Program Management is a critical piece of the work that netlogx does. It’s incredibly beneficial to have a unified vision for your projects and goals as they relate to long-term organizational strategy. Within a program, the time allotted for planning resources, processes, and communication is standardized, opening the door for relevant communication and less troubleshooting. Projects within a program can also share resources, strategy, and other benefits which provide only the best solutions and ideas for our clients.
A program manager has numerous responsibilities, but here are a few aspects of the job that new program managers should know about.
You will work directly with stakeholders.
As a program manager, you will be working alongside stakeholders as well as the clients to complete the work. Through interviewing and communicating with stakeholders, you will gain a unique look at the inner-workings and projects of a program. This insight offers visibility on opportunities and issues the various projects may be experiencing so you can take a proactive approach.
You must be adaptable.
Working within a program, you need to be adaptable and willing to take on new tasks. This could mean completing work that is also completed by project managers and business analysts, or it could be offering to help out a client with something they are challenged with, even if it’s not expected. For example, as a project coordinator for the State of New Mexico, some of my duties include scribing meetings, tracking action items, deliverable management, business process improvement, and other related tasks.
You help provide perspective.
As clients witness changes in structure, communication, and process, they begin to gain an understanding of the program organization.
Once they are able to understand the hierarchy of projects within a program, it helps clarify and justify the overall plan. Clients will feel more comfortable and optimistic when they understand they are part of a bigger plan rather than an isolated project with no trajectory. As the program moves forward, their stress level (and yours by extension) will begin to decrease.
