What are clients looking for in a program manager?
Program management is about being an advisor to a client and living their job with them. It involves working with clients daily to coordinate the skills and resources they need to execute large capital programs and avoid inherent implementation risks. For many clients, their objectives are to achieve environmental benefits, stay within often-constrained budgets, meet aggressive schedules, and develop long-term plans to maintain their infrastructure.
With clients across the country facing the need to substantially rehabilitate their aging water and sewer infrastructure, the need for a program manager is growing. For most of these clients, the programs are coming at a time when budgets are tight and organizations are facing the retirement of key staff. As a result, program management has a lot to do with managing design, overseeing construction, and commissioning facilities on time and within budget.
It also means that clients need assistance in strengthening their organizations. This involves not only delivering the program, but also evaluating organizational structures, improving business processes, and upgrading information management systems.
What have you learned in your experiences as a program manager?
One of the most rewarding professional experiences I've had involved the $3.8 billion Boston Harbor cleanup project. I started working on the project when I was first employed by CDM and was involved in planning the approach by which the program would be managed. I then had the rare opportunity to continue my participation as a public employee with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, including serving 8 years as the program manager. I saw the daily management challenges faced by clients who carry out capital programs. I gained an appreciation of the management, technical, financial, environmental, and legal risks that need to be addressed proactively.
Are you finding there are common origins for program management projects today?
Many clients have just signed consent decrees related to mitigating wet-weather overflows in their wastewater systems. They will need program managers who also can provide technical and management expertise in developing and/or finalizing their consent decrees. These clients recognize the obstacles they will face as they execute the work under the decree. They know these programs must be done on schedule and cost effectively to avoid fines and minimize the financial impact on local ratepayers.
The message I hear most often from clients is that they need a trusted partner who can provide the assistance, resources, and advice to make their programs successful. As I mentioned, program management teams live the jobs with their clients. They are on site every day and trust becomes the foundation for success.
How is technology helping to advance program management?
Clients want the ability to have information immediately and in a manner that allows them to have summary data on key variables, as well as the ability to drill down into greater detail. Timely data and thorough analysis enable the team to anticipate challenges early on, and develop proactive solutions, saving time and money. Therefore, software infrastructure for tracking costs, schedules, and documents is a key element of a successful program.
Finally, how do clients sustain their organization?
As their trusted partner, program managers have an obligation to help clients become more self-sufficient and develop programs that provide the long-term underpinning to enhance their community's economic growth and quality of life. This can be accomplished by providing training, proven management procedures, information tools, and asset management plans that help clients maintain their systems.