Primary Leadership Characteristics Portrayed by a Program Manager - Coursework Example

MАNАGING THЕ MULTI-РRОJЕСT/РRОGRАMMЕ ЕNVIRОNMЕNT Name Institution Course Date Task 1 & 2 Task 1. What are the essential leadership characteristics of a program manager and how do there differ from a project manager? Considering the program management exercise, evaluate the performance of each of the program team against the leadership characteristics you have identified. How did your project/team leadership affect the direction of the program teams? Introduction to the essay. A program is a group of projects which are related and are intended for the delivery of an overall data for a given business. The data and changes delivered are based on the business aspects. The program management has many activities as well as individuals involved in their success. They include the market, strategy, culture, technology, structure, knowledge, facilities as well as the supplier. Besides, the customers, channel followed, funding, ownership, regulations, and rules as well as the geography and the partners involved in the program from the body of the project management. Numerous programs are determined in the delivery of their capability to change. For the provision of the thereby benefits, the organization's host must utilize as well as transfer the capacity to the line management. Therefore, when the new capabilities are used is when the benefits are sufficiently delivered. The management in program keeps the emphasis on the prioritization as well as the coordination of resources through all the projects on board. Besides, the layer provided by the program management is slightly higher than that provided by the project management. The programs work towards the selection of the best project team of the group with the involvement of the definition to the terms of the objectives thereby as well as the provision of a suitable environment for the implementation as well as the conduction of the project. The program managers are advised not to micromanage but are given the mandate to order the project managers conduct the management of the project. Therefore, the program management is given the order to solve the conflicts, the interdependencies thereby in the management as well as the distribution of knowledge among the projects that are available for them to manage. A project can be said to be the team of people who have been distributed into various functional groups with the aim of collecting data from each group concerning a common task. The distribution and classification of the teams further are also applicable where a group is divided further into sub-teams. The sub-teams are assigned a subtopic each to cover. Finally, all the data collected by the various subgroups for the composition of the overall report. The divisions or classifications of the program management includes the All the characteristics of a project management are found in the program management. Contrary to that, not all the components of the program management are located in the project management. It is because the program is made up of a collection of projects thus possess all features as well as characteristics of the projects. In the management of the project and program, teams are involved with each member of the team having a specific performance task against the characteristics of leadership thereby. Besides, the administration of the project management to some extent is found to be of effects to the program based teams. Task 1. Primary leadership characteristics portrayed by a program manager. There is a diversified range of leadership characteristics that are characterized and required of the full range of managers. The program director, in this case, has numerous characteristics that are required of them to portray in their servicing (Spillane, 2001, pp. 26). The qualities are classified into five key bases. They include communication qualities, the personal qualities, qualities based on the relation with one another as well as characteristics of the business point of view. They are as discussed below; 1.1 Wise decision maker The project manager must be a smart decision maker. Since the decisions that are settled for by various program managers are personal, the impact of the projects could be significant thus the individual opinions set should be of less disadvantage to the plan as compared to the benefits thereby. Besides, the decisions impact the success of a particular project directly as well as the ultimate to the business’ success (Lycett, 2004, pp. 294). For the efficiency in the decisions that are settled for by the program manager, one must have all the information as well as the necessary data that is required in the management. Also, the data should be collected from the outset. This helps in the right as well as the respective decision settling when the decision-making time comes thus quick decisions which are informed are made. 1.2 Delegation. The program managers are supposed to understand each member in their team deeply. Through the understanding of the team members, he can delegate the tasks on board to the right individuals who can handle the work as required. The members of the team are expected to respond positively to their managers who delegate tasks appropriately to them according to their capability as well as their set of skills (Hendy, 2005, pp. 334). The members of the team are supposed to be trustable people. Besides, the manager should be friendly to the members thus opening a lagoon for the members to ask the challenging questions as well as seek