From Projects to Programs: Program Management for Strategy Execution

Santiago Bayona
Jul 16
3 min read

Team collaborating on program management for strategy execution

Every year, executives set bold strategic priorities, new markets, digital capabilities, cost transformations, customer-centric experiences. And every year, delivery teams are asked to do more, faster, with the same people and disconnected tools.

The problem isn’t a lack of projects. It’s the absence of coordination.

Program management for strategy execution has become a critical capability for organizations looking to connect high-level goals with on-the-ground delivery. Instead of managing isolated projects, leading enterprises are shifting toward program structures that align resources, track outcomes, and drive real business value.

At Initiativa, we work with organizations that want to close this gap. We partner with them to build program-centric models of execution using Planview’s Strategic Portfolio Management and PPM solutions.

Here’s how leading organizations are changing how work gets delivered.

Using Program Management for Strategy Execution

Individual projects can deliver features, assets, or systems. But outcomes, like entering a new market or digitizing a customer journey, require coordination across multiple teams, platforms, and work methods.

Programs provide that structure. They group initiatives by shared purpose and give organizations the ability to steer at the right altitude.

NatWest reduced over 400 initiatives to fewer than 50 by visualizing investment tradeoffs, shifting to Lean business cases, and enabling program-based prioritization across the business. Strategic delivery became focused and measurable.

This shift is not just structural. It’s cultural. Programs turn delivery into a cross-functional, business-led exercise, not just a PMO function.

Visibility that Enables Real-Time Decisions

Leaders often struggle to understand how initiatives are progressing, which dependencies are at risk, or where delays will impact overall outcomes. Reports are late. Data is siloed. Capacity is overbooked.

Planview enables program managers and executives to gain real-time visibility across all layers of delivery.Dashboards provide a single view of progress, financials, capacity, and risk. Scenario planning capabilities make it possible to simulate tradeoffs and adjust investments mid-cycle.

UPS used this approach to align decision-making across global portfolios. With dynamic funding and scenario models, they moved faster while staying accountable.

Managing Capacity, Not Just Projects

Too many organizations plan initiatives based on budget alone. Capacity planning is reactive, and the most strategic work competes with legacy commitments.

Program management shifts this dynamic. It enables leaders to understand who is doing what, where constraints exist, and how to rebalance in real time. Huntington Bank used this to increase delivery predictability by 26 percent and grew revenue by focusing teams on the work that mattered most.

This level of insight allows organizations to stop overcommitting and start delivering.

Governing for Agility and Accountability

Programs allow for “just enough” governance.By organizing work into purpose-driven structures and tracking outcomes, governance becomes simpler and more responsive.

Canadian Tire used this model to manage capital investments and balance performance with flexibility.Their enterprise PMO gained the ability to measure financial risk and return across portfolios, helping them explain not just what they were doing, but why.

What We’re Seeing at Initiativa

Whether it’s a bank, utility, or public sector agency, the patterns are similar. Strategic plans exist, but delivery is fragmented. There’s no clear line of sight from funding to outcome.

Teams are over capacity, and executives don’t have timely data to make tradeoffs.

We help our clients implement program management practices that give them clarity and control.Together, we define the right structures, connect initiatives to outcomes, and bring transparency to delivery through Planview’s platform.