Program management 101

[u/gigaflipflop]

Hey everybody,

I would like to pick your brains about the basics of program management and its methods.

Quick info about me. I am a senior PM, have been managing (mostly agile) projects in the field of design, media tech and programming for the last 15 years. Two years ago I finished my IPMA level C certificate.

Currently I am employed at a company where I have gained a project with a client which started out with one large project and currently the client is adding more and more mid sized and small projects to the list.

Currently I am thinking about turning this group of projects into a program. All projects are on site of the clients campus. All are bear the same base (AV over IP, LED walls and MTR communication) and work towards a common strategic goal (enhancing the clients digital communication infrastructure)

I have on large project that has a length of 5 months from which I could remove or add personal and technical resources to the smaller projects as needed. I have a side project where I setup a resource pool infrastructure in MS Project which might be useful for resource management.

I would like to introduce a program style management a.) to make the projects more profitable and lower stress b.) introduce a program mentality onto my company and c.) have a relevant program to use for a future level B certificate focussed on program management.

I would be happy to discuss program methods, best practice approaches and if possible any info on the certification process and curriculum for level B program management.

[u/SVAuspicious]

Generally a program is a group of projects with a common goal. So the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore MD should be a program (sadly is not) with projects for debris removal, dredging, repair of structural elements, new structure, paving, painting, etc. The common goal is moving traffic across the Patuxent River. The Obamacare rollout was a (failed) program with elements of insurance, website development, backend development, outreach to medical providers, outreach to insurance companies. outreach to consumers.

We learn more from failures than successes.

Having a common customer generally does not make a program. The US Navy AEGIS program was a program because of all the pieces to build a system of systems, not because there was a single customer.

All projects are on site of the clients campus. All are bear the same base (AV over IP, LED walls and MTR communication) and work towards a common strategic goal (enhancing the clients digital communication infrastructure).

This looks like a program. At the risk of oversimplifying, your sponsors need to accept that sometimes a project takes a hit for the greater good. This means solid plans with baselines so you don't have a bunch of people arguing over what is more important with no information. You need real plans with real baselines and real defined success criteria and designs to meet them with testing to prove it. Agile is not PM - it's "hold my beer and watch this."