clarity to some content. This motivates the team members to deliver their task correctly to the manager thus the success of the projects being worked on. Problem-solving skills The program managers in their leadership face many cases that they need to handle as well as solve. Therefore the program manager ought to have high levels of problem-solving skills to be able to settle them. Creativity on how to handle the problems as well as the cases is the key factor to the program managers. The various cases that are reported as well as those that happen in the program management might be so complex to be handled by a mare manager (Emey, 2007, pp.77). Therefore the development of skills which are natural for some people as others get them through academic training. Besides, the identification of the right person to fit in a particular department in the program or even the project seems to be a simple case to handle. In reality, it is a complex task to carry out. On the success of the identification of where the problem helps the program manager to formulate the necessary solutions as well as the possible initiatives to take as a way of solving the issue. Communication. Communication is a key feature in all organizations and for the best relation of one individual to the other. The program manager must communicate excellently as communication is a vital skill. This allows as well as enables him to effectively communicate with the team members in the planning as well as the coordination of the projects under the management. In communication skills, the manager of the program must be able to communicate the guidelines, the goals, the expectations laid down as well as the management’s vision (Bewster, 2008, pp. 45). The ability to receive as well as the delivery of responses along sides listening to ideas from external members of the program management as well as the members of the management. It helps the program manager to coordinate the program and the projects as required. Intelligence. The program manager is found to handle all the issues that are associated with some projects on board. To be able to run the program successfully, the manager ought to have a high level of intelligence on how to handle situations as well as cases (Barlow, 2009, pp. 541). The knowledge can be used in the expansion plan on the development or even the decline of the program. Apart from the usage of knowledge in the development plan, it can be used in the creation as well as the scheduling of the appropriate measures to be adopted or the maximum gain in the projects being worked on. Also, the program manager deals with people in the process of validating projects and individuals keep making mistakes and are a burden to handle. Therefore, as a result of that, the manager requires a lot of intelligence which will help him formulate the particular strategies on how to manage the. Besides, the one leading a program uses his knowledge in the law enforcement as well as rules set. The rules set are meant for the regulation and the control of the activities that are taking place in the project management. How the leadership characteristics of program manager differ from an of project manager The performance of each team member of the program management highly differs from those of a project manager. The features portrayed by a project manager must be among those of a program administrator. Besides, some elements represented by the program manager are absent on the list of leadership qualities in the project manager. The difference is brought about by the fact that a program is a set of numerous projects brought together (Graen, 2005, pp. 233). The program manager's greatest concern is the aggregation of the results of the pile of projects in an individual program. The project manager, on the other hand, has been fixed in the supervision of the project as well as ensuring the work is a success. Besides, the project manager's primary delivery if the outputs while that of the program manager gives the results which are described as "outcomes." The communication skills in a program manager are different from those of the project manager. The difference is brought about by the difference in the issue to be dealt with. It is due to the mono-task in the project department as well as the multitask / multi-project performed by the management The performance of program management team against their leadership characteristics. The program management team has various performances that are required of them to handle about the leadership qualities they ought to have (House, 2009, pp. 178). The program management team is allocated the performance of the decision making plans. The decision-making plan as executed by the program manager entails the formulation as well as the implementation of the strategies to be followed in the performance of the projects that are allocated to it. The decision making takes care of the duration that should be assigned to each project as well as the allocation of the priorities to the projects on board. Besides through the success in the previously performed projects, the program manager gets details on the changes to be made on the strategies to be used in the projects. This becomes an initiative for the reduction of the risks that could be faced in the performance of the program as well as the projects. Another performance that is conducted by the program manager against their leadership qualities is the solving of the problems which are common in every management department (Day, 2001, pp. 589). The program manager has the power to solve the