| September 2007 |
| By Dick Wilkins |
A recent check on Dice.com showed nearly 11,000 listings of jobs for Program Managers, but what do these people do? This job title is one of those that has been over loaded and over used. It has about as many job descriptions as there are postings. I have held the job title of Program Manager for much of the past twelve years and during that time, I have played a number of different roles in the companies I have worked for.
The traditional view of a “program” is a group of inter-related projects moving toward a common goal. Therefore a program manager should provide overall management support for the projects to ensure they all move together toward meeting that goal. Many program managers do exactly this for all sorts of industries. The job contains all the elements of managing a project. Program managers of this type do not typically fit into the direct chain of command for any specific project, but have more of a matrix management role. It is critical for them to be strong communicators and to be able to influence others in order to get things done, even when they have no line of authority over them. A program manager of this type may be part of a program office that manages a portfolio of programs across the company or a subset of a company. Program managers typically manage programs and not people (although in larger organizations, there may be a hierarchy of program managers managing other program managers).
On the other hand, many software companies (Microsoft is a prime example) view a “program” as a piece of software or a system of software. A program manager is a technical leader that is responsible for pulling together software requirements into a new feature list and high level design. The program manager then shepherds that design through the process of software implementation, testing delivery and ongoing support. They provide technical leadership but probably not line management of a cross- functional team put together to deliver the software. There are many variations on this theme with roles that are more or less technical, more or less project management and more or less of a group of inter-related projects or a single project. The requirements for the person in this role tend to be more technical as it relates to the specific software or application technology and somewhat less of a traditional project manager (though project management skills are important). Communications skills are also critical in this role because the process of gathering requirements, designing and evangelizing new features and then driving them through the development process requires much cross-group and cross-functional communications.
While these are probably the two largest buckets of program management roles, many companies use this job title as a catch-all for general project managers, product managers (more of a marketing role) and folks doing ongoing operational roles like infrastructure deployment or network operations. When considering taking on a role of program manager, it is important to read the job description but also make sure you understand the expectations of the hiring manager and how the role fits into the structure of the company. Many job postings will have a prefix or postfix to the title that will provide a hint of what skills or experience they are looking for, but unless they are looking for something very specific, an experienced program manager with the ability to quickly come up to speed on new technologies should be able to handle the majority of these positions. The trick is convincing recruiters and hiring managers of that.
So what skills are needed to be a successful program manager? Communications is king. You must be able to communicate orally and in writing - across functions and teams, up and down the chain of command. Listening and gathering customer/user inputs, simplifying complex topics for non-technical audiences and preparing quick pointed summaries for executives and stakeholders. Preparing complex technical reports are also most likely to be part of the program manager’s job. The ability to influence people to get things done when you don’t have authority to tell them to do it is critical. Negotiation skills, dealing with conflict and hard to get along with people can be important. It is very important that you have skills in project management. Obtaining a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute can help you obtain those skills and will confirm you have the basics. If you are targeting the software development field, a new certification from the IEEE, Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP), can demonstrate you have the knowledge and skills in software engineering and related topics. While knowledge and experience in a specific technical field or application can sometimes get you in the door, what is really important is the ability to quickly absorb technologies and applications that are new to you and be able to apply those to your day to day activities.
Dick Wilkins is currently employed as a Senior Technical Program Manager at a major online retailer in the northwest.
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