Can you Manage a Global Program?

In this Business901 Podcast I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Wagner, co-author of Global Program Management. Paula Wagner, PMP, is a senior project manager/senior business manager for CNN Broadcast Engineering System Technology at Turner Broadcasting Systems. Her insight and knowledge of this field is outstanding. We discussed not only what it takes to run a successful Global Program but also what it takes to be successful and the opportunities in this growing field. Paula teaches Project and Program Management at the DeVry/Keller Graduate School of Management.

Paula’s book is an in depth study of today’s Global Program Management arena. Very few organizations make only local decisions. It seems in today’s world no matter what size the company is that we all are somewhat global. Is your program or even project manager ready for this kind of challenge? How does a classic program and project management change as a result of this global influence? Paula did a great job of answering these questions as they applied to both small and large organizations. With the increase pressure on project managers the book provides insights on handling resources at a macro-level. During the interview, Paula appeared to be a pro (I am sure she is) at defining goals and objectives realistically no matter the multitude of environments that needed to be aligned.

Program management is growing as a discipline. So, we spent time talking about some of the decisions that had to be made as a program manager and the type of individual that makes a successful program manager. I think the book could be quite useful for someone that is considering this career path not only globally but on a local level.

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Paula Wagner’s Website: http://pwdita.com/