problems facing the program management as well as the project management. Besides, it is the task of the program director to coordinate the performance of the project managers as well as the handling of the projects. How project team leadership affect leadership in the program group. The program group's leadership has been highly influenced by the direction in the project management since the two deal with diversified issues. The program manager is the overall leader over all the projects being handled. Therefore, due to the divergence in some of the first leadership characteristics, the two management bodies prove to have differing leadership practices which are contradicting the performance of each management (Anderson, 2010). The project manager’s leadership queues affect those of the program manager through the differences in their ideology as well as in the ways and strategies each uses in the decision-making as well as handling problems. Besides, the project management is a broad field with numerous managers running the various projects. Therefore, chances for differences from one project manager to the other ads up to affection of the performance as well as the implementation of the leadership qualities of the program teams. Reference list Anderson, D. and Anderson, L.A., 2010. Beyond change management: How to achieve breakthrough results through conscious change leadership. John Wiley & Sons. Barlow, J.H., Williams, B., and Wright, C.C., 2009. Instilling the strength to fight the pain and get on with life': learning to become an arthritis self-manager through an adult education program. Health Education Research, 14(4), pp.533-544. Brewster, J.M., Kaufmann, I.M., Hutchison, S. and MacWilliam, C., 2008. Characteristics and outcomes of doctors in a substance dependence monitoring programme in Canada: prospective descriptive study. BMJ, 337, pp.20-98. Day, D.V., 2001. Leadership development:: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), pp.581-613. Emery, C.R. and Barker, K.J., 2007. The effect of transactional and transformational leadership styles on the organizational commitment and job satisfaction of customer contact personnel. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communication, and Conflict, 11(1), p.77. Graen, G.B. and Uhl-Bien, M., 2005. Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. The leadership quarterly, 6(2), pp.219-247. Hendy, J., Reeves, B.C., Fulop, N., Hutchings, A. and Masseria, C., 2005. Challenges to implementing the national programme for information technology (NPfIT): a qualitative study. Bmj, 331(7512), pp.331-336. House, R.J., Hanges, P.J., Ruiz-Quintanilla, S.A., Dorfman, P.W., Javidan, M., Dickson, M. and Gupta, V., 2009. Cultural influences on leadership and organizations: Project GLOBE. Advances in global leadership, 1(2), pp.171-233. Lycett, M., Rassau, A. and Danson, J., 2004. Programme management: a critical review. International Journal of Project Management, 22(4), pp.289-299. Pellegrinelli, S., 1997. Programme management: organising project-based change. International Journal of Project Management, 15(3), pp.141-149. Spillane, J.P., Halverson, R., and Diamond, J.B., 2001. Investigating school leadership practice: A distributed perspective. Educational Researcher, 30(3), pp.23-28. Task 2. How do project risks influence multi-project/program risks? Considering the Programme Management Exercise discuss the impact of the project risks on the programme risks and how all types of risk could have been managed more effectively when compared to a typical Risk Management process. The management initiatives that involve shifting the paradigm in project management from a single project at a time to multiple projects at the same time come along with some certain risks. The various projects are used as a vehicle which would successfully deliver the needed improvements in unpredictable economic conditions in a particular region (Raftery, 2005). The managers take on this initiative to expand the capacity of their firms in marketing, sourcing as well as the creation of new infrastructure. The emergence of challenges and risks that face multi projects bring about considerations by the managers to adopt new measures to curb the risks. This necessitates the firm to take different dimensions in the coordination of each particular project and do an Interco ordination with other businesses. The conditions as well as the moderators in the management o0f various projects (Chapman, 2003). Uncertainties surround the selection of the project due to the many risks that appear at later stages and frustrate projects. Business managers are afraid to select projects and thus will first need to evaluate the choices that they have at hand critically. Careful selection of the projects rules the process. There is a problem in understanding the priorities of the project and syncing them with the aims of the project. Also, the ability of the project appears to be of a concern when it comes to the implementation plan. In implementing, only the priorities which seem to match the capabilities of the project are executed. In matching the project assignments, there is a consideration that also comes along with the task. Resource allocation appears to boost or hinder the multi projects. In most situations, the resources that are available fall short of the resources needed for the actual period of implementation. The economic fluctuations are partly responsible for the shortcomings that are mostly financial. According to most researchers, the resources that a firm has are always limited and scarce