What are the best ways to make the most of your first year in Program Management?

Based on my experience, managing programs effectively needs strategies to help you align your practices with goals to hit bars for success. 1- Set the stage as a leader and provide a vision to ensure your team is positioned in the same contextual space as you do. 2- Connect the expected deliverables that the team is set to achieve with the bigger picture where the organizational goals are in play, coach them regularly, and make sure they understand priorities and are aligned with your expectations. 3- Know your team! As a program manager you need to be aware who does what, know your strong potentials & vulnerabilities, and plan. 4- Prioritize between targets and team development needs. 5- Measure success and adjust along the way.

The program management landscape is dynamic, stay curious and evolve your skillset. Immerse yourself in the organization's vision and values. Understand how the programs contribute to the bigger picture.

Here's how I feel you can reap the most benefit in your first year as program manager - 1. Program management is a vast subject and while it might take years to be an expert, understanding the overall deliverables (theoretical) and expectations (org specific) might help you chalk up the roadmap 2. Take time to analyse the processes, systems and tools being used to execute and monitor the progress of the program. 3. Understand your stakeholders and establish credibility. Practice active listening and align short term & long term goals keeping stakeholders' priorities in mind 4. Shadow peers and learn from their experience. Having a buddy/mentor who can help you get the lay of the land, turns out to be critical in the first year.

The first step to truly build new skills & competencies is to maintain a mindset openness to learning at all times. 1- Learning and growth never ends, the experience to learn more and grow further is a daily phenomenon where a mindset of continuous learning helps you identify the gains and taking advantage of opportunities for new learning. 2- A program manager cannot be a jack of all trades! you have to accept that, and identify the areas where you need additional learning. 3- Feedback from colleagues and friends is a great way, however you need to be careful about perceptions that could misguide results. Taking a targeted approach may help to narrow down to only those areas that you lack skills, and go to the right people.

In the first year as Program Manager, I would encourage asking lots of questions, validating drivers and desired outcomes and priorities, grouping these into suitable work streams and planning for each. One valuable exercise is to build and maintain FAQs to deep dive into the various work streams at play and keep these current as much as possible. Documenting and sharing FAQs serve the dual purpose of raising awareness and building community at scale whilst validating and normalizing detailed understanding across the board.

Fail fast and often. This will help you gain feedback to iterate on and increase your skill set to grow as a program manager.

Building relationships and growing your network plays a key role in maintaining a successful leadership. 1- It requires a lot of skills but most importantly knowing value adds that you bring and others bring to the new relationship. 2- Go specific and make sure people understand you interest and try make it a mutual interest. 3- Listen respectfully, we often hear things and pretend we listen but in reality we actually don't listen. 4- Building trust is a key, however that depends on the values you are driven by and make sure people see you as a leader with values. 5- Share success, appreciate/recognize participation by others, and share credit. 6- Follow up on matters and maintain respective communication.

Building a strong network and relationships is crucial in program management. Here's a brief guide: Communicate Effectively: Keep all parties regularly informed and engaged. Listen Actively: Show empathy and understand concerns to build rapport. Deliver on Commitments: Reliability in fulfilling promises builds trust. Resolve Conflicts Positively: Seek solutions that benefit all parties. Acknowledge Efforts: Recognize and appreciate team and stakeholder contributions. Understand Stakeholder Needs: Align their perspectives with program goals. These steps are essential for fostering a supportive and successful program environment.

Ich bin davon überzeugt, dass gutes "Management" in Programmmanagement zwar eine notwendige Voraussetzung aber keine hinreichend, also nicht die alleinige Voraussetzung für ein erfolgreiches erstes Jahr ist. Vielmehr musst Du Dich mit dem Thema "Mensch" befassen: gute Beziehungen aufbauen, Stakeholder nutzen um die Organisation "hinter" Dein Programm zu bringen und immer wieder Leadership-F?higkeiten aktivieren, um Dein Programm-Team aktiv zu entwickeln.

Build meaningful relationships and a network of support systems. Seek mentors and learn from their experiences. Remember, collaboration multiplies impact. To achieve this, communication is key, be transparent, proactive, and adaptable in your interactions with stakeholders, beneficiaries, and team. Practice active listening, address concerns, and embrace constructive feedback.

Challenges are inevitable: view setbacks not as dead ends, but as detours to valuable lessons. Analyze what went wrong, identify root causes, and don't be afraid to admit mistakes. Openly share learnings with the team to cultivate a culture of growth.

Ask questions (a lot!) You may not have the handover you wish to have or in some cases not have a handover at all Start off with an appetite for learning from the members of your team This does two things You are better equipped to guide the program towards success You strengthen your rapport with your team and cultivate an environment of collaboration

Program management is a lot to do with cross functional knowledge, collaboration and managing stakeholders. One needs to focus on these more than anything else in ny view. This will let you understand the strategy, intended benefits and expectations of stakeholders as well