Is it ever appropriate to have project manager also performing programme management role?
Anonymous
Hi,
I have recently joined a company as a project manager and the company is about to embark on a large implementation programme consisting of 3 meaty projects.
As discussions and thoughts are progressing I feel increasingly steered towards taking an almost program management level view of all 3 projects, rather than being given a primary focus on 1 of the projects by the business. Although this is very interesting to me from career move point of view, its not something I have experience of and I am wary of slipping into some semi-created role without being clear on what is going to be expected from me.
My question is, is this really a problem? Is it possible that having project manager also watching all the dependencies between the program a good thing or should I be pushing back for some clearer defintion of role? Saving Changes...
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Bipin Lekshmanan PMPProject Manager| Wipro TechnologiesEdison, Nj, United States
I do not think you will have a problem here. If you have prior experience in managing projects, this sounds like the right move. But, if you haven't manged projects, managing a program can become hard. It's possible but wouldn't be easy.
An easier option would be for you to define your role yourself and then explain to the management rather than asking them to define it. That way, you are still in positive light. Saving Changes...
Jennifer MaySr. Project Manager| Alltel CommunicationsTwinsburg, Oh, United States
If you are being asked to manage both the individual projects and the program, define both roles (which you can do in a project roles and responsibilities matrix, or stakeholder analysis document - there's multiple ways to define your project team in the planning stage). But the key is to define as separate roles. Often PMs have to wear multiple hats. If you define them separately but fill your name in both, then when your program management skills impress, you can take on more, but can clearly point out - since it's already documented, that you'll need someone to fill in the project manager role for one or more of the projects. Saving Changes...
