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 align with overarching organizational objectives or within the same business function. You’ll track project progress and align project managers and project outcomes.

Find out more about the role of a program manager and what it takes to become one.

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 for successful delivery. 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 toward program objectives.

Program managers drive organizational change by assisting teams with Agile transformations to develop and implement development and operations (DevOps) processes. They may then 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 begin, reach completion, and close in a single program phase. 

Who can become a program management professional?

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).

Difference between project manager and program manager

Although "program management" and "project management" may seem similar and interchangeable, key differences set them apart.

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 tasks such as developing new software and launching an advertising campaign, among other duties. They oversee individual projects while managing tasks and communicating with project owners to ensure they meet the program or business goals.

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 $96,732 [1]. The salary for this role can vary greatly based on location, industry, and level of experience. As of June 2024, Glassdoor listed the average salary of a project management specialist at $89,832 [2].

Because program managers have similar responsibilities to project managers, you can expect the job outlook to be around the same at 7 percent [3].

What are the duties 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 might include :

• Strategic planning: Aligning projects with strategic objectives and ensuring the program is effectively carried out and sustained

• 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. Consider taking the following steps to embark on this career path:

1. Get a degree.

You’ll find 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 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. 

2. Gain skills and earn a certification.

Certifications demonstrate your competence, and developing 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. You can list these certifications 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)

• Project Management Institute (PMI) Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

Program management certification

• Program Management Professional (PgMP)

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification

• Six Sigma Black Belt Certification

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

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 qualify for significant programs, you’ll need to have experience managing large-scale projects with cross-functional teams.

Get started in project management with Coursera

Project management integrates technical know-how, resources, and skills to fulfill project requirements. It 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 can develop essential skills for managing projects using traditional and Agile methods. Furthermore, you can gain insights into building strong strategic communication skills.