Roles and responsibilities of program manager

Video 1: Introduction to the definition of Program Manager

Roles and responsibilities of program manager are very complex. For that reason, it is difficult to define them. They can vary from managing multiple projects to managing multiple projects with operational responsibilities, additionally to being accountable for profit or cost targets based on business strategy. Moreover, a program manager has the main supervision of the scope and status of several related projects at once which all together contain the program in order to ensure that the program goals are achieved. This accumulation of responsibilities of a diversity of projects and operations means that the program manager should be able to balance business targets and project/operational performance. His decisions are both tactical and strategic in nature. The program manager must establish an environment that allows the project managers to complete their projects successfully. In more detail, the main leadership duty is to bring more clarity to the team. Occasionally, the project management office (PMO) may not have sufficient insight of the risk, issues, requirements, design or solution and the clarity that is given from them. In that case, the program manager may be well placed to accept calculated risk and then define clarity in his own terms or to provide this insight by actively seeking out such data from the project managers although in large and/or complex projects, a specific role may be required. However, this insight arises, the program manager needs this in order to be confident that the overall program goals are achievable.

Big Idea

Origin of Program Manager

A program manager is first and foremost a leader, who delivers a business strategy that requires multiple coordinated projects. Furthermore, he\she can be considered as a “super” project manager. His\her roles focus mainly on operational, because he\she is responsible for planning and supervising the successful completion of the program. Last but not least, the program manager should have previously multiannual experience of beeing project manager for large and complex projects.

Roles and responsibilities

Some of these functions are the coaching and developing the employees either the existing or new ones, decision-making, resolution of performance problems, evaluation of performances,

1. Planning/scheduling (Daily program management throughout the program life cycle;) – Project management tools allow you to plan and delegate work all in one place with tasks, sub-tasks, folders, templates, workflows, and calendars
2. Planning: a road-map for the program - Planning the overall program and monitoring the progress;
3. Collaboration - Use project management tools to assign tasks, add comments, organize dashboards, and for proofing & approvals.
4. Coordinating the projects and their interdependencies;
5. Managing stakeholders’ communication;
6. Documentation – Avoid missing files with file management features: editing, versioning, & storage of all files.
7. Evaluation – Track and assess productivity and growth through resource management & reporting
8. Governance: the health and progress of the program
9. Alignment: vision, goals and objects of the program
10. Assurance: verify and validate the program
11. Management: review and report on the project
12. Integration: optimizing performance across the program
13. Finances: tracking costs of the program - Managing the program’s budget;
14. Infrastructure: allocating resources of the program
15. Improvement: assessing performance of the program
16. Defining the program governance (controls);
17. Managing risks and issues and taking corrective measurements;
18. Managing and utilizing resources across projects;
19. Aligning the deliverables (outputs) to the program’s “outcome” with the aid of the business change manager; and
20. Managing the main program documentations such as the program initiation document.

1. Accountable to executive sponsors for schedule, budget, and quality of all program elements.
2. Leads high-level sessions for program plan and schedule development.
3. Reviews/approves project plans for conformance to program strategy and program plan and schedule.
4. Acts as the communications conduit to executive sponsors and program steering committee and conducts periodic briefings/status updates.
5. Escalates decisions to executive sponsors as necessary.

Application

Skills\Behaviors

In order a program manager to accomplish all his\her roles and responsibilities should have some skills\behaviors. A lot of surveys have be carried out about the behaviors of a successful Program Manager and they resulted that although knowledge about business is significant, there is more importance on his\her program management skills and the most crucial of them are the following four policies:

1. First of all a Program manager has to see the organization strategically, that means:

• Strategic thinking to plan and anticipate future implications, thinking broadly and understanding the long term impacts of decisions. Moreover, is *:*The organizational awareness – identifying interpersonal and group dynamics; being in tune with and adapting to the organizational culture
• Leading change – instigating innovation and constructive change; helping others work through change

2. Another significant behavior is to understanding how to navigate the organization toward the future:

• Judgment – analyzing situations effectively and making sound decisions confidently
• Goal driven – setting and achieving short and long term objectives
• Driving results from two perspectives – delivering results personally by meeting commitments and achieving goals - achieving business objectives through others by holding people accountable

3. Working well with others:

• Communicative – expressing ideas clearly and listening attentively to others

1. Collaboration

• Building trust – inspiring trust and credibility with others, maintaining confidences and keeping commitments
• Integrity – being forthright, honest and demonstrating ethical standards

