November 28, 2017: Question Series #1
Written By: Marc Moskowitz
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As anyone knows in the IT world, it is incredibly hard to deliver successful programs. On time and on budget is usually unattainable and/or reserved for either those that are fairly lucky or delivering something simple. This is especially true when you’re talking about programs with:
- global, matrix organizations (where the PM might not directly oversee the staff)
- ten million-dollar+ budgets
- various technology stacks / platforms
- multi-country / languages / cultures
- scalability challenges
- a high visibility to executive management
- short timelines required to show net positive ROI
- a heavy off-shored model with lots of restrictions on who you can hire.
Phhhhhew…that was a lot and, it’s not a complete list of high-level program complexities! For the record, the good news is that failure rates in the last couple of years are coming down according to surveys by PMI.org and CIO, but still remain high for organizations that aren’t adopting modern tools and techniques or hiring the right talent.
My point in writing all of this out in longhand is that this is just the starting point where a lot of us leaders ask our program managers to operate. Further, nowhere in that statement did I mention organizational politics, reorganizations and the ever-changing methodologies that we use to manage these programs (the flavor of the month kind of deal: Agile, Waterfall, Iterative, Test-Driven, A Mixed Approach, Tollgates, 90-day deliverables, Scaled Agile, Miniature Agile, etc.).
So, my question for today is: Are we asking too much from our Program Managers?
- Can the vast majority of them be successful for us?
- How does this translate into what skill sets and who we look for when we hire Program Managers?
- How do leaders guide them through this jungle?
It’s a much more complicated landscape than 10 years ago, no less since the dawn of the Program Management generation about 20 to 25 years ago (in terms of the explosion in this profession and the “it-factor” that TV shows and pop culture have bestowed upon us). I’ve also estimated this timeline based on the number of certified practitioners at PMI. I have a five-digit number on my certification while the numbers now are nearly seven digits (per the 2016 PMI.org statistics). I was a relative baby when I first got certified (after my first startup company had imploded overnight). Luckily, I still feel like I’m young-ish, as my work and the millennials on my teams have kept me up to date and in line.
So, let’s start answering some of these questions. Let me start with my first question: Are we asking too much from our Program Managers? At the high level I believe the answer is YES. I say that coming from a background at large companies, small startups, and a few in between. I also saw this during my independent consulting days, and was paid to coach executives on how to make things better. The second part of the question was can the vast majority of Program Managers be successful for us? I answer that part of the question with a YES as well. There is some good news for sure! Our teams can be successful, if we pay attention to how we manage and coach them, and most importantly, how we hire. These first two answers lead me to the next two questions, and my final thoughts on this short Question Series subject that will one day turn into a short novel.
How do “we the leaders” guide our Program Managers through the jungle, and to the promised land, of spectacular program success? The short answers are (since I want to keep this first Question Series to only a few pages):
- empowerment
- mindset
- toolset
We often don’t empower our Program Managers to make key decisions. In both large and small companies, there are lots of other stakeholders who always want a say, but without taking the ultimate responsibility. Over time, the Program Manager is just an audience member and at best a “check-er” (an individual who is just checking off and bothering people about a list of tasks).
We need to empower our Program Managers to make key decisions with the best information they have at the time and move forward. Ask for apologies later if mistakes are made. Along with empowerment, leaders must create the correct mindset that the Program Manager is the CEO of their program. They are the boss! Don’t be fooled by matrix organizations and bureaucracies, if the Program Manager’s name is on the line, they are the boss and should act like it. You should treat them that way, and you should protect them that way, as if you were the board of directors. Further, you should make it clear to their teams and your stakeholders that the Program Manager is in charge. Finally, give the Program Management team the best toolset available to make them successful:
- Training and certifications in the PM practice and the technologies their team is using
- Software
- Top-of-the-line computers they are not ashamed of
- Travel possibilities to the various implementation locations so they can see how things really work on the ground and meet their users/teams
- Budget authority to reward the lower levels of the team
- All of these and more!
Give them the best tools and you’ll get the best results. It’s really that simple.
The final question I had asked was: What skillsets do we need to look for when hiring our Program Managers, given today’s overwhelming environment? This is the toughest question to answer by far because there is no right answer. However, I do think there are some basic themes that you can use to successfully hire the right people to win the ongoing battles that are large, complicated, global programs:
- Hire a diverse set of educational backgrounds, technical capabilities, personalities, language capabilities, and Program Manager types. Some PMs are artists (think no formal/detailed plan, but works well with stakeholders and is usually an excellent communicator), some are scientists (think 5,000-line project plans and doesn’t leave their desk), and most a mix. Being demographically diverse will also happen without even trying, if you focus on these things.
- Hire different levels of seniority with a focus on up and coming. Again, you’re training them to think like CEOs, so you can’t have all senior level Program Managers who think they run the world (a little PM joke to make your day brighter). I’ve found that the best Program Teams have the most future stars that are currently at the mid-levels but will be at the higher levels within a few years. In my mind it works like sports teams. The ones that win championships have a few seasoned, productive, well-paid, veteran players, but are mostly made up of future “all-stars” and a few key rookies.
- Persistence, Passion, Adaptability, Communication, Loyalty/Trust and the Will to Win: Hire these attributes in everyone and you won’t lose. Program Management is a lot like war, and these attributes will get both you and the team through the tough times. I can’t say enough about loyalty and persistence.
- Don’t sweat the resume details looking for the exact perfect fit. Focus on the intangibles first, industry and project experiences second. Many leaders fail because they become frozen looking for the perfect industry, technical, or experience fit. If you can get 70% there, and they are 100% on the leadership scale, go for it! I’ve sadly seen this mistake happen to other leaders many times in my career.
- Hire true leaders that will thrive in, not fear, the environment in which you operate: everything else can be practiced and/or learned. Good leaders can carry lesser teams farther than poor leaders with a better team. Again, think about a sports analogy (I’ll use a baseball one):
Did you know that the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals had one of the worst records to ever qualify for the playoffs? They had a record of 83 wins and 78 loses that year. However, they had one of the best managers in Hall of Famer Tony LaRussa, and overcame a lot of obstacles to catch fire in the playoffs. They won the World Series in 5 games! A perfect example of a great leader excelling with a lesser team.
I digress with my baseball analogies, but the Cardinals happen to be my team, and baseball is the best sport ever invented by mankind!
The current world of Program Management is tough and ever evolving. We are currently at an industry cross road with so many organizations turning to new methodologies, reducing/changing PM roles, and losing their trust in the value of great Program Management. I continue to see these same organizations spin up ever more complex initiatives that are critical to their businesses, but not delivering as promised. Hopefully, this article helps anyone currently or soon to be leading a Program Management team get a step up on building a high-performing team that is ready to win. It can be done, it will be done, and I’m doing it now with one of the best teams I’ve ever assembled! Good luck, and I look forward to seeing your comments.
Thanks for reading!
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