How do you know when to use Programs versus Sub Projects? See below for a comparison of the features.

My recommendation: Don't be afraid to consider Programs. Even if your organization does not use the term, you may find the "rolling up" feature valuable.

| | Program | Sub Project | |
| ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The Focus is On... | The benefit | The deliverable |
| Contains | Demands & Projects | Only Projects |
| Status Reporting | One report for all investments in the entire Program | Each project has their own status report |
| RIDAC | RIDAC info rolls up into the one Program | RIDAC info is individual and does not roll up |
| Rate Models | Independent rate models | One shared rate model (the parent) |
| Planned Start Dates | Independent of one another | Connected Planned Start Dates to the parent project |
| Task Dependencies | Can be accomplished through external dependencies | Can be accomplished through normal dependencies via Planning Console. Can see all Sub Projects in Planning Console of parent project. |
| Investment Portal | Program level rollups, but can also see individual investments | Can only see each individual project, no "master project" rollup |
| Portfolio/Program Workbench | Shows Programs in Timeline view | Can only see each individual project, no parent project rollup for timeline or Project KPIs |
| PMO Dashboard | Can see Program contents in rollups | Can only see each individual project, no parent project rollup |
| Analytics Tab | n/a | Data available |

Let me know if this helps, Rae Ann

Labels:

• Multiple Versions
• Project Portfolio Management