As a professional service provider, you’ve helped clients navigate the challenges of completing large-scale and even enterprise-wide projects. Based on your firm’s business initiatives, you’re likely also keenly aware of how complex project management can be. Businesses, especially those that provide professional services, often find tremendous relief in hiring a program manager to help clients navigate these challenges. Your organization may benefit from bringing a program manager on board, but first, it’s critical to understand the ins and outs of the role.
What Role Does a Program Manager Play?
Unlike a project manager who oversees a specific project, program managers are responsible for several, usually interrelated, projects. They complete projects on time and within budget while aligning with the organization’s mission, vision, and goals. A program manager ensures that projects don’t scope creep, waste organizational resources, and conflict with other mission-critical and revenue-driving initiatives.
Effective program management involves strategic leadership, planning and execution, communication and collaboration, and risk and budget management. To align projects with their mission and goals, program managers must think strategically, assess risks, and guide project planning to meet broader business objectives. They ensure that every aspect of a project, from messaging to financial goals, is consistent with organizational standards and supports organizational goals.
Excellent program managers are masters of organizational communication and stakeholder management. They understand that for departments to collaborate and managers to make the right decisions, they need the right information at the right time. They also recognize that providing too much or too little information or sharing it too early or late can lead to friction, bottlenecks, and errors. Great program managers know who needs information and how to share it effectively for better collaboration and efficiency.
Moreover, the program manager ensures efficient resource allocation and prudent budget management. When you have multiple large initiatives, having someone in place who can see that one over performing project no longer needs all its designated resources and shift some of them to another project in need is a tremendous value-add.
Why Do Businesses Need Program Managers?
In short, program managers translate strategy into action. Managers and staff have many ideas, but effective program managers help choose which will best advance the organization’s goals. They show how existing and new projects connect to boost efficiency, collaboration, and outcomes.
The ideal program manager understands:
- Which department heads should be involved in what meetingsÂ
- Which employees are running point for each projectÂ
- How specific tasks are being delegatedÂ
- How and when financial resource requests should be madeÂ
- When and if to involve legalÂ
- How to get the work done and over the line
Skilled program managers know the best ways to communicate, facilitate collaboration, and understand organizational processes and culture and use that expertise to ensure projects stay moving toward the end goal.
In their role, program managers can often take a step back from daily operations, see the bigger picture, and find potential opportunities for greater synergy between projects. They can also identify redundancies between projects and threats to project outcomes before they emerge. For example, a program manager may realize that Project Team A will need an increasing amount of resources shared with Project Teams B and C. Before Team A uses up all of the resources and brings the work of Teams B and C to a standstill, the program manager can intervene by requesting more of the resource in question, finding an alternative, or identifying another solution.
Program managers often demonstrate their value through the cost savings they can achieve. By continuously evaluating and assessing multiple projects, they can reallocate resources to ensure teams achieve maximum productivity at minimum costs. Having oversight over multiple project budgets gives them more leverage to negotiate better pricing from outside vendors.Â
Can Your Business Benefit From a Program Manager?
If your business success depends on successfully implementing multiple organization-wide projects, you likely need an effective and skilled program manager. If your business offers professional services to others, a client-facing program manager could greatly enhance the breadth and depth of your services.
Still not sure? Talk to us. At 5P Consulting, we help businesses plan and implement their projects effectively with our 5P program management services.Â
Successful businesses are adept at translating strategy into action, and quality program management is vital to that process. Contact us today to explore how program management can benefit you and address your other business needs.