What are the most important things to do during your first 90 days in Program Management?

I would say the most important things to do are to listen and be curious. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even dumb ones (at the right time) and then LISTEN. You don’t need to prove your capability or skills—that’s why they hired you. You need to understand what the org and people value, what works well and what doesn’t and where you can best help and grow. Also, I never met someone with a job or boss they hate they didn’t have an indication in the first three months so don’t let the glow of the new opportunity prevent you from seeing the red flags.

In my first 90 days, I figure out if the vision is clear. We have to start using critical thinking, to apply logic and truly help the people we serve. An unbiased lens that focuses on results and the people that will help make it a reality. Find the real decision-makers; they are usually decisive or should know when they need help. Begin by showing your reverse-engineered skeleton blueprint of the transformation that is needed for the results that they want. Prepare the leadership team for the cultural atmosphere that is required to support the type of innovation for today's world and begin gauging their acceptance to change.

Your first task is to LEARN. You should be engaging with every single stakeholder, sponsor, executive team member, C-Suite and Board Member, on a one to one basis. Talk to them, listen, learn. Ask questions about the goal(s) of the Programme and how that aligns into Business Vision and their new Target Operating Model (TOM) where relevant. Capture information. You need to understand if everyone is pulling in the same direction, has the same understanding of the vision / goals / TOM (especially the last one). Are they all on the same bus going the same destination? If not then you understand more about where you are at, and can do something to re-align everyone.

These steps: 1 - Identify all key stakeholders and build relationships - anyone that you can learn something from up and down the chain. 2 - Understand the organisational strategies, objectives and current roadmap to see how you can best contribute. What outcomes are the priorities? 3 - Define and manage the Programme using best practice. Create, define and lead the projects using best practice. 4 - Tea and medals for everyone as the successes roll in ;>

🚀 Dive in with a proactive mindset! I'd advocate for a blend of keen observation and active participation when you start a new job. Quickly acclimatize to the company's culture, mirroring its values in your daily actions. Foster open communication by asking pivotal questions while also graciously accepting feedback. Prioritize forging genuine relationships, as this not only smoothes your integration but accelerates collective productivity. Align your milestones with the firm's vision but remain adaptive to unforeseen challenges. Lastly, harness any skill enhancement opportunities; it's your key to consistent growth and value addition.

It's imperative to develop trust, rapport, and mutual respect among your team members, project managers, functional managers, and fellow program managers. Simultaneously, effective communication with your stakeholders, sponsors, and customers is essential, ensuring they remain well-informed and actively engaged throughout the program's life cycle. To achieve this, employ a variety of communication channels and methods, such as emails, calls, reports, presentations, and feedback sessions.

Create a systematic approach to identify potential issues before they escalate, leveraging continuous feedback mechanisms and early warning indicators.

To build a strong and long lasting relationship you need to remain genuine and inquisitive. Listen and speak with clarity. Schedule follow ups and take notes. Remember who is who and keep a record of what has been discussed. Be human and remember small details such as birthdays and hobbys.

In my experience, it's crucial to establish strong relationships with stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations. Additionally, prioritize familiarizing yourself with the program's goals, timelines, and resources to develop a comprehensive understanding of its scope. Finally, focus on effective communication and proactive problem-solving to address any challenges that may arise early on.

Building relationships are definitely based on trust and respect but this is part of the first task. You have to earn those from others, and I do this by giving them to others openly and transparently. I start from this position and it serves me well, I want discussions with the people of the organisation initially that lay the groundwork for clear communication and collaboration - cornerstones of any good Programme.

In my experience, this necessitates the delineation of roles and responsibilities for your team members, project managers, and fellow program managers, outlining the methods by which they will collaborate and synchronize their efforts. It's equally crucial to institute clear lines of decision-making authority, escalation procedures, and conflict resolution mechanisms for your program. These should be documented in a comprehensive program charter or plan. Collaboration with stakeholders, sponsors, and customers is vital, as their input and endorsement are essential to this process.

Set up a Governance framework that will help in early flagging of risks and issues in cadence calls. Establish Reports and dashboards based on Stakeholder Analysis to meet their needs and expectations. Finalize the tools, dashboards

Program governance should be defined early and should cover both the governance of the program components and the program itself. Program progress communication can take the form of regular reports to the program steering committee and other stakeholders. As well as review meetings either periodic or at identified milestones to decide on the next phase of the program. Program component governance should also be defined to reflect how progress is tracked and reported in individual projects. The risks identified in the component projects are crucial in program governance as they contribute to the overall program risks and should be reflected as such.

