How to become a Program manager 2

[ecolosio]

I am a senior project manager who is managing projects lasting 6/12 months and with a budget of about 1000 person / days.
I would be delighted to receive suggestions and proposals about how to become a REAL program manager who can manage programs.
I would like to define a roadmap which merges theory and practice, in order to become a program manager in an efficient and structures way.

Thanks and Warm regards
Eraldo

 

[johnherman]

Are you consultant or employee?

If employee, what is your company's growth path? You should discuss this with the person who does your evaluation, your boss, or HR. If there is no defined path, make your career goal of becoming Program Manager known to your boss and anyone else who contributes to your evaluation (many times PM's are also evaluated by project sponsers or by the Project Office). Find someone who is already a Program Manager and get them to be your mentor.

If you are a consultant, the path is not as clear, but similar activities are needed. If a consultant with a consulting organization, look for a mentor and make your career plans known. If independent, you might consider reading books and studying web courses for Program Management. Or applying for jobs where you can be mentored, even if it means accepting a lower rate. Build the time for mentoring into the contract; 2 - 3 hours per week, more or less depending on the length of the contract and what the client agrees to provide.

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The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[BNPMike]

The term is by-and-large meaningless except you can expect to earn more money. Any large project is indistinguishable from a programme of smaller ones. Any large programme of large projects is indistinguisable from a supermegaproject.

When I think of programme manager, I think of:

- reporting to the business or approximately so
- not reporting to another project manager
- not doing plans
- not doing risk registers etc

In other words business-facing, people oriented.

I actually started in programme management but recently have slipped down into project management. And it's truly awful. I'd considered becoming a priest but I'm not religious. Teaching? - not with those schoolgirls.

The solution? Apply for lots and lots of jobs. There are still a few of this type of role left but they sadly they are being overwhelmed by the spreadsheet administrator type.

 

[juggyno1]

if you where asked the question 'why become a project manager?' what will your reponse be