The Definitive Guide to Program Management Tools

A program is a group of related projects managed as a unit to achieve economies of scale. For example, a program to relaunch the digital arm of a company would comprise projects in the development, marketing, and design teams.

A program manager combines and oversees these projects to maintain a shared strategic goal, enhance cross-functional collaboration , and save costs. Program management drives an organization's strategic goals and is less tied to deadlines and project -level deliverables.

This article dives deep into program management, its tools, software features, and techniques.

What is program management?

Program management is the coordinated management of several related projects to improve organizational performance. It's a strategic management approach to executing and directing multiple projects with a shared goal.

Program management drives benefits for an organization by sharing project resources, costs , and activities . It helps to keep stakeholders and project managers informed and aligned. There must be consistency between the methods for managing a program and the projects it oversees.

What are the benefits of program management software?

Programs are focused on long-term goals and require multilayered plans to achieve these aims. This calls for robust program management software that can drill down to project-level tasks and zoom out to big-picture plans to enable better decision-making. Other benefits of program management software include:

Strategic alignment

Program management software provides visibility into various ongoing projects, giving stakeholders, sponsors, and program managers clarity. Like in project planning , program management tools show the program plan broken down into a timeline of projects, tasks, and activities. This helps to keep everything on track and handle challenges before they become obstacles.

Organizational efficiency

Program management software enables program managers to monitor team efforts across the company. This increases efficiency by reducing bottlenecks and task dependencies and allocating more resources where needed. Program management software like UDN Task Manager allows you to log hours to see how long it takes to complete a particular task , meaning you can make data-driven decisions.

Program effectiveness

Program management software ensures that programs effectively align project goals with the company's strategic goals. Program managers can design shared dashboards for teams to keep targets front and center and ensure that projects stay on track and the program succeeds.

Risk management

Program management software helps program managers identify risk factors and communicate with the project manager or stakeholder involved, increasing the chances of managing the risk in time. With program management software, best practices and templates are built-in, saving you from making avoidable mistakes and having to build from scratch each time.

Change management

Aspects of a project may change , affecting the program it's involved in. Program management software makes managing changes in projects or programs straightforward, allowing you to continue towards business goals . These changes may come from the macroenvironment, stakeholders, or project teams. Project management software helps to identify them and respond in time.

Resource management

Program management software ensures that resources are accounted for and available when needed. Time, budgetary, and team constraints are typical. Program management tools and software provide visibility into resource availability, which in turn aids resource allocation . Program managers must be adept at juggling constraints for a program to be successful.

One-click reporting

Programs are evolving projects with many interdependencies and stakeholders involved. Program management software enables easy reporting throughout the program life-cycle. Program managers can set reports to be distributed on a schedule or share them manually. Program management software shows real-time data to facilitate better decision-making.

Program management techniques

Program management techniques are borrowed from other management practices to help program managers develop ideas and communicate them to stakeholders and project managers. Some of these techniques are:

Do you need a program management tool?

Every business that runs related projects with different teams and project managers needs a program management tool to manage ongoing projects in harmony.

The program manager coordinates all projects with a program management tool that displays information about the projects with relevant details and visibility for each stakeholder or project manager. Program management tools align project goals with business strategies and long-term objectives.

Features to look for in program management tools

The best program management tools prioritize organization and collaboration to capitalize on the synergies between projects in a program.

Your program management tool should enable you to manage tasks, communicate easily with stakeholders and project managers, and track progress both on ongoing projects and the program in general.

Look for tools that include custom workflows, dynamic forms, and templates to make your work easier. Other features you need in program management tools include:

How to integrate program management software

Sometimes you may have projects and teams using different project management and work tools or applications. There may be overlapping uses of these tools, causing duplicate or loss of communication, misunderstandings, and avoidable mistakes. A situation like this calls for program integration .

It's essential to review and identify all overlaps and inefficiencies in your projects and team and develop an integration plan. Draft your integration strategy with the input of key stakeholders and project managers. This would entail:

Choose the program management software that best integrates with other work applications used by project teams. The program manager must define the level of integration and adopt a framework for aligning each project in a program. Integration at the program level can be very effective in enhancing the delivery of related projects.

The benefits of integrating program management software include:

How to manage programs with UDN Task Manager

UDN Task Manager 's program management software provides a robust platform that fits the needs of teams of varying sizes. It streamlines and automates program management with a single source of truth, easy reporting, and data visualization tools. To manage programs with UDN Task Manager :

UDN Task Manager 's platform is intuitive and collaborative, offering various timeline displays, including Gantt charts and time-tracking tools to maximize employee time and improve resource planning .

Why UDN Task Manager helps with program management

Program management requires high-level involvement in multiple ongoing projects. Managing one can be overwhelming without the right tools and techniques.

UDN Task Manager 's program management tools help teams create their best work and achieve strategic goals. Whether working remotely or in-office, you can get a birds-eye view of your program and projects at any time. Ready to take control of your programs and gain economies of scale? Get started with a two-week free trial of UDN Task Manager today.