What are the best ways to learn from other program managers in your field?

More often than less, Program Management in several industries are deemed as tactical workforce for tracking and reporting. Whilst this maybe true as a subset of Program services the majority chunk lies in the untapped power of transformation . Major paradigm can be created with full autonomy to take risks and make informed decisions. In the end it’s the value realised and the impact created , matters.

In my own experience, I've found that simply becoming part of a professional network doesn't necessarily contribute to the expansion of domain knowledge. However, every Program/Project Manager should actively strive to share their experiences and be open to communication. The eagerness to unlearn and relearn serves as a fundamental element for personal growth.

Les programmes sont de plus en plus dynamiques et évolutifs en fonction des contextes d’intervention, il est important d’être en réseau avec les pairs, le réseau professionnel offre un cadre informel de recyclage, une mise à jour continue entre pairs( gestionnaires de programme).

Most effective way to learn more about program management other than enrolling for certifications is joining a professional network. I connect with people different experience in same field over Linkedin and connect with them for webinars, have joint live sessions. We have created groups to share knowledge about program management through our experience and interests.

Joining Professional network for Program Managers is one of a learning platform from peers. In the network skills and knowledge will be shared. It is also a good way to get insight, advice and guidance from industry leaders. It also facilitate experience sharing with like minded professionals.

I recommend attending events and webinars with speakers who are hands-on in program management, as the reality of day to day program management profession and the standards are not always aligned...

Listening to the people who have travelled the success roadmap you want to go next at, is one of the most rewarding experiences and great motivation to deep dive. Webinars, workshops and networking events provide a platform to connect and learn. Program management entails extreme discipline and balance of collaboration and communication within the teams, in addition to dealing with various challenges. The exposure helps you hit the ground running and make your own mark to achieve your objectives.

Listening to other people with more experience or similar experience helps a lot in understanding more about the subject. You can learn how different organisations works. How they approach the problems. For this, Attend different webinars, seminars, events conducted over social media, professional networks, etc.

Experience and leadership is essential for a programme manager to learning from other managers. This is due to compexities and dynamics of programming in terms of scope, resources and context and is very much associated with the technicalities to identify and adress risks and challenges of the programmes and projects.

Peer learning is one way to share lessons and experience in workshops, events and webinars. In this times virtual events and webinars are effective ways of dissminating knowledge to large audience. There high-level events and summit are being run by partners to educate members and professionals.

I have found that reading and constantly applying new tools will expand your knowledge. Different projects and programs require different tools. This will also help grow your professional network if you engage with the posts.

Being able to take program management courses on LinkedIn and Udemy has been very insightful beyond my own experience as a PM in the medical field. It has helped me see that my skillset is very transferrable and helped me reevaluate my techniques to improve the outcomes.

With the ability to find and utilize resources and courses online on platforms like LinkedIn, Udemy and Coursera is widely helpful. Not only are you able to expand your current skillset, equipping you to use program management tools more efficiently as well as being able to position yourself as a mentor to team members and train them to better use those same tools.

Oh I love podcasts. Pop one on everyday for the bus ride to the office. Not all are equal though, and make sure to mix it up with different perspectives from different people. HBR is great, but I like to mix it up with some perspectives from folks like Rick Rubin and other creatives to learn how they take on creative projects.

You cannot learn and grow in your own vacuum of space and time. One thing I’ve found helpful for the past 3 years is publicly sharing major lessons or topics on linkedin. This has done a few things for me: (1) forced me to articulate my learnings which reinforces my learnings (2) prompted feedback from others as they added their ideas to expand my original thought (3) connected me with new people

In same context just identify program that's running well and green first. Then pick up phone and talk to respective program manager on following points 1. whats going well 2. communication model and calls setup 3. Escalation model 4. Any challenges faced and how they were fixed

In my experience, feedback from peers, mentors, coach and managers provide with a variety of viewpoints and ideas. They can provide new perspectives on your program management methodologies, deliverables, challenges and opportunities that you may not have considered previously. This broadens your perspective and allows you to make more informed decisions.

Feedback practices are a main cornerstone in developing professionalism in project management. From my personal experience, communication skills acquired by those practices enable more successful processes and projects, within a team.

Don't hoard knowledge and experience. Pass it on and build up the team around you. I often do debriefs with my team at major milestones on a project. Find out what worked well and what did not. We also have internal coaching sessions, allowing our team to learn from each other and pass on the good stuff.

Lots of Do’s in this article. Here are some Dont’s. Don’t manage all your stakeholders using the same rules and techniques. Evaluate the individual needs for success. Don’t forget to build in contingency plans for risks to the program, communication and the timeline. Don’t promise unattainable results based on available resources-human and tools. Don’t refrain from celebrating successes! Enjoy the journey!!

In my experience, reporting to and working alongside talented programme leaders was an invaluable way of learning the craft and picking up best practices. Courses and training can take you so far however there’s no substitute for doing it for real.

In a PMO, one of the most effective ways to facilitate the learning process is to hold regular standing team meetings, team members can openly share their experiences: discuss successes, obstacles, and goals. This exchange allows team members to explore and receive valuable insights on how to tackle unique challenges in their projects. Whether it's learning about PM software usage, handling clients and stakeholders effectively, or navigating the complexities of remote work, such discussions provide practical and relevant learning opportunities. These interactions contribute to enhancing the team's culture and cohesion. Open sharing of experiences fosters a collaborative atmosphere that enables team members to learn collectively.

Networking and Knowledge Sharing Another way to learn is by building networks with other teams in your company. The power of networking is huge - it has enabled me to exchange ideas and carry out knowledge sharing sessions with the broader teams. I've learnt different tricks, tools and perspectives by networking with wider teams. I also look to liaise more with the external vendor community to understand industry trends and best practices.

Do not be afraid to branch out and try things. I recently had an opportunity to take a mentorship / training that under normal circumstances I would not even consider. But, my mentor encouraged me to try it out and I'm learning all sorts of neat things.