4. Critical Thinking

5. Finance

6. Project Management

Tools

1. Dashboard
2. Gantt Chart
3. Task Management
4. Reporting
5. Timesheets
6. Planning

1. SWOT analysis diagram
2. Stakeholder matrix
3. Cause and effect diagram
4. Risk map
5. Decision tree
6. Radar chart

Categories	Tools	Analysis	Illustration
SWOT analysis diagram
Resource Investigator (RI)	Resource Investigators are usually enthusiastic extroverts. They are natural communicators with people, inside and outside the company. This means that the Resource Investigator is the networker of the group. They are natural negotiators and are adept at exploring new opportunities and developing contacts. Although not a great source of original ideas, the Resource Investigator is effective when it comes to picking up other people's ideas and promoting them. As the name suggests, they are adept to find what is available and from whom. They usually receive a warm reception from others because of their warm outgoing nature. Resource Investigators are generally relaxed people with a strong inquisitive sense and a readiness to see the possibilities in anything new. The Resource Investigator may appear to be flighty and inconstant, but their ability to call on their connections is useful to the team.	The team member can be over optimistic and can lose interest once initial enthusiasm has passed.	Resource Investigators are good at exploring and reporting back on ideas, developments or resources outside their immediate group. They are the natural people to set up external contacts and to carry out any subsequent negotiations. They have an ability to be fast thinkers and to probe others for information.
Co-ordinator (CO)	The distinguishing feature of Co-ordinators is their propensity for helping others to work towards a shared goal. They are mature, trusting and confident, they delegate readily. In interpersonal relations they are quick to spot individual talents and to use them in pursuit of group objectives. While Co-ordinators are not necessarily the cleverest, they are likely to have a broad outlook and perspective. The natural goal focus of Co-operator’s can sometimes lead to them manipulating others to achieve their personal objectives. In some situations Co-ordinators are inclined to clash with Shapers due to their contrasting management styles. The Co-ordinator seeks fairness and equity among team members. Those who want to make decisions quickly, may feel frustrated by their insistence on consulting with all members, but this can often improve the quality of decisions made by the team.	This team member can be seen as manipulative person and as a person who offloads personal work.	Co-operators are well placed when they are put in charge of a team of people with diverse skills and personal characteristics. They perform better in dealing with colleagues of near or equal rank than in directing junior subordinates. Their motto might well be "consultation with control" and they usually believe in tackling problems calmly.
Sharper (SH)	Shapers is a dynamic team member. Shapers are highly goal and oriented people with great drive and energy. They push themselves and others and tend to overcome obstacles by sheer determination. They tend to be highly assertive and have very directive management styles. Shapers loves a challenge and thrives on pressure. They frequently progress upward in organizations because they get results and because many people are impressed by their courageous and decisive leadership style. they drive and courage team members to overcome obstacles.	This person can be prone to provocation and offend people’s feelings. Shapers are not noted for their interpersonal sensitivities and can be argumentative and even aggressive.	Shapers are generally perceived as ideal managers because they generate action and thrive under pressure. They come into their own when quick and decisive action is called for to overcome threats and difficulties or when progress towards goals and objectives is unacceptably slow.
Monitor Evaluator (ME)	Monitor Evaluators is a strategic and discerning member, who tries to see all options and judge accurately. They are serious-minded, prudent individuals with a built-in immunity for being over-enthusiastic. They are likely to be slow in making decisions preferring to carefully think things over. Usually they have a high critical thinking ability. They have a good capacity for shrewd judgements that take all factors into account. A good Monitor Evaluator is unlikely to make intuitive and reckless mistakes. They deal in facts and logic rather than emotion when considering options.	They are often regarded as over-critical and can be seen to be slow and boring. They can lack drive and ability to inspire others.	Monitor Evaluators are best suited to analyze problems and evaluate ideas and suggestions. They are very good at weighing up the pro's and con's of options. In a managerial position their ability to make high quality decisions.
Team Worker (TW)	Team Workers possess a mild and sociable disposition and are generally supportive and concerned about others. They seek to endure that interpersonal relationships in the team are maintained. They have a great capacity for flexibility and adapting to different situations and people. Team Workers are perceptive, diplomatic and carrying and tend to be good listeners. Because of these qualities they are popular with their colleagues.	Their concern about creating harmony and avoiding conflict can make them indecisive when faced with having to make difficult solo decisions. This means that they can be indecisive in crunch situations.	The Team Workers may be legitimately compared to the lubricating oil in a car engine. We don’t always appreciate how important it is until it isn’t there. Because of their ability to be able to resolve interpersonal problems Team Workers come into their own when situations are tense, and people feel uncared for and underappreciated. They can rise to senior positions because they have few enemies and the fact that they are ready to listen to the views and suggestions of others.
Implementor (IMP)	Implementers are characterized by their practical approach and possess higher than normal levels of self-control and discipline. They are prepared to work hard to ensure things are done as prescribed in a systematic way. They are typically loyal to the organization and prescribed and established ways of doing things. They are likely to be regarded as someone who will not seek personal agendas and self-interest.	On the downside Implementers may be inflexible in accepting new ways of doing things, particularly if they are radical or impracticable. They may frustrate other team members by their perceived lack of enthusiasm for inspiring visions and radical ideas into workable solutions is important.	Implementers are valuable in an organization because of their reliability and capacity for application. They succeed because they are efficient and because they have a sense of what is feasible and relevant. While many people might stray favoring the tasks they like to do and neglect things they find not to be to their liking an Implementer is more likely to do what needs to be done in a systematic way.
Completer Finisher (CF)	Completer Finishers have a great capacity for the attention to detail. They constantly strive for perfection and correct errors. Completer Finishers are quite introvert and require less external stimulus than most people. The Completer Finisher can be trusted to do work to the highest standard and to complete it on time.	The combination of striving for perfection and meeting deadlines often creates anxiety though and Completer Finishers are likely to be reluctant to trust others to do work to their own high standards. They are inclined to worry unduly and reluctant to delegate.	The Completer Finisher is invaluable where tasks demand close concentration and a high degree of accuracy. The standards they set make them well suited to situations where precision and high standards are essential. Completer finishers will also demand the same high standards from people around them and therefore create their own micro culture where the only standard acceptable is perfection.
Specialist (SP)	The last team role, the ninth role, was added in 1988. This team role is the Specialist. The specialist brings expert knowledge to the team. The Specialist Team Role and the functional title of Specialist is often a cause for confusion. While it is true that both uses of the term may relate to people who are a source of technical knowledge and expertise the Specialist in Team Role terms has some very specific attributes. Their main distinguishing feature is their love of learning. They see learning and the accumulation of knowledge as the main reason for their existence and their single minded and resolute pursuit of this end is their main motivation. The Specialist is likely to be recognized by colleagues as an expert to turn to for help and guidance.	The Specialist will usually try to avoid being involved in unstructured meetings and discussions or those of a social nature. They may also be somewhat unyielding when challenged about the validity of their knowledge or field of expertise. This person contributes on only a narrow front and dwells on technicalities.	While Specialists may not be regarded as natural team players teams will be wise to engage the Specialist as a means of providing in depth research. As managers, they command respect because of their in-depth knowledge and they can be used to mentor others to raise their technical expertise.

