Introduction - Construction Project Scheduling and Control - page 3

related projects and/or services intended to meet a common objective and
usually managed by one entity. A program can also indicate a large and complex
project that is divided into several projects for more effective management. The
PMI defines a program as “a group of related projects, subprograms, and pro-
gram activities managed in coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from
managing them individually” (PMI, 2013). Programs may include elements of
related work outside the scope of the discrete projects in the program.
Programs may be temporary/one-time or ongoing:
• Temporary/one-time programs : For example, the City of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
may include all of the construction projects for the 2016 Summer Olympics
under one program. Once this program culminates with the completion of
the projects, by the opening of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, it will be
completed and closed. However, the future maintenance of these facilities is a
different matter.
• Ongoing (usually periodic/annual) programs : These include projects such as
road maintenance and storm water programs for a public works department
in many municipalities. Many private and public institutions have maintenance
programs for their existing facilities. Such programs usually have an annual bud-
get and cover numerous small projects—as many as the budget allows. The
programs usually live as long the facility does.
One important note: in the United Kingdom, as well as in some other countries
that use British terminology, the schedule (timeline) of the project is called program
(spelled programme ). This is not the same type of program that we are discussing.
• Portfolio : This is a group of projects, not necessarily related or dependent, that is,
usually under one project manager or department. The PMI defines it as “pro-
jects, programs, subportfolios, and operations managed as a group to achieve
strategic objectives” (PMI, 2013).
• Project : Defined earlier.
• Subprojects : These are segments of the original project that are divided accord-
ing to specialty, responsibility, phase, area, or other criteria. To the person in
charge of a subproject, the subproject is a project, except that the person has to
consider not only the internal relationships among the activities but the external
relationships as well (with activities in other subprojects in the same project).
For example, in a residential or commercial development project, building the
infrastructure may be regarded as a subproject. In fact, building the sewer sys-
tem in the development can be a subproject (to the entire development project)
or even a sub-subproject (to the infrastructure subproject).
Figure 1.1 demonstrates the structure of programs, portfolios, projects; and the
relationships among them .