International Project Management Association (IPMA) Practice Exam 2025 – The Complete All-in-One Guide to Achieving Certification Success!

In project management, a program is defined as a coordinated set of related projects and activities. This definition highlights the interconnected nature of programs, which aim to achieve strategic objectives that would be challenging to realize if the individual projects were managed separately.

By grouping related projects into a program, organizations can optimize resource utilization, manage interdependencies, and align project goals with broader strategic outcomes. For instance, a program might include several projects that together enhance a company's product line, allowing for better synergy and the potential for greater overall benefits compared to executing each project in isolation.

The other definitions do not capture the essence of what constitutes a program in project management. A set of unrelated projects fails to illustrate how projects can work together toward common goals, while describing a program as a single temporary endeavor does not reflect its broader scope or purpose. Additionally, defining a program as a long-term ongoing operational strategy mischaracterizes it, as programs are typically time-bound and focused on achieving specific objectives through a collection of related projects rather than being continuous operations.