Download DEFM310 Joint Program ManagersPublic University DEFM310 Join and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! DEFM310 Joint Program Managers Public University DEFM310 Joint Program Managers When you are watching a football team take the field on a Saturday or Sunday, you may notice how the quarterback takes control of the players, chooses the play to run, and ensures that everyone on his team knows what their job is for the next play. They continue this until they have completed the game. This is similar to what a joint program manager does, he ensures the plans are set, everyone involved in the project is aware of what they are doing, and continues to do so until the project is complete. In this paper we will go over the roles and responsibilities of a joint program manager and what is the most important best practice to use. Joint program managers lead the way when it comes to joint projects needing to be completed on time and within budget. Brown (2010) describes a program manager as someone who, “Comprehends and puts to use the basic skills of management – planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling – so people and systems harmonize to produce the desired results” (p. 11). The joint program manager does the same thing, only on a larger scale, with more components involved. When you look at a quarterback, he is not catching passing or trying to run the ball every play, that is why he has wide receivers and running backs. Like the quarterback, the joint program manager is the leader, not the task doer for the team (Brown, 2010). When the team is led effectively and efficiently, they will be successful in completing the tasks at hand promptly. There are many roles and responsibilities that come with being a joint program manager. They must ensure that all components that are involved are completing their individual operational, support, and status reports that are required of them (Joint, 2014). Keeping everyone in line is no easy task, so having effective communication with all components involved will be extremely helpful. In the joint program management handbook (2004) they mentioned, “Establish control and responsibility for all program funding and review, on a continuous basis, the adequacy of resources assigned” (p. 11). Continuously reviewing and going over where you are in the process and what you need to get to the next step, will allow the joint program manager to stay ahead of any issues that may arise. Doing this job alone is no easy task, the use of deputy program managers will allow the joint program manager the ability to see and hear what is going on in the different components involved in the process (Joint, 2004). Communicating with these deputy program managers is essential to be a successful joint program manager. Fiscal responsibilities are another huge task that comes with the job. The joint program manager will need to know what money (RDT&E, procurement, and O&M) is to be spent on different areas, since they will all have funding coming from different sources (Joint, 2004). With this kind of responsibility, a joint program manager needs to be knowledgeable in all aspects of the project. Joint program managers have been around for a long time, and during that time, some best practices have been established. There was one that really stood out to me, which made the most sense if you are trying to be successful. Cooley & Ruhm (2014) gave a proverb for PMs, “Members of your team should all be owners of your program” (p. 155). I would not want to be a joint program manager in my lifetime, but if I were to become one, this is something that I would take with me. If the people in you team take ownership and pride in what they are doing, they will give everything they have to ensure that this project is completed without a single mistake. They will take their time and do things right, ensuring that the joint program manager and themselves come out accomplished and proud of what they have done. The life of a joint program manager is not for everyone and in this case, I am speaking for myself. It sounds like an amazing job to have, but after the career I have had in the Marines, I
