When you hear “craft your program strategy,” you might picture a looming to-do list, pie charts, and a dash of mild panic. But fear not! With a bit of planning, a few laughs, and some real-world examples, you can transform a potential headache into a well-coordinated identity security program that aligns with your organization’s long-term goals.
In this blog post, we’ll spotlight the major ideas from our Craft your program strategy article and dive deeper into the difference between a program and a project—and why that difference matters for your success.
Key objectives / takeaways
- Understand why a program mindset sets the stage for long-term identity security success.
- Discover how to differentiate a short-term project from an ongoing program (and how both fit in).
- Learn practical tips on weaving strategic goals into day-to-day initiatives, ensuring that every step you take advances your program’s big-picture objectives.
The heart of a program strategy
First, let’s define our star attraction: a program is not just a single deliverable or a small set of tasks. Instead, it’s the overarching umbrella that houses multiple efforts—sometimes called projects—that collectively ensure your identity security initiatives stay aligned with your organization’s evolving needs. If you imagine your identity security approach as a living thing, the program is the framework that nurtures growth, fosters continuous improvement, and adapts as conditions change.
The Craft your program strategy article emphasizes that strategic planning isn’t just about immediate goals—like automating provisioning for a handful of applications—but about sustaining these achievements long after that initial “project” is done. Think of it as planning for a marathon instead of a sprint: you need consistent training, the right pace, water stops, and a team to cheer you on, not just a one-time dash to the finish line.
Program vs. project: what’s the difference?
It’s easy to lump everything into “one big project,” but here’s the trick: projects and programs complement each other but serve different purposes.
- Project: A temporary, focused endeavor—like integrating a new application into your identity security solution. It has a clear start and end date, specific deliverables, and a direct set of tasks.
- Program: Your continuous, guiding vision. A program fosters ongoing alignment with your organization’s strategic goals (security, compliance, employee experience), ensures new regulations or acquisitions are seamlessly included, and nurtures a bigger-picture culture of identity governance.
In other words, you might have three or four “projects” happening at once—provisioning for Cloud App A, refining access certifications for Business Unit B, or rolling out role modeling for your new HR system—but the program ensures these efforts don’t collide, contradict each other, or fizzle out once the hype ends.
Why does this matter?
Organizations that frame everything as “just a project” often hit a snag when priorities shift. If you finish Project X (say, onboarding a new application) and walk away, you risk ignoring the continuous evolution required to keep your identity data clean, your entitlements correct, and your processes up-to-date with regulatory demands. A program approach ensures each short-term success remains integrated into a longer, more strategic roadmap.
Building your identity security program
1. Start with a clear vision
Begin by aligning leadership around your big “why.” Are you reducing audit fines, improving user experience, or bolstering compliance for newly acquired business units? This clarity helps you define the program’s scope: do you need a larger staff? More cross-department committees? Or specialized help from trusted implementation partners? Your strong vision also rallies stakeholders so that each project supports the broader program.
2. Define short-term projects that ladder up
With your overarching goals set, break them into short-term sprints (i.e., projects) that are relevant and doable. Maybe your HR team needs to quickly automate new-hire onboarding, or your compliance group requires immediate policy modeling. Keep these efforts in harmony, guided by the program’s priorities. For instance, if your strategic direction calls for greater risk mitigation, place “automating high-risk system provisioning” at the top of the project list.
3. Treat it like a living cycle
Identity security doesn’t just “end.” New apps launch, regulations evolve, employees move around, and so on. By thinking programmatically, you plan for continuous improvement through roadmaps, checkpoints, and metrics. If you want more guidance on adjusting to these changes, check out Developing an identity security program roadmap for step-by-step help in prioritizing milestones and measuring progress along the way.
Where fun meets function
All of this can feel a bit serious, but building a truly successful identity security program can be rewarding—and dare we say, fun—when you view each project as a puzzle piece in a bigger, vibrant picture. Bringing teams together to celebrate small wins (like automating a repetitive provisioning task) or brainstorming solutions to new challenges fosters collaboration and a sense of community. And nothing says team bonding like high-fiving (or custom slack emojis - this is my personal favorite 
Need more ideas?
Don’t forget to peek at resources such as the SailPoint change management and end-user adoption kit, which offers great templates for communicating with and training your teams. Keeping people engaged, informed, and aware that this is a journey is what shifts mindsets from “check-the-box” to “we’re committed to long-term success.”
In a nutshell
When you’re crafting your program strategy, think big. Understand that program vs. project is about adopting a constant readiness to adapt, learn, and improve—not just finishing a single task and moving on. By focusing on the bigger picture, you’ll elevate short-term wins into lasting results that keep your organization more secure, efficient, and cohesive over time.
So, lace up your sneakers for the marathon—no quick dash here. With the right approach, lots of communication, and a dash of enthusiasm, your identity security program can flourish, turning once-daunting tasks into stepping stones on a well-lit path toward a more secure future.
Ready to learn more? Dive deeper with the full Craft your program strategy article for additional guidance on aligning your program goals, scoping out realistic timelines, and ensuring your identity security efforts deliver maximum value.
Ryan Cutter
Global Customer Success Analyst