Introduce a dynamic role rotation strategy within your program team to foster cross-functional expertise and collaboration. Instead of static role assignments, periodically rotate team members across different responsibilities.

It has been mentioned here often. Listen. Learn. Through this one should gather enough facts to understand a structure and approach which works for the organization. This is not something you can storm your way in with your own methods and requires a form of team and management consideration.

Governance framework is like having a health checkup - You need to have it defined for all phases - 1. Start of the project 2. During the project aligning to the dynamics at play. You go for some mandatory practices to be included(like mandatory checks) and based on reports and symptoms, your actions(or treatment) is decided. Building relationship with the stakeholders(as in patient-doctor) helps to keep the project aligned to the goals. Taking proactive steps and ensuring an open communication helps to stay on track always

I have found the most challenging part in project and program management to be a solid risk management implementation. While it is easy to point to the weaker points in a project or program, developing (and achieving buy-in for) a risk taxonomy and assessment system takes much political finesse. Identifying and proactively managing potential risks to a successful delivery requires humility and transparency from the project team, but that can best happen in a non-punitive organizational culture in which the framework for addressing potential failure is clearly defined and in which such discussions are welcomed. Risk management needs to reflect positively on the team, not negatively.

There are many frameworks, methodologies, and so on when it comes to the PLAN. To me they all break down to conceive, believe, and achieve. This nested in the Plan Do Check Act (or Adjust) cycle of continuous improvement will ensure success. Conceive: what problem or opportunity are you trying to overcome or manage? Believe: gather information from all stakeholders, negotiate a robust set of requirements (schedule, cost, function) that everyone agrees to AND build consensus around these. Achieve: DO, start executing on the plan, monitor results, identify and manage risk, assess as you go and adjust as needed (repeating the building of consensus throughout the process). NO plan is perfect. Do the best you can and adjust as you go.

The first 90 days of a program management role are crucial for establishing a solid foundation, building relationships, and understanding the program's objectives and challenges. Here's a concise plan for what you can focus on during your first 90 days as a program manager: Days 1-30: Establishing a Strong Foundation Days 31-60: Planning and Coordination Days 61-90: Execution and Continuous Improvement Throughout your first 90 days, remember the importance of building trust, demonstrating leadership, and listening to your team and all stakeholders. Effective program management requires a balance of technical skills, leadership, and communication, and your first 90 days are an opportunity to set a positive tone for the program's success.

The difficulty lies not just in identifying risks but also in creating a risk taxonomy and assessment system that gains widespread acceptance and requires political finesse, humility, and transparency. Phycological safety fosters a non-punitive organizational culture which is crucial, where potential failures are discussed openly and risk management is seen as a positive, proactive measure rather than a negative one.

I have found Kotter's 8 Steps to leading change especially powerful because they contain an element I miss in ProSci's ADKAR model: The idea that creating short-term wins keeps the transformational motivation and momentum going. Short-term wins--clearly a part of the agile mindset--are measurable and can be documented and publically communicated with easy-to-understand high-level graphics (thermometers, speed gauges, etc.). These can become great talking points for your evangelists, too. And when employees see that their behavior changes consistently pave the road to even the smallest successes, the velocity of transformation will pick up.

Program managers and change managers have distinct roles, but there is an overlap in their responsibilities, especially when it comes to managing organizational change within the context of a program. The overlap is evident in three areas: Organizational Change; Stakeholders Communications and Stakeholder Engagement.

Lots of great suggestions. I side with those who recommend starting with understanding what are the needs of your stakeholders and customers. Command the WHY to help you you drive the WHAT. In the end, no matter what development philosophy (Agile, WAgile...), the Triple Constraints "must" be honored. Your stakeholders and teams may speak or intuit about them in different way but it's the gospel of Program Management.

Resisting change has always been a natural human trait, Stone Age->Agricultural->Industrial->Information->Knowledge Zenith, we always had reservations with disruptions and same is true with our programs. The leadership(especially the Champions) plays a crucial role in addressing reservations of the stakeholders. If we show consumers the light of BEAM - Benefits, Education, Assurance and Mastery, the challenges can surely be overcome.

In program management, transparency is paramount. Also you need to regularly inspect to verify if goals are realistic and achievable, fostering open communication and trust. Adaptability is also key; be prepared to adjust plans in response to changes. Effective use of project management tools, like Gantt charts and risk matrices, aids in monitoring progress. Stakeholder engagement and a culture that supports open discussions about risks and potential failures are crucial. This approach ensures alignment, efficiency, and success in program delivery.

