Program Governance

You are a Program Manager for the Program ABC. You received an email from the CEO of your company where he has forwarded you the mail sent by one of the Program managers within your Program mentioning that something is wrong happening in his project. What is your reaction?

• Speak to your CEO and reply with the possible fix for that solution

• Speak to the concerned Project Manager about the issue and get it fixed

• Discuss the Escalation path with the Project Manager and ensure the proper communication protocol is followed

• Nothing to react to; let the Project manager work with the CEO to resolve that issue because he is the one who highlighted it

Answer explanation

Option "C" will come first. Defining the escalation path & setting the communication protocol will form the base for all Program Level communications and set the expectations very clear. Option "B" will be followed by Option "C" & then followed by Option "A", Option "D" is irrelevant.

As a program manager, you follow a detailed closure activity developed by the enterprise program management office (EPMO). You have customized this procedure somewhat to fit the unique requirements of your Program. Project C is now in its closing phase, and the transition of the project has been ccompleted. Is it your responsibility now too?

• Conduct a performance review with the project team members

• Perform a final performance review

• Reallocate resources to other program components

• Update personnel records

Answer explanation

Option C is correct. At the program level, resources that become available from one project may be reallocated to other active components in the Program or are soon to be activated as a component transition decision is made. SPM V.4, Page # 54. Option A will be performed by the project manager and not by the program manager. This action must have been completed already as the transition of the project is completed successfully. Option B is incorrect. The program manager will do the final performance review once all the components are completed during the program closure phase. Option D is incorrect. The program manager will not update personal records, including the functional department or PMO's responsibility. PMO is a support function for a program manager who will help in training, documentation, policies, processes, etc.

The Scope Definition process is crucial to program success. During the program planning process, the scope is defined and described in more detail as more information is available. A key input to this process is the?

• Program WBS

• Scope management plan

• Benefit management plan

• Stakeholder analysis chart

Answer explanation

Option B is correct. A scope management plan will provide policies, processes, tools, techniques, templates, etc., for defining, validating, managing, and controlling scope. Program WBS is output but not the input to define the scope of the Program. The benefits management plan is about how the benefits will be delivered during the program life cycle.

Another company has acquired a company working in the pharmaceutical industry. The new owners are reviewing the existing programs and deciding whether they fit into their strategy or not. Which of the following will be LEAST useful while deciding on strategic alignment?

• Business Case

• SWOT analysis

• Governance plan

• Benefits Register

Answer explanation

Answer (C). Explanation: The governance plan is about how the Program will be administered and governed. This plan will have component initiation, transition criteria, issue escalation process, phase gate review timing, etc., but has no data or information to decide on strategic alignment. The business case gives information about the program goals, cost benefits ratio, program viability, and feasibility analysis, etc. SWOT analysis gives the Program's positioning regarding its environment factor, and the benefits register outlines the benefits and their planned and current status. Except for the governance plan, all others are useful for determining alignment with strategy.

You are submitting the Program Performance report to the steering committee. Which part of the Performance Report will they be more interested in?

• Planned Cost Vs Actual Cost

• Whether benefits obtained are in line with organizational objectives

• Impact of changes

• Risks analysis

Answer explanation

Option D is correct. Risk analysis-related information will be most important for the steering committee. Reference: SPM V.4, Page # 126, first bullet point. Options A, B, and C are incorrect. Impact of change if negative on the Program then that is a risk, the difference between planned cost v/s actual cost if very high then that is also a risk. Option B is wrong because the Program performance report will have the status of benefits. Whether obtained/delivered benefits are in line with Organizational objectives or not, that analysis will be done against business case by the steering committee as part of strategic alignment analysis throughout the Program Lifecycle.

A pharmaceutical company awards your firm a cost-reimbursable contract for a research-related activity. The Program steering committee is reviewing the program roadmap as part of its governance activities. One purpose of review by the Program's governance board is to?

• Initiate another project into the Program

• Direct program communications with the public at large

• Identify how many project managers have earned their PMPs

• Manage the program resources

Answer explanation

Option A is correct. Reviews by the Program's governance board or steering committee are an opportunity for senior management to assess program performance before the Program moves to the next phase or before another project is initiated in the Program. The criteria for component approval are defined in the governance plan.

You are the program manager for a six-year program that is in its second year. To ensure that the benefits realization plan is on target, you perform a benefit review of the four underway projects. Project B is not achieving the desired benefits, and its deliverables are not being completed as planned. When you report this concern to the governance board, the executive sponsor recommends that Project B be terminated. At the program level, you?

• Prepare a termination request

• Prepare a report of lessons learned

• Reassign the project manager for Project B

• Conduct a final program review

Answer explanation

Option A is correct. A termination request is an input, and it is required if a project is terminated before its scheduled ccompletion. A termination decision may result from a program benefits review or a change in the external environment. Options B, C & D are performed once the component project is officially terminated.

Six months after a new management information system program went live at a large bank, a survey of users showed that barely 25% of the features were actively used, and 65% of the users were dissatisfied with the new system. The only people who seemed happy with the new system seem to be the top management and technically accomplished people who could figure out how to work with the new system. This is MOST likely to be a failure of?

• Scope Definition

• Risk Management

• Transition Planning

• Resource Management

Answer explanation

The fact that some people who were able to figure out the system were happy with it shows that the system is inherently not faulty. Therefore, the most likely cause of this situation is improper transition planning, where the bulk of the end-users do not seem to have been trained on how to use the features of the new system.

In a program where collaboration is critical to success, the program manager identifies that some team members are not engaging. What would be the most effective action to take?

• Assign mandatory collaboration tasks to disengaged team members

• Provide training sessions on effective collaboration techniques

• Replace disengaged team members with new hires

• Allow disengaged members to work independently

Answer explanation

Correct Answer: B. Provide training sessions on effective collaboration techniques.

Explanation: Training sessions can help team members understand the importance of collaboration and equip them with the skills needed to engage effectively.

Page Reference: Refer to SPM 5, page 137, for information on training for effective collaboration.

A project manager is working on a project that has recently received approval to transition and close. The project manager receives a change request from a customer, which will require an extension to the schedule by a few weeks. What should the program manager do?

• Ask the project manager to ignore the change for a few days until the closure formalities are completed

• Inform the customer that the Program is closing, and the change cannot be accommodated

• Close the project and the Program and initiate a new component for the change that has been requested

• Evaluate the impact on the Program's benefits and make a decision

Answer explanation

Option D is correct. The program manager should evaluate the change and its impact on program's benefits; based on impact analysis, he should recommend whether to accept the change as part of the current project or initiate a new project to optimize the benefits for the Program. Option A is incorrect. Ignoring the change is a bad suggestion; dealing with change is an proactive approach for the program manager and will help improve the relationship with stakeholders. Option B is incorrect. There are no hints in question which suggest the Program is closing. Hence, you can't lie to the customer because that is against the program manager's ethical and professional conduct. Option C is incorrect. Closing a project or program is a bad decision because all the contracts also have to be closed with them. Starting a new project or Program for change requested will again have to start a new contract, unnecessary wastage of resources and time.