Program Management for Improved Business Results, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10Program Manager Roles and Responsibilities

We now turn the focus of attention to the program manager. As we stated in Chapter 1, the role of the program manager can vary greatly from company to company based upon how an organization implements its program management function. As Figure 10.1 illustrates, program managers in project-oriented organizations tend to fill an operational support role that focuses on coordination and facilitation of activities, while program managers in program-oriented organizations take on an expanded role that also includes team leadership and business management. Additionally, since program managers within program-oriented organizations are typically responsible for delivering a whole solution (Chapter 4), they must also take on a large integration role.

Figure 10.1 Variation of program manager roles.

In this chapter we focus on these three overriding roles of the program manager in program-oriented organizations: manager of the program business, integrator of multi-project work, and leader of a cross-discipline team. However, there is one important point we want to make before moving on. It is critical for the senior leaders of an enterprise to realize where they are operating with respect to the program management continuum and properly set the roles and responsibilities of their program managers accordingly.

The Business Manager ...