Ed. 019 Teaching Program Managers How to Push Back and Say, "No"
Looking for ways to continue driving forward? Push back on your customers, stakeholders, and developers, and say "no."
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Saying “no” to your developers ✋
Driving progress is the name of the game. But how about does saying “no“ help get stuff done?
Why does this matter? Program managers are masters of finding alternative solutions. Saying “no” is not considered an absolute, but a method for evaluating different solutions.
Deploying strategies via OKRs (Objective and Key Results) 📈
The article outlines how more strategic direction can be made less abstract by cascading OKRs down the org chart.
Why does this matter? Program managers advance not just progress, but strategic direction as well. “Direction” can be somewhat intangible and abstract at times. By concretely defining OKRs, it’s easier to define the necessary execution to achieve said direction.
Leveling up your Business Process Management (BPM)
Looking to brush up and refine your PgM skills? Take a look at this curated list of online BPM classes.
Why does this matter? Program managers have to grasp a lot of moving parts. The shift toward cross-functional functional work is unavoidable. Having a defined process to map and manage business processes can be useful.
The ABCs of attitude-based archetypes in design 🔢
Designers today are at the crossroads of design and technology. UX designers carefully craft and study what makes their users tick.
Why does this matter? Did you think that your role as a PgM is just supposed to create project plans and hold people accountable? Nope, there are design program managers as well! The design process and study of designers can be leveraged to understand how your business processes, projects, and programs can be successful with elements of user-centric design.
What’s not an MVP
Gone are the days of creating project plans from problems. Problems are now seen as opportunities. Solutions are considered products. Users are considered customers.
Why does this matter? In fast-moving companies like startups and tech companies, innovation is often prioritized over efficiency and process. Building fast solutions to prove a hypothesis is a less costly and less risky endeavor than spinning up a gigantic project and placing an entire project management process around it.
Job Postings and Resources 📝
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