thus giving a limited chance to any changes of the project by the managers. This corners the project managers between a hard place and rock. They find it tough to reverse the project as it has already taken up financial resources that could have been put somewhere else. The organizational input comes up as the challenge that presents itself in this case. Another challenge is the management process whereby the uncertainty lying here is the lead group of projects and their future. Communication seems to be the risk that grasps the whole process, threatening to bring it down to nothing. The complexity that comes in 5the management of multiple projects puts managers in a position that they would not like to find themselves in. The complexity associated with projects has always been there. It is not a new challenge that has come with projects that are of multiple types (Elkington, 2006, pp. 51). However, although it is a challenge, it is key to improved performance and promoting the understanding of the management of such multi projects. The multi-project management is faced with more risks than a single project. This comes from the complexity of the systems and the processes involved together with the inter-combination failures that attach themselves to the progress efforts of such projects during the lifecycle process. The complexity arising from the interdependence is affected by other impacts that depend on the individuals and or their systems. Little evidence has however been presented on the dependence whereby little research has shown the proof of interdependence complicating the whole string of projects. As a result of the risks, there has been a change in the organizational input in the management of multiple projects. Managers have come to realize that one cannot separate the project selection with the resource allocation. This is because the two processes are intertwined in a manner that one cannot be done without referencing the other. The process will be somehow confused if one of the processes was carried out in total disregard of the other. Also, it has come to the attention that implementing too many projects without sufficient financial sources can lead to a backlash of the decision that has resulted in the establishment of such plans. The allocation of resources presents a grave risk to the managers calling for sourcing of sponsors and funders as starting a project without a good source of funding is a waste of the available scarce resources which could have been put to an alternative use to produce something of economic value to the owner. Interdependency brings about the highest stake. They present serious challenges in the whole exercise (Hillson, 2003, pp. 94). Projects outputs are of the highest quality due to the carefulness and effective decision making taken by the implementers of the project. The risks offer a motivation because the standards that are set are meant to be affected to see the highest value pumped out of the system. The high standards that are fixed in a bid to overcome the challenges associated sometimes go above the expected results which were the original targets of the management. When the attributes are all put in place, they become the conditions and moderators of the risks in the administration of the multi projects. The interdependence accompanied by the uncertainty is the judges that force themselves into the project management process of the many projects. It should be noted that dependence only occurs at one stage; that is the process step during the execution whereby each single project is taken and managed single-handedly yet simultaneously in a bid to bringing the schedules to match the expectations as per the available resources. The core competence is enhanced as well as the establishment of the project management, assisting in identifying the risks that may come in the future. A comparison guideline is also developed for the sake of making comparisons in formulation and execution of multiple projects. The risks concerned have also raised awareness of the roles of MPE development (Jaafari, 2007). Impacts of project risks on programme risks The risks that are facing the project manager as well as his team are categorized into several categories. Due to the fact that the program is made up by a number of related projects put together, any effect on project management in one way or the other affects the program managements’ risks. On the budgeting segment of project risk, there might be loop holes for mismanagement of funds set for a certain project. As a result, the budget for a project fails to sustain it to its completion/ therefore, as a result there is an increase in the budget for the project. Also, something else that leads to the increase in the budget of a project is the lack of utilization to the resources as well as the raw materials required for the success of a certain project. Therefore, additional budget is required for the success of a project thus imposing as well as stimulating risk on the management of the program as well. In conclusion, the mismanagement as well as the increase in the budget of a project also impacts a risk of increased budget for a program as well. The rick of increased duration for a project also has an impact of the duration required for the delivery of a certain program. Due to the delay in the presentation of the projects, a risk is identified on the duration to be taken too for the completion of the projects in the program management. Also, there might be a risk of the increase in the planning m=network’s activities. The increase is