The Handbook of Program Management

As a program manager, you are first and foremost a leader — one who must create, manage, and continually improve a culture that ensures the success of your project managers. Establishing and maintaining processes that greatly reduce the chances of project failure is paramount to achieving the competitive edge your company seeks.

The Handbook of Program Management gives program managers at all levels the techniques to put such processes in place as well as consistently integrate new technology and new people into these processes, thus producing superior products and services. Dr. James Brown, an internationally recognized authority in program and project management, explains how to strike a crucial balance between operations and project implementations — the precise point where you must nurture repeatable success.

Outlining the differences between the roles of program and project managers, Dr. Brown provides proven principles for establishing a successful program management culture that is supported by enthusiastic personnel and stakeholders.He shows you how to develop the attributes of an effective program manager, from having a vision and strategy for long-term improvement to assessing people and building relationships to analyzing a myriad of means for accomplishing program objectives. You'll see how to:

• Readily adapt to changing business conditions and turn chaos into clarity
• Mentor and coach project managers in terms of stakeholder management
• Make strategic program process decisions that positively impact your culture
• Build strong teams on multiple levels
• Plan an effective program execution
• Manage risk in an environment of uncertainty

You'll also learn the keys to proper portfolio management and how to capitalize on positive program outcomes. Nowhere else will you find such comprehensive, authoritative information on meeting the new standards of program management — Dr. Brown's The Handbook of Program Management is the definitive resource.

1. Chaos to Clarity
2. Attributes of the Effective Program Manager
3. Stakeholder Management
4. Program Process Strategy
5. Program Execution Processes
6. Team Building at the Program Level
7. Program Communication Processes
8. Program Risk Management
9. Portfolio Management Essentials
10. Positive Program Outcomes

An interesting book that in fact manages to describe what a Program manager does, and not getting bogged down in the details of the Project managers world, even though the author manages to intersect and contrast them from time to time.

In my view, on of the better books that describes program management on the market.