PgMP Program Management Professional All-in-One Exam Guide in Software

Making Code-39 in Software PgMP Program Management Professional All-in-One Exam Guide

Now that the program has completed its first phase gate review and received approval in principle, the real work begins The program manager sets about defining how the program will reach the objectives defined in the pre-program set up phase The guts of the program set up phase are to create a program management plan to answer the following questions: What are the program deliverables When will the deliverables be ready for use What is the program s cost What risks and issues have been identified What program dependencies have been identified What assumptions have been identified and tested What constraints may affect the program What is the plan for the execution of the program How will the program be managed These questions are answered by the program manager and the program management team as they complete time and cost estimates, feasibility studies, risk identification, and procurement decisions The program manager also dissects the program to define what projects will be chartered in order to reach the program objectives Each project that is identified to be chartered requires a business case that addresses the technical, cost investment, and regulatory concerns for the project As you can tell, there s lots of planning to be done in this phase of the program The results of the planning create several documents and decisions: Program scope definition Activity definition Activity sequencing Duration estimates Procurement decisions Staffing allocation (internal and external acquisition) Cost estimating and program budgeting Risk management for the program and its projects Approval of the program management plan Identification of the program management team In conjunction with these activities, the program manager must continue to foster support for the program through communication with key stakeholders The stakeholder management plan and the communications management plan will guide the

program manager Updates to these plans happen as new stakeholders may be identified, conditions within the program change, or influences outside of the program, such as regulatory concerns, affect the program PART I

This phase of the generic program management life cycle is all about establishing and then enforcing the rules and procedures for the program The rules of the program are enforced upon the program management team, upon the project managers, and upon the project teams The rules and procedures ensure that the program manager and by default her project managers are uniform in their approach to the program work The program manager may rely on organization-wide tools such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, program and project tracking software, time and expense reporting software, and other tools that can track the moving characteristics of the program In addition to these tools, the program manager abides by the organization s enterprise environmental factors, which define the approach and internal processes of the program, projects, and even operations NOTE You won t find the term enterprise environmental factors in PMI s The Standard for Program Management book I find this especially interesting, as in the third edition of the PMBOK Guide it s mentioned on practically every page Go figure If you re not familiar with the term, it simply means the processes of an organization to get things done A great example of an enterprise environmental factor is an organization s procurement process How your company buys stuff may be totally different than how my company buys stuff The technical infrastructure phase of program management also includes the people that organize, contribute to, and lead the program The organizational structure of your program will include Program board You ve met these people already They re interested in how your program will help your organization meet its strategic visions A program board can also be supplemented by the program management office Program manager Of course, the program manager is part of the program structure Surprise, surprise, surprise Executive sponsor Works with, and sometimes as a part of, the program board to help make program decisions Program director This person owns the program In most instances, the executive sponsor and the program director are the same person Program team Creates program-level benefits and helps the program manager lead the program Program office Supports the program manager and may influence program governance issues