This first and foremost include practical communication skills due to their broad responsibilities and high-level visibility given the vital nature of the programs they oversee. What is Effective Program Management?įor program managers to be successful, they need a host of skills they can tap into. Product managers concentrate on what to build and why they should build it, while program managers focus on how it will get built and when it will be delivered. Program managers can then synthesize the various projects under their purview and evaluate how the comprehensive program is progressing and provide a macro/strategic view to stakeholders compared to project managers’ micro/tactical scope.ĭespite their seeming similarities, program management and product management are quite different, yet complementary, roles. Regardless of the organizational structure, project managers will provide regular status updates to program management and are expected to heed their advice while honoring the priorities of the overall program. There may be dotted-line reporting to program managers in this scenario, or they may utilize less formal oversight and information exchange to coordinate activities. In other cases, project managers are embedded within different functional areas of the company or lines of business. In some cases, project managers work for program managers and are assigned to different initiatives based on their areas of expertise and experience. Individual project managers can work with program management in several ways. This process brings a similar level of quality to every project in the organization instead of leaving it up to individual project managers to pick and choose for themselves, resulting in widespread inconsistencies in quality and effectiveness. This office not only assigns program managers to provide oversight, but it is also housing templates, best practices, and standard operating procedures. Many organizations establish a formal Program Management Office (PMO) that serves as the centralized home for managing strategic projects. How Does Program Management Fit Into an Organization? Any transformational activity-be it business, agile or digital-is nearly impossible to execute without a program management-oriented approach given size and scope.
Program management adds significant value whenever an organization undertakes large strategic initiatives requiring cross-functional cooperation with external dependencies. It ensures funds are allocated appropriately across the entire array of active and planned projects instead of each project vying for funding. Program management is also sometimes where overall budget management occurs. With a single point of oversight, project statuses can be easily rolled up for a global view this allows for baseline quality requirements to be evenly and equally enforced. Project managers are primarily concerned with their deliverables, while program managers always apply the big picture lens and context to every situation.Īnother benefit is a consistent level of governance and application of standards across multiple projects. Smaller companies may view it as a luxury, but for larger organizations, program management often provides essential value by coordinating individual projects while applying a strategic lens. Program managers take a holistic view of these projects and evaluate the larger context of the combined organizational impact with the interdependencies by leveraging system thinking. Program managers must maintain a strategic plan and schedule for their programs, inform and advise stakeholders, review the status and progress of each project, mentor project managers, and safeguard the quality of each project plan and its deliverables. Programs consist of multiple individual projects, which are typically managed discretely by project managers. Program management is a strategic oversight function responsible for the consistent delivery of large-scale initiatives. What are the Key Functions of Program Management? This programmatic grouping of multiple projects provides synergy, consistent management, and greater visibility to stakeholders than individually managed projects. Program Management is an organizational function that oversees a group of individual projects linked together through a shared organizational goal or common area of impact.
0 kommentar(er)
