1st Edition

Program Management Complexity A Competency Model

By Ginger Levin, J. LeRoy Ward Copyright 2011
    222 Pages
    by Auerbach Publications

    Although complexity is a phenomenon that confounds and challenges program managers across industry sectors, there is little information available that identifies the set of competencies managers need to complete their program successfully and deliver the benefits desired by stakeholders. Program Management Complexity: A Competency Model fills this void.

    Written by two of the first professionals to obtain the Program Management Professional (PgMP®) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI), this book begins with a literature review of program and project management complexity. Next, it presents a competency model, based on the authors’ seven decades of collective experience in the field, which follows the framework of PMI's model for project managers. Useful for corporate and government organizations, universities, executives, PMO directors and human resources professionals who need to determine program management training needs, this unique model is divided into performance competencies and personal competencies.

    The performance competencies are organized according to the six domains of program management, while the eight personal competencies are based on research plus a survey of PgMPs® worldwide. After presenting the model, along with detailed plans and guidelines for its implementation in a real-world setting, the book presents three questionnaires designed to help organizations, existing program managers, and aspiring program managers assess their own development plans.

    Supplying you with the insight to recognize the elements of complexity during the defining and initiating stages, this book includes detailed guidelines to help you recruit, train, and develop program managers capable of delivering stated program benefits, services, and results.

    Check out a video of Ginger Levin discussing her book:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6YPwEhYDlc

    Complexity in Program Management
    Background
    Definition of Complexity and Its Key Concepts
         Nonlinearity 
         Self-Organization and Emergence 
         Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)
    Defining Project Complexity and Its Key Factors
    Modeling and Managing Project Complexity
    Program Complexity

    A Competency Model for Program Managers
    Introduction
    Model Development
    Model Overview 
         Performance Competencies 
         Personal Competencies
    Model Validation

    The Model
    Performance Competencies
    Personal Competencies

    How to Use the Levin-Ward Program Management Complexity Model
    Use by Organizations 
         Overview 
         Program Management Organizational Assessment 
         Guidelines
    Use by Program Managers 
         Overview 
         Program Manager Assessment 
         Guidelines
    For Use by Prospective Program Managers 
         Prospective Program Manager Assessment

    Appendices:
    Questions for Organizations
    Questions for Program Managers
    Use by Prospective Program Managers
    A Suggested Project Plan for Implementing the Levin-Ward Program Management Complexity Model
    Use by Prospective Program Managers

    Final Thoughts

    References

    Index

    Biography

    Dr. Ginger Levin is a senior consultant and educator in project management. Her specialty areas are portfolio management, program management, the Project Management Office, knowledge management, metrics, and maturity assessments. She is certified as a PMP, PgMP, and as an OPM3 Assessor and Consultant. She was the second person in the world to receive the PgMP. In addition, Dr. Levin is an Adjunct Professor for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where she teaches in its M.S. in Project Management Program and for SKEMA (Esc Lille) University, France, in its project management program at the master's and doctoral level. Also, she is a Visiting Professor for RMIT in Melbourne, Australia.In consulting, she has served as Project Manager in numerous efforts for Fortune 500 and public-sector clients, including UPS, Citibank, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, General Electric, SAP, EADS, John Deere, Schreiber Foods, TRW, the New York City Transit Authority, the U.S. Joint Forces Command, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Prior to her work in consulting, she held positions of increasing responsibility with the U.S. Government, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Personnel Management, and the General Accounting Office.She is the co-author of Implementing Program Management: Forms and Templates Aligned with the Standard for Program Management, Second Edition (2008); Project Portfolio Management: Tools & Techniques; Metrics for Project Management; Achieving Project Management Success Using Virtual Teams; The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation; People Skills for Project Managers; Essential People Skills for Project Managers; The Business Development Capability Maturity Model; and ESI's PMP Challenge! PMP Study Guide and the PgMP Study Guide (along with J. LeRoy Ward). Her book entitled Interpersonal