Program Management Professional (PgMP) Exam Boot Camp

Overview

The management of portfolios, programs and projects is the management of the lifeblood of many organizations. To say that this is an important role in any organization is a substantial understatement. Poorly conceived and/or managed programs have doomed many companies. PMI’s PgMP standards provide a structure and checkpoints to help ensure success.

This course will prepare attendees to become a certified PgMP professional by covering the exam and teaching key skills through hands-on practice.

You Will Learn To:

• Learn about environmental scanning and its role in Strategic Planning
• Clarify program mission and vision
• Learn techniques for managing difficult stakeholders
• Consolidate project/program data such as documented issues, status reviews, risks, financial reports
• Increase commitment to the program by using proven motivation techniques
• Use trends and extrapolation to help identify preventive and corrective actions
• Approve completion, acceptance, and closure of constituent projects through appropriate processes and procedures
• Manage the contracting process
• Establish and maintain alliances with other organizational units
• Improve your ability to analyze and compare actual values in cost, schedule, quality, and risk with the program plan

Course Outline

1. Strategic Planning and Program Management
   This module provides an overview of PMI®’s Program Management Standard, and a comparison of the best practices in several industries. You will discuss the questions that must be answered for every program. Who are the Stakeholders? How should programs be selected? organized? How are benefits measured?A. Program Management and Portfolio Management
   B. Identifying Program Risks
   C. Organizational Structuring of Programs
   D. Decision tables and Decision Trees
   E. Program Governance and Stakeholder Management
   F. Managing Program Benefits
   G. Managing Program Stakeholders

1. Program Governance
   This module clarifies program governance throughout the life of the program, and launches the class case study as the vessel for learning throughout the workshop. The program management life cycle phases provide the structure and responsibilities for program oversight that includes managing the Program Manager.
2. Phase One Pre-Program Set-up
   B. Phase Two Program Set-up
   C. Phase Three Establish Program Management and Technical Infrastructure
   D. Phase Four Deliver the Benefits
   E. Phase Five Close the Program
   F. The interfaces and relationships between and among program, portfolio and project management.

III. Defining the Program
This module helps program managers to work with top management and others in clarifying the needs of the program and verifying its feasibility for organizational funding. It answers the following questions among others: Is this program aligned with the organization’s strategic plan, and prioritized among other programs? Is there a marketplace for this product?

1. Establish program feasibility through cost/benefit analysis
   B. Analyze and Assess stakeholder needs against submitted proposals
   C. Build a coalition of organizational partnerships and support for a program
   D. Present a pre-program assessment to organizational governance to obtain approval
2. Initiating the Program
   This module introduces the Program Management Process groups: Initiate Program, Authorize Projects, and Initiate Team. A program is officially born when the Program Charter and Preliminary Scope Statement are approved.A. Align programs and their milestones with the expectations of sponsors and other stakeholders.
   B. Build an accountability matrix for differentiating between the program and project resources.
   C. Use best practices and company standards to improve efficiency and consistency among projects.
   D. Control program performance by managing stakeholder expectations and requirements.
   E. Familiarize the organization with your program by leading a program kick-off meeting.
3. Planning Process Group-Part I
   This module provides skill practice in integrating constituent project plans into a complete Program Plan through collaboration among Corporate, Program, and Project levels. The program plan will need details from the component projects in order to plan the various interfaces, and to ensure sufficient resources.A. Determine Program Management Plan Components
   B. Conduct Interface Planning
   C. Transition Planning
   D. Resource Planning
   E. Scope Definition
   F. Create Program WBS

1. Planning Process Group-Part II
   This module emphasizes the cost, schedule and risks for the program. Communication between and among all program levels, as well as program contracting for integrated purchasing and contracting are discussed and practiced.A. Develop the program Schedule
   B. Estimate the program cost and budget
   C. Plan to ensure Quality results
   D. Plan and coordinate Program Communications
   E. Conduct Risk Management Planning and Analysis
   F. Plan Program Purchases and Acquisitions
   G. Plan Program Contracting

VII. Executing Process Group
In this module, you will learn the responsibilities of program managers during the execution phase. The execution phase normally consumes the majority of program cost. Once all approvals have been obtained, the first projects begin the execution phase.

A. Direct and Manage Project Execution
B. Acquire Program Team
C. Information Distribution
D. Use Stage Gates to examine progress
E. Develop the Program Team
F. Perform Quality Assurance
G. Request Seller Responses
H. Select Sellers

VIII. Monitoring and Controlling Process Group
This module will provide an array of manual and automated techniques for monitoring and controlling programs. Some of the techniques involve a simple roll-up of project data, while other techniques address program-level data needs. Is the program achieving the benefits described in the Benefit Realization Plan?

A. Integrated Change Control
B. Resource Control
C. Monitor and Control Project Work
D. Issue Management and Control
E. Scope, Schedule, and Cost Control
F. Perform Quality Control
G. Communications Control
H. Performance Reporting
I. Risk Monitoring and Control
J. Program Contract Administration

1. Closing Down the Program
   In this module, the closing of the program under different scenarios is described. What should you do when it is apparent that a competitor has introduced a new product and yours is still a year from first customer ship? When should a program be downsized?A. Execute the transition plan
   B. Facilitate the stakeholder post-review meeting, present the program performance report, obtain feedback, and capture lessons learned.
   C. Support future program and organizational improvement by reporting lessons learned using appropriate methodologies.
   D. Use Contract Closure to finalize agreements
   E. Close program Components
   F. Close Program

1. Certification Exam Simulation
   This workshop will not be the last development step for any current or future program manager. It is expected that those who sit for the Program Management Certification Exam will use these course materials, the textbook, the Program Management Standard and other appropriate documentation, such as the completed exercises from this workshop.

This course is also available on our public schedule via Live Virtual Classroom: