling, controlling, budgeting, and monitoring multiple projects simultaneously.

Some program managers manage a program and oversee individual projects within their program. In larger, more complex programs, you’ll normally delegate project management to individual project managers.

Program manager salary and job outlook

Program managers in the US earn an average salary of $99,637 [1]. The salary for this role can vary greatly based on location, industry, and level of experience. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, project management specialists earn a median salary of $94,500 [2].

Because program managers have similar responsibilities to project managers, one can expect a job outlook to be around the same at 7 percent [2].

Responsibilities of a program manager

As a program manager, you are a strategic leader who is responsible for delivering on program goals. You’ll implement program management processes and approaches to planning, managing, executing, and delivering programs.

Your responsibilities will include :

• Strategic planning: Aligning projects to strategic objectives and ensuring the program can be carried out and performed sustainably

• Program governance: Defining roles, responsibilities, decision-making authority, and policies

• Stakeholder engagement and communication planning: Identifying stakeholders, engaging stakeholders early in a program, and developing an effective communication plan

• Risk management: Analyzing, prioritizing, and managing risks in a program

• Benefits management: Ensuring benefits are identified and planned for; assessing progress towards benefits achievement throughout a program

• Program lifecycle monitoring and reporting: Reporting on progress against milestones, deliverables, and outcomes at each stage of a program

• Working closely with project managers: Aligning projects with a program by coordinating, controlling, strategic planning, and communication 

How to become a program manager

If you're interested in running programs for a business, government agency, or non-profit, you might be a good fit for becoming a program manager. Here are the steps to take to embark on this career path.

1. Get a degree.

There are many paths to becoming a program manager, but most employers typically expect you to have at least a bachelor's degree. The majority of program managers have engineering, technical, or business backgrounds, so a bachelor's degree in business administration, economics, computer science, engineering, or even in humanities can provide you with the critical thinking skills to succeed as a program manager.

You don’t necessarily need a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, but they can certainly help. 

Read more: How to Get a PMP Certification: An Overview

2. Gain skills and earn a certification.

Certifications demonstrate your competence, and training your skill set to achieve the certifications can be a good way to ensure you possess the skills you need to become a program manager. These certifications can be listed on your resume. Some common certifications held by program managers include the following:

Project management certifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP)

• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

Program management certifications

• Program Management Professional (PgMP)

• MSP Practitioner

Earning Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is highly recommended to add credibility to your professional profile and demonstrate your knowledge of project management best practices.

Read more: 10 PMI Certifications to Level Up Your Project Management Career

3. Get professional experience.

Program management is a complex profession that requires skills such as leadership, management, customer focus, and technical expertise. A very common path to becoming a program manager is to work as a project manager and build up experience working within project management structures. 

Most employers prefer to hire program managers who have at least three to five years of experience in project management roles. To be considered for significant programs, you’ll need to have experience managing large-scale projects with cross-functional teams.

Get started in project management with Google

Project management is a versatile skill and career that offers plenty of opportunities in a wide range of industries. The Google Project Management: Professional Certificate can help you get started as a project or program manager. In six months or less, you'll learn how to manage projects using traditional and agile methods and develop strong strategic communication skills.