What makes a Program Manager truly successful?
To answer this question, we spoke with Janne, an experienced Program Manager who earned her stripes at ARAG for Harmony Group over nearly three years. Her story offers a wealth of practical wisdom for both aspiring program managers and organisations looking to elevate their project management to the next level.
The Essence of Program Management
When Janne accepted her role as Program Manager at ARAG, she quickly realised that her function encompassed far more than overseeing individual projects.
"As a Program Manager, you bear responsibility for various simultaneous projects that influence each other. Managing the impact of one project on another is at the core of the role. Often, it involves projects with overlapping scope or shared resources."
From the outset, it became clear to Janne that several core responsibilities were crucial for success.
Janne's list of responsibilities?
Strategic Alignment: Bringing all projects in line with ARAG's overarching business objectives.
Resource Management: Ensuring optimal deployment of people and resources across different projects.
Risk Management at Program Level: Identifying and addressing risks that could influence multiple projects.
Stakeholder Management: Aligning expectations and involvement of various stakeholders.
Change Management: Guiding the organisation through the transformation brought about by the program.
The Program Manager's Toolkit
As Janne grew in her role, she realised that success in these many core tasks required a unique combination of skills. One of her key insights was the importance of human skills:
"People skills are vital because you often sit between decision-making and execution, communicating at various levels. The human aspect really shouldn't be underestimated."
What other tools should a Program Manager have in their toolbelt?
Strategic Thinking: "You must always see the bigger picture and be able to translate long-term goals into concrete actions."
Adaptive Leadership: "Different teams and situations require different leadership styles; you need to be able to adapt to that."
Analytical Skills: "It often comes down to understanding the underlying data and then making well-considered decisions."
Time Management: "As a program manager, you really learn to juggle the priorities of all those underlying projects."
The Power of Strategic Pauses
But one of the most surprising and valuable skills Janne learned was the importance of consciously pausing:
"One of the biggest lessons for me was daring to press pause. By nature, I'm someone who keeps going, but as a Program Manager, it's essential to sometimes step back to analyse better."
"In a role where constant action and decision-making are expected, the ability to consciously take a step back can make the difference between reactive and proactive management."
The Impact of an Effective Program Manager
Quite a few important core tasks, then, and an impressive list of skills. But the most important question is, of course: what impact do you make?
By seamlessly coordinating projects, Janne saw how resources were better utilised and ARAG was able to implement major changes more quickly.
"By managing the interdependencies well, the success rate of individual projects naturally increases. As a Program Manager, you're a direct link between strategy and execution. When you keep everything well-controlled, you move forward with all stakeholders."
Harmony's Approach
Janne's role as Program Manager is no coincidence. The vision translates well to how we work at Harmony.
People-Focused: Just as Janne emphasises the importance of people skills, we recognise that the success of projects and programs hinges on the people who execute them.
Culture of Continuous Learning: Janne's willingness to learn and grow is in Harmony's DNA. Our mission is to create a "top athlete" environment where reflection and knowledge sharing are central.
Trusted Partnership: Partnership is central to us, which is why we always ensure perfect alignment between projects and programs and our clients' organisational ambitions.
Embark on Your Transformation Journey
Janne's journey as a program manager illustrates the versatility, challenges, and essential role of this function in modern organisations.
Whether you're an aspiring program manager wanting to follow in Janne's footsteps, or an organisation struggling with managing complex, interconnected projects - the right approach can make the difference between fragmented efforts and coordinated, effective transformation.
For Professionals: Inspired by Janne's story and considering a career as a program manager? You probably have lots of questions - we're happy to answer them: feel free to get in touch.
For Organisations: Want to maximise the impact of your programs, as ARAG did with Harmony? Schedule a free strategy session with one of our senior consultants and discover how we can help your organisation make strides!
Together, we transform challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation!
