
138 • Program Management in Defense and High Tech Environments
comes), but it may be terrible for you and your program. Learning costs,
and the trial and error that go with learning, are expensive and, thus, a
risk to your program’s success. Remember that it is common sense that the
engineers on your program want to satisfy their “solid line” boss, because
that boss typically evaluates their performance. So your vigilance needs
to include watching for those “learning experiences.” You have to be sure
that the FM knows your budgets and schedules are tight; if there is some
learning to be done, it should come from the FM’s budget, not the pro ...