Comparison with project manager

Figure 5: Comparison of behaviors between project and program manager. (click to zoom)

Program management is often defined as the next higher organizational hierarchy level over project managers. Program managers are often defined as the interface between higher management and operational-level execution of a company's tasks and in more general as the next higher organizational hierarchy level over project managers. (e.g., Pellegrinelli, 2002).

A program was defined as a set of projects managed together in order to achieve a higher-level common scope, that will be impossible if each of these projects acts alone. Frequently, the processes of projects and programs are described as being similar in nature due to their close link, although they are different in detailed level. For that reason, the differences of these two concepts are presented. The main difference between a program manager and a project manager can be described by two: creation and compliance. The former one is responsible for creating the business environment culture and the project manager should comply with. Furthermore, the project manager's responsibilities are based on the triptych of time, cost, and scope of the project. On the other hand, the program manager is judged not only on these three subjects but also on a level that is cumulative for all the projects and operations within the program. This summation of responsibilities for a variety of projects and operations means that the program manager should carry out frequent trade-offs between business targets and project/operational performances. Moreover, program management decisions have basically strategic character. The strategy aspects must take into account multidimensional impacts beyond the short-term deliveries of the projects. In contrast with the project manager, who should complete and deliver projects within the time schedule and based on the instructions set by the program manager. To sum up, the project manager should focus on deliveries and execution of the projects whereas the program manager is also responsible for the overall organization and efficacy of the program over the long-term.

Example

Figure 6: Managers in construction. (click to zoom)

Big construction companies often undertake complicated projects, such the construction of metro. In this case, the program manager has the largest portfolio, which includes multiple projects on multiple sites and the program manager should be responsible for all the metro stations. Program managers have the overarching control, budget and schedule of a program. If the owner is not an expert in facility design and construction, the program manager provides leadership in this field. He cooperates with the stakeholders, including the client, the superintendent, and district officials. Moreover, in this example, the program manager defines the project managers each of them has to manage work on one of the metro stations. They are responsible for pre-design, design process, construction, integration and delivery of the project. In recent years, the construction manager has been joined as a member to the project-process. They are are the most appropriate to provide important knowledge during the design and construction phase.

How they can coordinate together:

The most critical thing is in every construction program, each manager has a distinct set of responsibilities and the clearer is for each of them what exactly are his or her roles on a project, the better result will come out. In more detail, the responsibilities of construction manager focus only on site-works, dealing directly with the contractor, project and program managers. The program manager works basically from an office and visits the different sites, if required. About the project manager, he\she has to be based either at office or the construction site.

The same philosophy applies to smaller and also larger construction programs involving multiple projects, such as airports.