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Program Management Certification: A Major Career MoveBy Thomas C. Belanger, PMPBe prepared. The familiar scout motto applies to what could be the most important career move you will ever make—obtaining PgMP℠ Certification. Now that PMI® has published the Program Management Standard (2006) and an Examination Specification (2007), standardization of programs and program management terminology is on the horizon. In the not too distant future, you will be able to converse with people from almost any industry in any country and speak the newly standardized program management language. Beginning in October 2007, PMI® began formal testing for the PgMP℠ credential. Program managers with a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, who have at least four years of project management experience, and at least four years of program management experience began taking the new certification exam last spring. As part of earning the new certification, you must sit for a 170-question, multiple choice exam. Twenty of the questions are experimental and do not affect your score. To prepare for the exam, you must be well acquainted with both: The Standard for Program Management, published in 2006, and the Program Management Professional (PgMP℠), published in 2007. This is where we come in. There are likely to be tens of thousands of qualified professionals who will pursue and gain their PgMP℠ certification in the coming years. If the impact of these newly certified Program Managers is anything like what occurred when project management practitioners were certified, we can probably expect to see a strengthened link between programs, initiatives and organizational strategy in both the public and private sector. No competitive organization wants to miss this train! The Program Management Standard (Part I of the Course) The Standard provides guidance on documents, terminology, and responsibilities that will be new to most project managers. For most public and private organizations, programs represent huge investments. The dollars can range from the tens of million$ to hundreds of billion$! In most organizations, programs originate in the strategic planning process. This is not to say that all strategic objectives that become programs are the brainchild of senior management. Ideas for programs and projects can come from anywhere, including customers. All programs and projects are part of an organization’s portfolio. Just like a personal investment portfolio, every organization in the public or private sector has only so many resources and dollars to invest. Because of the scarcity of both, investment opportunities such as programs and projects should receive a level of scrutiny that is appropriate. A 2 billion dollar, 5-year program that is expected to create 20 billion in revenue over 10 years, would and should receive substantially more scrutiny than a $100k project that reduces costs by $200k over ten years. So, what is a program? A program is a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually. (Standard for Program Management, p. 4.) The Program Management Standard describes the program life cycle and organization and the Program Management Processes. It helps to clarify the functions of the Program Board or steering committee, the Program Director, Program Sponsor(s) Program Manager and others, over the life of the program. These stakeholders have roles in program governance as part of the program life cycle. The program life cycle described in the Standard is probably unlike any you have ever seen. It is made up of five Phases:
The Program Life Cycle allows that the duration of the “Delivering the Incremental Benefits” phase can be unlimited. Can you ever imagine the Medicare Program ending? The Program Management Professional (PgMP℠) Examination Specification—Part II of the Course The Examination Specification, created independently from the Standard, spells out all of the tasks and skills necessary to be a successful program manager, as well as the types of knowledge required to do the job. The Examination Specification was the culmination of a global role delineation study.
The Exam Specification is made up of descriptions of the six Performance Domains that describe the tasks, skills, and knowledge necessary in:
These domains align fairly closely with the Program Process Groups in the Program Management Standard—but the relationship is not 1 to 1. For example, the Benefit Realization Plan is prepared in the “Defining the Program” Domain, but is also described as the major output of the Program Initiation Process Group, described in the Standard. A program manager’s job is a lot more challenging than that of a project manager. Accordingly, The Examination Specification places much emphasis on collaboration, negotiating, influencing, problem solving, mediating, and decision making. These skills are necessary for program managers who often must deal with vendors, internal politics, the public, and, depending on the nature of the program, often multiple state and federal regulatory agencies, as well as many others. BU’s “Managing Programs” courses, like our other courses, provide much skill practice in planning a program, and dealing with “real” program problems. To help with this role, you will identify your problem solving style in Part II of the workshop. In addition, you will have lots of opportunities to interact and network with other program managers. Increase Your Profitability Across Your Organization You can now train your group all at once with customized on-site training. Our expert instructors will provide a solution customized just for you and your organization. Contact us to learn more, or call today and to speak with a corporate account representative at 1-800-BU-TRAIN (288-7246).Learn more about Boston University expert instructors!
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