Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: What’s the Difference? from Pluralsight

This course unravels the terminology used to describe projects, programs, and portfolios, allowing you to quickly understand the relationships that exist between of each of these artefacts.

In today's world, organizations are becoming increasingly focused on packing work into projects. As this becomes more common, there's a requirement to structure these projects into programs, and programs into portfolios. In this course, Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: What’s the Difference?, you'll learn, by way of real world examples, how to identify and classify a project, program, and portfolio. First, you'll learn how these entities all relate to each other. Next, you will discover the relationships and hierarchy that exist between them. Finally, you’ll discover some of the more common tools that are used to help manage them. When you’re finished this course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to classify, identify, and talk confidently about portfolios, programs, and projects.

Organization management is the skill of getting people together on a common platform or task and making them work towards a common predetermined goal.

In this course, you will learn about what projects are, what programs are, what a portfolio is, and you will learn about specific management tools to help you keep organized.

This course is for anyone who wants to improve their organization skills.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve goals and meet specific criteria.

What's inside

Syllabus

Course Overview

Portfolio, Program, Project: Let’s Drill into the Detail

Complementary Project Management Terms and Tools!

Summary

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Provides a strong foundation for learners looking to build a baseline understanding of portfolios, programs, and projects

Teaches fundamental concepts that are applicable in various organizational settings

Builds a strong foundation for project management

Covers project, program, and portfolio management tools that are industry standard

Provides a detailed overview of terms, concepts, and tools used in managing projects, programs, and portfolios

Taught by Ben Howard, an experienced instructor in project management

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: What’s the Difference? with these activities:

Review the definition and characteristics of projects, programs, and portfolios.

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This will help you recall and reinforce the key concepts from the course.

Browse courses on Project Definition

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Read through the course syllabus and identify the key terms.
Define each term in your own words.
Identify the key characteristics of each term.

Review the book "Project Management for Dummies" by Stanley E. Portny.

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This book provides a comprehensive overview of project management concepts and best practices.

View Project Management For Dummies on Amazon

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Read through the book and highlight the key concepts.
Take notes on the most important information.
Complete the practice exercises at the end of each chapter.

Create a mind map of the relationships between projects, programs, and portfolios.

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This activity will help you visualize and understand the hierarchical relationships between these concepts.

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Start with a central node for "Projects"
Add branches for "Programs" and "Portfolios"
Add sub-branches for different types of projects, programs, and portfolios
Use colors or symbols to differentiate between the different types

Five other activities

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Attend a project management workshop.

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This will provide you with an opportunity to learn from experts in the field and gain hands-on experience.

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Find a project management workshop in your area.
Register for the workshop and attend.
Participate in the workshop and learn from the experts.

Complete a series of practice questions on project, program, and portfolio management.

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This will help you test your understanding of the key concepts and apply them to real-world scenarios.

Browse courses on Project Management

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Find a set of practice questions online or in a textbook.
Read through the questions and identify the key concepts being tested.
Attempt to answer the questions using the information you have learned in the course.
Check your answers against the answer key.

Attend a project management networking event.

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This will provide you with an opportunity to connect with other professionals in the field and learn about their experiences.

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Find a project management networking event in your area.
Register for the event and attend.
Network with other attendees and learn about their experiences in project management.

Volunteer on a project that involves project management.

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This will give you practical experience in applying project management skills and knowledge.

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Find a volunteer opportunity that involves project management.
Contact the organization and inquire about volunteering.
Participate in the project and apply your project management skills.

Develop a project charter for a real-world project.

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This will give you hands-on experience in applying the concepts of project management to a real-world scenario.

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Identify a real-world project that you are interested in.
Develop a project charter that includes the project scope, objectives, timeline, budget, and resource requirements.
Get feedback on your project charter from a mentor or instructor.

Career center

Learners who complete Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: What’s the Difference? will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Portfolio Manager

Portfolio Managers oversee the development and management of investment portfolios. The ability to differentiate between projects, programs, and portfolios will be important in this role. Additionally, you will find the information on management tools in this course to be helpful for managing your portfolio.

See salaries and explore the career path for Portfolio Manager

Program Manager

Program Managers lead teams in the planning, implementation, and control of programs. This course will help you understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios better, which are all areas Program Managers need to be familiar with. The course's discussions about management tools will also be helpful to you in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Program Manager

Project Manager

Project Managers lead teams in completing projects, ensuring tasks are properly coordinated. This course will help you understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios better, which are all areas Project Managers need to be familiar with. Especially in the course's discussions about management tools, you will find information that you can use to help manage your projects.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Product Manager

Product Managers oversee the planning, development, and launch of new products. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to manage their products more effectively. Information from this course about management tools will also be helpful to you in this role, particularly as they pertain to managing teams.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Business Analyst

Business Analysts work with stakeholders to define and document business requirements. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Systems Analyst

Systems Analysts work with users to define and document system requirements. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Analyst

Network Administrator

Network Administrators design, develop, and maintain computer networks. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Network Administrator

Technical Writer

Technical Writers create documentation for software applications, hardware devices, and other technical products. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer

Software Developer

Software Developers design, develop, and test software applications. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Quality Assurance Analyst

Quality Assurance Analysts test software applications to ensure that they meet the requirements of their stakeholders. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Analyst

Data Scientist

Data Scientists use data to solve business problems. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Database Administrator

Database Administrators design, develop, and maintain databases. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator

IT Project Manager

IT Project Managers lead teams in the planning, implementation, and control of IT projects. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better manage their projects. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Project Manager

IT Consultant

IT Consultants provide advice and assistance to organizations on the use of information technology. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better serve their clients. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Consultant

Web Developer

Web Developers design, develop, and maintain websites. They need to be able to understand the relationship between projects, programs, and portfolios, as this knowledge will help them to better understand the needs of their stakeholders. This course will also help you to improve your organizational skills, which are essential in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer