Zen of PM - Introduction

If you areconsidering a job in program management (PM) or attempting to understand whatprogram managers do, you should read this!

This paper will tell you everything and nothing about programmanagement. It reveals the ‘zen’ of the program management discipline. It is notintended to be an interpretation of the Microsoft Career Stage Profiles forProgram Management or an instruction manual for how to be an effective programmanager. Instead, it expresses what is unique about program management, both inaptitude and role. Enjoy!

The ‘Zen’ of Program Management 

Program managers are the championsof
the value proposition.

In early planning, we immerse ourselves incustomer needs, competitive landscape, technological trends and businessespriorities, and from this cacophony we distill a clear and focused value proposition.

We articulate what the team is signing up todeliver, for whom they are delivering it, and the purpose it is intended toserve.

This articulation of the value propositionserves as a “frame” within which the team can make decisions aboutfeatures, designs, timelines, and priorities.

As the project moves from planning into design,we paint the detailed picture of what the team will ship, through storyboards,prototypes, and most significantly through specs.

As the project moves from design intoimplementation and on to the endgame, we keep perspective to ensurethat tactical implementation decisions fit within the frame of the valueproposition.

Ultimately, we ensure that the feature orproduct presents a strong value proposition and that the implementation actually delivers the promisedvalue.

Introduction

The ‘zen’ ofprogram management lies in connecting the customer and value proposition withan actual product or service. The program manager brings the team together tomake this connection between aspirations and ends.

 

The goal of thispaper is to provide deeper insight into the program management role and clearlyidentify what makes program managers unique and uniquely valuable. While thisdocument focuses on the value of program management, this value is onlyrealized within the context of the broader team. Teamwork is paramount, and noone role carries the team.

This paper coversthe three major steps of the software product cycle, and the value that programmanagers bring to each step:

·        Planning: Framing the Landscape

·        Design: Defining the Solution

·        Execution: Delivering on the Value Proposition

 

Planning:Framing the Landscape

The unlimitedpotential of software makes program management an incredibly exciting job. Theunlimited potential of software also makes program management an incrediblyimportant job. At every milestone of every product cycle, feature teams face anessentially infinite set of possibilities. They can build almost anything theydream up. But to succeed, the team has to make smart choices about where tofocus and what to build. In the face of endless possibility, how do featureteams make these choices?

Framing is the artof identifying what is truly important and separating the “could” from the“should.” Early in the planning stages of a project, program managers work withcustomers, planners, and other team members to define this frame and ensurethat every member of the team understands and internalizes it.

To create theframe, the program manager starts by asking some broad questions.

§  Who are the customers and what are their needsand priorities?

§  What is happening in the marketplace? What arecompetitors doing and what are our options for responding and differentiating?

§  How is technology changing and whatpossibilities does it offer our customers?

§  What are the priorities for our business?

The answers tothese questions paint a landscape in which a product and its features will bebuilt.

The purpose of aframe is to narrow the focus on a clear and compelling vision that fits withinthis landscape. This link between vision and landscape is critical. A visionwithout this context is fragile and fails to provide teams with the basis formaking the myriad of day to day decisions they inevitably face.

So, how does aprogram manager go about creating such a frame? The three key elements are gathering information, grokking the space, and getting the team up to speed.