Programs serve as a crucial link between strategy and the execution of business results and organizations implement them to achieve strategic goals. Although the practice of program management has evolved in lockstep with the project management profession, the root causes of program failure remain. In this step-by-step guide, Irene Didinsky offers a standardized approach to program management, closing the knowledge gaps and variations that currently exist across organizations and industries. For the first time, walks the reader through all the key components of effective program management. Using a case study example of an actual process improvement program, Didinsky discusses the qualities of excellence in program leadership, the importance of organizational strategy alignment throughout the program life cycle, how a program realizes benefits, and how to manage conflicting priorities of stakeholders. This comprehensive resource also includes an historical overview of the professionalization of the field, outlines the logistics of forming a program management community of practice, and concludes with a glossary of terms. With this desktop manual in their hands, practitioners can expect to thrive and guarantee the success of their programs.