“Should your program managers come from project manager ranks? Five experts discuss the pros & cons.” The article was published in PM Network Magazine # 2/2012 & I am very glad that I was also involved into the discussion :-)

1. It's
time to name a new program manager. Do you find a candidate among your project manage-
ment ranks or look outside your organization? Not every project manager will make an
effective program manager—and not all of them even want to go down that career path.
Learning to identify those who can trade the tactical work of managing projects for the
strategic mindset essential for successful program management will save you the costly
mistake of appointing the wrong person.
We asked five professionals how to find those project managers within your ranks with
the skills, experience and potential to shine as program managers. The panel also has advice
about what to look for in outside hires.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PROMOTING A PROJECT MANAGER AT
YOUR ORGANIZATION TO A PROGRAM MANAGER ROLE?
Eric S. Norman, PMP, PgMP: One of the main benefits is the person typically knows the
ins and outs of the organization—the political atmosphere and the technology environ-
ment, and is aware of how to work effectively within them.
Hemanshu Joshi: The internally recruited program manager knows the organiza-
tion's influencers and followers and can quickly tread his or her way through the labyrinth,
OUR PANEL
i
Hemanshu Erik Lukac, Eric S. Norman, Pieter Oosthuizen, John L. Warren, vice president
Joshi, project operations man- PMP, PgMP, program PhD, PMP, execu- of strategic business solutions and
manager, Dubai, ager at Clever- director and senior tive vice president of executive director of the Stanford
United Arab lance Enterprise principal at SRA operations and C O O at advanced project management
Emirates Solutions, a soft- International Inc., an Thurston Companies, a center of excellence for strategy
ware developer IT and strategy con- construction and man- execution at IPS Learning, a proj-
in Bratislava, sultancy in Atlanta, agement firm in Wash- ect management training firm in
Slovakia Georgia, USA ington, D.C., USA San Mateo, California, USA
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2. because a rapport is already established. This helps when a program must be launched
without delay.
With a hire from within, internal stakeholders are confident the individual will per-
form the task efficiently and deliver results. The stakeholders' confidence reduces the
urge to constantly monitor the program manager's performance, which might be the
case when a program manager is hired from outside the organization.
Recruiting
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL PITFALLS?
Mr. Joshi: Those already established relationships might not always be positive. If the
From Within
project manager doesn't have a good rapport with the team, his or her promotion to p l u s : The candidate has an inside
knowledge and understanding of
program manager would hamper the program more than facilitate it.
the inner workings of the organi-
In many cases, the person concerned has been with the organization for a long zation—helping to speed up the
time, and the organization's environment affects his or her mindset. Such people might process.
not be able to think creatively; they think within the boundaries of the thought process M i N U s : The person could be
they were groomed in. Their confined thinking will harm programs if they are not locked into a limiting mindset
trained, groomed or exposed to new challenges, technologies or practices. about the organization's culture.
Erik Lukac: It could be a drawback if the organization does not have clearly defined P L U s : Promoting from within may
motivate other employees who
processes in place for all areas of program management and is relying exclusively on
see that the organization rewards
project management techniques for the management of complex programs. Or if the
performance.
senior project manager has no experience in managing inter-project dependencies, it
M i N U s : The candidate may have
would be better to hire an external program manager with the requisite experience.
a tendency to approach program
management as a very large
WHAT'S A GOOD WAY TO JUDGE IF AN INTERNAL PROJECT project.
MANAGER is READY FOR A PROGRAM MANAGEMENT ROLE?
Mr. Joshi: I recommend that the project manager have been responsible for delivering Look For:
n
multiple large projects that have diverse team sizes, cultures, timelines and technolo- Project managers who think
gies. The project manager in question should begin the transition under the supervi- big-picture and keep the
sion of mentors, but gradually he or she should be allowed to work independently, broader program and goals in
mind while working on their
supported by teams. This initial incubation period will help stakeholders evaluate the
individual projects.
new program manager's performance and decide whether or not the person is ready n
Candidates with solid records of
to continue in the position of program manager. achievement over the course of
John L. Warren: Look at your messiest, most challenging projects and find the their careers.
n
project managers or technical leads who excelled in working through the challenges Those who know how to
to successful conclusions. You want to find people who keep their cool in a crisis. effectively delegate tasks and
don't get mired in minutiae.
Mr. Norman: A good indicator is if a project manager has demonstrated com-
petence at producing consistent results at the individual level and is able to interact
with leaders at all levels of an organization—including senior executives and board
members. Effective communication with all levels of an organization is an important
element of a program manager's role.
w h a t ' s t h e best w a y t o g r o o m these c a n d i d a t e s ?
Mr. Norman: Find opportunities for them to take part in larger, strategically impor-
tant initiatives. Also, clarify the project manager's vision as to where the program is
going, and ensure that the person is aware of the connectivity between the program's
fEBRUARY 2012 PM NETWORK 59

3. components as well as the program's importance and alignment with the organiza-
tion's strategic objectives.
