8/6/2019 Five Steps Become Project Manager

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FiveStepstoBecomingaProgrammeManagerAugust 2010

Haveyoubeenthere,donethatandgottheT shirtinprojectmanagement?Timetomoveon

toprogrammemanagement?Thenhereareafewthingstoconsider:

1. Qualifications: You cant get away from them. They are a good way of learning anddemonstrating to your employer that you have the fundamental knowledge and skills. Theyalso show commitment to your self-development and to your career. The OGCs Managing

Successful Programmes (MSP) and the PMIs Programme Management Professional (PgMP)

are two recognised qualifications worth considering.

2. Experience: Several years of experience in dealing, not only with all the accepted nuts andbolts of project management, but also with tricky political situations and tricky people whilestill delivering a successful project would help to show your mettle.

3. Understanding the Role: Broad shoulders are useful as a programme manager for you areaccountable for the success, and failure of course, of the programme. Responsibilities will

include planning programme-level activities and schedule of projects, defining terms of

reference as well as setting policies and procedures and standards.

4. Multi-tasking and multiple techniques: The programme manager has a wide range ofresponsibilities and needs to be able to oversee multiple projects to ensure that they stay on

schedule and bring benefits in keeping with the companys strategic goals and objectives. Atthe same time you must factor in problems you might have as well as ways to solve them. A

good knowledge of techniques needed for planning, monitoring and controlling programmes,

of business change tools, of benefits identification and management techniques and ofbudgeting and resource allocation are all essential in getting the right end result. Success

comes too from knowing how to delegate and that comes from knowing your team.

5. Excellent people skills: A trite but true requirement, for as the programme manager youwill be working with highly qualified and confident people. You can expect to have to influenceand deal with stakeholders whilst leading and managing multiple teams and individuals acrossseveral business units. You will also have to understand and meet their differing perspectives

and needs whilst keeping in sight strategic goals and objectives. Good leadership andmanagement skills, the ability to forge good interpersonal relationships and maintain good

communication links as well as a talent for team building are some of the traits of goodprogramme managers. There are other useful qualities of course and some might say it helps

to be able to accept criticism, have a glass-half-full mentality or just have a thick skin.

UsefulLinks:Jobs

Exec-appointments.com part of Financial Times Recruitment SolutionsTraining Bodies and Associations

Office of Government Commerce (OGC) APMG-UK Accredited [training and consulting] Organisations that deliver OGC qualifications Association of Project Management (APM) Project Management Institute

http://www.ogc.gov.uk/guidance_managing_successful_programmes_4442.asphttp://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/AboutCredentialsPgMP.aspxhttp://www.exec-appointments.com/Default.aspxhttp://www.exec-appointments.com/Default.aspxhttp://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asphttp://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asphttp://www.apmg-international.com/APMG-UK/AccreditedOrganisationSearch/UK_AO_Search.asp?txtCompanyName=&ddlProductCategories=&ddlCountries=496|United+Kingdom&lstLanguagesOffered=&btnSearch=Searchhttp://www.apmg-international.com/APMG-UK/AccreditedOrganisationSearch/UK_AO_Search.asp?txtCompanyName=&ddlProductCategories=&ddlCountries=496|United+Kingdom&lstLanguagesOffered=&btnSearch=Searchhttp://www.apm.org.uk/http://www.apm.org.uk/http://www.pmi.org/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.pmi.org/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.apm.org.uk/http://www.apmg-international.com/APMG-UK/AccreditedOrganisationSearch/UK_AO_Search.asp?txtCompanyName=&ddlProductCategories=&ddlCountries=496|United+Kingdom&lstLanguagesOffered=&btnSearch=Searchhttp://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asphttp://www.exec-appointments.com/Default.aspxhttp://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/AboutCredentialsPgMP.aspxhttp://www.ogc.gov.uk/guidance_managing_successful_programmes_4442.asp