In recent days, I came across a post by a professional discussing the thin – and often non-existent – line that separates a Project Manager from a Program Manager. The way she described the reality touched precisely on the point I had been reflecting on, and I admit: it gave me the courage I needed to finally share my own perspective. When I was younger, all of this seemed completely straightforward to me: I arrived, worked, aimed to be productive, and wanted to grow. I never questioned structures, job titles or organisational charts. I simply fulfilled my role and moved on. But with time, experience and responsibility sharpened my perception — I began to notice details that once passed me by. And that was when I realised that, for several years in my previous company, I had lived exactly what the article describes with almost surgical precision. On paper, everyone knows the differences between roles. In practice… those differences evaporate. And they evaporate quickly.
Over time, I discovered a true parallel universe of job titles that, had I not seen them with my own eyes, I would never have imagined existed. I say this with respect. I always maintained that respect while trying to navigate a structure that, far from being a simple organisation, resembled a full symphonic orchestra. But not one of those orchestras that plays in perfect harmony. Unfortunately, in the corporate world — where everything is urgent, fast and driven by results — that orchestra easily loses synchronisation. And day after day, each section plays as best it can, trying to keep up with the frantic pace, often without time to align the melody. We had:
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Chiefs of everything: People, Strategy, Legal, Corporate Affairs, Experience, Culture…
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Heads for every possible angle: from Procurement Excellence to Transfer Pricing, from Sourcing Innovation to SaaS Commercial Operations, from IT Infrastructure to People Experience.
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Partners, Leaders, Specialists, Owners, Architects, Coordinators, Directors, Program Managers, Transformation Managers, Value Flow Architects, Process Analysts.
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And of course, the endless VP family, which seemed to multiply by parthenogenesis.
It was a true corporate philharmonic with violins, trombones, harps, double basses, triangles, a conductor, the conductor’s assistant, the coordinator of the conductor’s assistant… and then two violinists actually playing. In some projects I took part in, there were more coordinators, leaders and “owners” than people actually dedicated to the operational work. An impressive structure, no doubt — just like an orchestra — but one that did not always translate into clarity, agility or effectiveness. I want to believe that all these roles have a reason to exist. They probably do. It is simply that, in my own ignorance, I confess that at times I struggled to understand the real need for such fragmentation of functions — and even less where one set of responsibilities ended and another began. But the central question remains:
If, within the structure itself, no one truly knows where one person’s responsibilities end and another’s begin, how can we demand focus, efficiency and clear results from teams?
How can a Project Manager or a Program Manager deliver “excellence” if they spend half their time trying to work out who actually decides, who executes, and who merely observes?
For reflection:
➡️ A title does not define responsibility.
➡️ A complex organisational chart does not guarantee alignment.
➡️ And in practice, impact depends far more on clarity than on grand job titles.
I share this reflection not as a bitter criticism, but as a mature invitation: Simplifying is not diminishing. Clarifying is not offensive. And aligning expectations is the greatest act of respect towards teams, leaders and outcomes. Perhaps, one day, this vast organisational orchestra will play in perfect harmony. And perhaps — who knows — those who carry the operational work on their backs may finally come to understand how each instrument in this corporate symphony is truly meant to play.