For example, public health programs include a variety of diverse projects. The
individual project managers may not be fully aware of the relationships of their
efforts to the larger programs. Project managers leading a marketing or data-
collection project in one area may not know the details of the overall effort. How a
project manager seeks out, learns about and participates within the larger context
demonstrates his or her desire and underlying capability for transition to the role
of program manager.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNALS THAT A PROJECT MANAGER WOULD
NOT BE A GOOD FIT FOR A PROGRAM MANAGER POSITION?
Pieter Oosthuizen, PhD, PMP: Some individuals have a natural "feel" for managing
projects and will always excel. However, not all good project managers have the abil-
ity to manage at a higher level. Those who are willing to step up and succeed outside
traditional boundaries are your best program manager candidates.
Project managers won't make good program managers if they get bogged down
in details, are unable to resolve conflicts and have poor people skills. A project
manager will focus on the specific project—its scope, goals, resources and comple-
tion—while a program manager has to focus on several projects in the same pro-
gram, all related to achieving a greater goal. Harmonizing several projects is much
RECRUIT Y O U R
NEXT PROGRAM more difficult than managing an individual project.
MANAGER
INTERNALLY Take the global fight against AIDS. A project manager in an African country is
"Internal totally focused on achieving that country's set goals, whereas a program manager
promotions can working for the World Health Organization has to manage limited resources for 30
prove to be a
win-win for both countries and still ensure the overall goals are achieved.
the employee and
the organization." A red flag in this scenario is if your project manager spends an inordinate
amount of time on one aspect, such as providing AIDS medicine to the last vial,
Head to PMI's
Career Central to rather than on achieving overall patient-treatment goals. Yes, it is good to manage
read more. the details—but not at the expense of the larger program's success.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUCCESS STORIES OF GROOMING INTERNAL
PROJECT MANAGERS INTO PROGRAM MANAGERS?
M r . Lukac: Yes, two, at my previous job as project management office director
at the IT company PosAm. At the time of appointment, each was a senior project
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4. A PROGRAM MANAGER HAS TO FOCUS ON
SEVERAL PROJECTS iN THE SAME PROGRAM,
ALL RELATED TO ACHiEViNG A GREATER
GOAL. HARMONiZiNG SEVERAL PROJECTS iS
MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN MANAGiNG
AN INDIVIDUAL pROjECT.
—Pieter Oosthuizen, PhD, PMP, Thurston Companies, Washington, D.C., USA
manager with extensive knowledge of project management resume. Talk directly to the sponsors of those programs—peo-
techniques and long-term experience in complex-project ple who saw the candidate in action—and determine exactly
management. Both had also obtained external certification how much authority he or she had. Ask candidates to walk
at the senior project manager level. A further plus: They through a typical week on a large program they led, describing
had worked for the company for a long time and had risen what they did and where they focused their time.
through its ranks, from the developer and analyst level to Mr. N o r m a n : I ask about a particular individual's under-
middle management. standing of the difference between project and program
They had to extend their knowledge by dealing with management. The answer is often very illuminating. Many
various situations related to the management of inter-project project managers perceive programs simply as very large
dependencies, enterprise-wide allocation of resources, pro- projects. This is not the case. Program management requires
cess optimization and change management at the orga- a number of skills and competencies that are not necessary
nizational level. They also had long-term experience in at the project level. Most importantly, program managers
communicating with internal stakeholders at the executive must be aware of how projects and programs operate and
level. After approximately one year, they were fully adapted perform together within an organization.
to the program manager role.
Mr. Norman: I actually came from the project management WHAT IS THE MOST iMpORTANT THING TO
ranks. My natural inclination was to gravitate toward program L o o k FOR WHEN RECRuiTiNG FOR A pROGRAM
management. I successfully made a smooth transition because I MANAGER pOSITION—WHETHER YOu'RE HIRING
was attracted by and interested in making contributions at the FROM WITHIN OR NOT?
organizational level, looking at the bigger picture and working Dr. Oosthuizen: You can only go so far in screening can-
more closely with senior leadership. didates. The presence of real experience with a solid track
record remains the best metric to find a good program
WHAT SHOuLD YOU LOOK FOR iN OuTSIDE manager.
HIRES? HOW CAN YOu ASSESS THEIR SklLLS? I believe that everyone establishes themselves for the rest
Mr. Warren: For large, complex programs that are new to an of their careers after about 10 years. Achievements, or the
organization, an inside candidate with the requisite skills and lack thereof, indicate how the person will perform in the
experience may not exist. If you're going outside, find a pro- future. A good project manager will very quickly build a solid
gram manager who has actually led and shouldered respon- record of achievement, and that is a good starting point in
sibility for similar types of programs. Do not rely only on a selecting program manager candidates. PM
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