Difference between a project and a program?

A project is a unique process that consists of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with a prescribed start and finish date that is undertaken in which human, material and financial resources are organised to achieve an objective/unique scope of work of given specification, often within constraints of cost, time and resources, in order to acheive beneficial change) that are accrued at the end of the project) defined by quantitative and qualitative objectives.

A programme is a set of related projects (which can also include business-as-usual activities/support type projects) that together achieve a beneficial change of a strategic nature for an organisation. Strategic means the programme has an end state but no well defined path to get there at the start, and that coordinated output deliveries may be required (benefits realised during and after the end of the programme) as well as enabling projects (not directly delivering benefits) in order to get to the end. Programmes generally have longer timeframes than projects. Programmes are usually used to manage business uncertainties, where complex coordination is required, where there is a high probability of change, where there are interfaces between projects, activities are common to more than one project, there is a potential to develop a series of outcome, there is an opportunity to align several continuous improvements or when managing culture changes (changing attitudes, winning hearts and minds).