To embark upon the noble endeavor of refining one's program management skills, one must delve into the intricate art of evaluating program performance with a discerning eye. It necessitates a judicious analysis of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in our program outcomes, processes, and governance structures. This task, daunting yet indispensable, calls for the astute collection and meticulous examination of feedback, insights, and best practices, garnered not in isolation but from a diverse chorus of voices. Employing a variety of instruments in this quest - surveys, interviews, focus groups, and reports - is imperative to achieve a holistic understanding and continuous improvement, ensuring our practices exceed the expectations.

In my experience, it should be: "Test, Learn, and Improve". I believe testing is one of the most important steps managers must take, especially in their work, but particularly in their first three months. Testing is critical before implementing a new strategy or plan. Managers should try using testing tools to gain insight into expected results before scaling up. This cycle continues with learning and improving. Therefore, testing must be combined with learning.

I would suggest, begin by evaluating your program's performance, identifying both strengths and weaknesses in its outcomes, processes, and governance. Gather and analyze feedback, lessons learned, and best practices from a variety of sources, including your team members, project managers, stakeholders, sponsors, and customers. This wealth of input can be collected through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and detailed reports. Such insights will be invaluable for enhancing your program management approach.

Revisões periódicas do plano são cruciais para o gerenciamento eficaz de programas. Permitem adaptação a mudanças, identificação precoce de desafios, otimização de recursos, aprendizado contínuo, agilidade, flexibilidade e coleta oportuna de feedbacks. As revisões periódicas são essenciais para manter o plano relevante, adaptar-se a mudanças e promover a eficácia contínua, refletindo o ciclo PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) que sustenta a melhoria contínua em qualquer processo de implementação, enfatizando a importância das revisões para manter o programa alinhado aos objetivos e adaptável ao ambiente em evolução.

Observing, learning, and improving are not just important tasks for the first 90 days; they are ongoing necessities throughout the lifespan of the program. A program typically lasts longer than individual projects. Its objectives may outlast the completion of several projects. As the program progresses, lessons learned from completed projects, achieved milestones, or missed targets need to be integrated into the planning of future steps. Plan-do-check-act cycles should be consciously incorporated into program management and carried out regularly. It can be beneficial to include one or more review points in the schedule when setting interim or annual targets.

In the first 90 days it is important to understand the stakeholders, their influence and what their interests are in the programme. This will have an influence on how often you need to engage and communicate with them. It will also influence what governance may need to be set up and when you need their involvement. Once the stakeholders are identified and understood the vision, problems to be resolved and success measures can be obtained. This will then help to identify the resources required and then a high level plan of what needs to be achieved.

In my understanding, the initial 90 days represent a critical period during which we can concentrate on the following aspects to enhance the success of Program Management: - Familiarize with program objectives, scope, and stakeholders - Build relationships with key stakeholders - Identify potential risks and challenges and develop mitigation plans - Set clear goals and milestones - Establish effective communication channels - Evaluate and identify program's resources - Develop a comprehensive understanding of the program's budget and financials - Align the program's activities with the organization's strategic objectives - Seek feedback and capture learning - Continuously monitor and report on the program's progress, risks, and outcomes

1. Continuous Learning is key for first 90 days and beyond. 2. Develop new skills 3. Network 4. Retrospect weekly and often 5. Be agile and adaptable 6. Celebrate small wins

Demonstrating strong leadership by setting clear goals, communicating expectations, and empowering team members establishes a solid foundation for program success. Conducting a mindstorming workshop with team members fosters collaboration and generates innovative and creative ideas for better engagement. Utilizing risk identification techniques, such as SWOT analysis or scenario planning, helps identify potential risks and develop effective mitigation strategies. Moreover, utilizing problem-solving skills and encouraging innovative and creative thinking enables you to address challenges promptly and find unique solutions. By prioritizing these activities, you can effectively lay the groundwork for successful program implementation.

Programme success is driven around a lot of moving parts. It's about how you create / lead your team, engaging, motivating, supporting and enabling them. Key is communication, consistency, collaboration. Fundamentally without embedding those into your ethos of operation and actual Team - who need to be enabled to go do so with the organisation - you won't be successful. Remember one more thing please, everyone is human and this is change, most people don't like it & have to be helped through their journey. Have humanity, heart & soul. Listen, learn, understand & help the people. You will earn respect and trust. And when it's your time to leave, the people and organisation will be sad you are going, not glad. Which one do you want?