directly transferred to the program management department thus being viewed as a risk to the performance of the program manager. As a result of the delayed duration for the completion of a project as well as a program, chances for the experience in the delay of the submission of the final design are highly increased. As a result, the blame will be upon the program management for the unpromising achievement of the plans laid down on the performance of the projects as well as the presentation of the projects to the respective organizations or department (Chapman, 2001, pp. 149). The programme management risks have been impacted greatly by the occurrence of the risks in the project management office. The increase in the number of reviews of design is a risk that is common in the project management office. It is transformed to the programme management office where a great impact on the risk is recorded. The reviews develop the loss of trust to the programme thus the number of projects allocated to a certain programme being reduced to a lesser number. Also, the design cycle as a result gets increased too as a result of the risks in the project managers’ desk as well as the increase in the cycle of the work performance of the programme manager. There is a probability of the project management facing a risk of new requirement by the project supervisors as well as the owners. This calls for a rampant change in the previous requirements thus formulation of an updated budget as well as a list for the required resources and raw material for the project. The approval and implementation of this is done by the programme manager. Therefore the performance of the programme manager is greatly exposed to the risks of incurring additional expenses in the process of reaching the required standards for the projects. The team members in the programme management may get involved into conflict due to work related disagreement thus resulting to poor designing of the projects, poor communication in the management office. This fuels the availability of errors in the strategies laid since the rate of consultation from one another has been dragged to zero percent. Besides, the contractors in the management teams and up not delivering the components they were to deliver the components required according to the duration given or agreed upon (Williams, 2005). Other impacts on the programme management risks are as a result of the change or the alteration of the priorities given to the programme that are existing. The alteration is majorly conducted at the project management level. Also, the programme manager faces risks of providing many resources at a go in the occasions where various projects require common resources as well as time for their completion. Besides, only little authority is given to the project management manager in the structure of the progress thus the personal power towards the impaction of influence on decision making being low as well as lowering of the influence in resource demanding. How to manage all types of risks on comparison to the typical Risk Management process. The risks in the project management are the primary causes of risks in the management of the programme (Williams, 2005). Therefore in conclusion, the curbing of the project management risks is the major initiative in the reduction of the negativities in the results of the projects as well as programme. Therefore, several steps are to be taken in the management of all types of risks comparing to the usage of typical Risk Management process (Wipplinger, 2007, pp. 398). The identification of the context of the risk Is the frontline initiative to take in risk manage (Froot, 2013, pp. 1636). Several activities are involved in the identification of the context which includes the identifying the domain of interest, then recognizing the risks that can probably result. The management scope of the risk is mapped together with the objectives and the options from the stakeholder as well as mapping the constraints to be evaluated (Dowd, 2008). Agendas on the risk management are laid down as analysis and development on the risk to manage are made. Use of technology helps in the selection of the appropriate solution to go by in the risk management. Reference list Chapman, R.J., 2001. The controlling influences on effective risk identification and assessment for construction design management. International Journal of Project Management, 19(3), pp.147-160. Chapman, C. and Ward, S., 2003. Project risk management: processes, techniques, and insights. Wiley. Dowd, K., 2008. Beyond value at risk: the new science of risk management. Elkington, P. and Smallman, C., 2006. Managing project risks: a case study from the utilities sector. International Journal of Project Management, 20(1), pp.49-57. Froot, K.A., Scharfstein, D.S. and Stein, J.C., 1993. Risk management: Coordinating corporate investment and financing policies. The Journal of Finance, 48(5), pp.1629-1658. Hillson, D., 2003. Using a risk breakdown structure in project management. Journal of Facilities management, 2(1), pp.85-97. Jaafari, A., 2007. Management of risks, uncertainties, and opportunities on projects: time for a fundamental shift. International journal of project management, 19(2), pp.89-101. Raftery, J., 2005. Risk analysis in project management. Routledge. Williams, C.A. and Heins, R.M., 2005. Risk management and insurance. McGraw-Hill Companies. Wipplinger, E., 2007. Philippe Jorion: Value at Risk–The New Benchmark for Managing Financial Risk. Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, 21(3), pp.397-398. Read More