TOUGH Program Manager Interview Questions and Answers

hello my friends and welcome to 15 program manager interview questions now this is going to be a rather long session because there's a couple of things that we're after today one is to

understand what program management is and two is to talk about the program manager interview and give you very clear ideas of what to expect so let's

talk about program management first of all what is program management program management is often defined as the application of Knowledge and Skills

tools and techniques to a program to be able to experience benefits and control that would not be available by managing the individual projects in the program

separately you can say that program management is a systematic approach to the coordination and administration of

multiple interrelated projects you see for it to be a program we must be talking about multiple projects and not just multiple projects but multiple

interrelated projects and these are happening at the same time you see so we're talking about projects and

activities that are interrelated and aimed at achieving a common goal program management encompasses a wide array of processes and methodologies to ensure

that successful delivery of a program and its intended outcomes when we talk about the program manager the program manager role is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the

program from the definition of the program and planning of the program to execute in monitoring and controlling and finally closure of the program and this could span across several months

and even years let's talk about governance a well-designed program governance plan is an important component of program management it

provides a framework for decision making and it ensures that the program conforms to established expectations and agreements throughout its life cycle

when we talk about a program life cycle the life cycle is divided into three major phases this program definition

program delivery and program closure now we talk about program activities we refer to things such as change management activities Communications management financial management

information management procurement management quality management Resource Management Risk Management schedule management scope management and we also talk about support program management

and governance the program manager has to coordinate all of these activities I've mentioned to ensure the successful delivery of the program so let me ask

you this is this similar to what you thought program management was because it's a very wide topic I could spend the next one hour solid just giving you the

introduction in fact if you look around YouTube you'll find my one hour introduction to program management I'll Endeavor to put a link to it somewhere but to Be an Effective program manager

it means you have strong leadership skills and the ability to effectively manage and motivate cross functional teams it also requires a deep understanding of an organization's

strategic objective so whichever firm you're in what are their strategic objectives what is the definite chief aim of that firm and it also requires

the ability to align program outcomes with those strategic objectives so in summary program management is a critical function in any organization that helps

organizations to achieve their goals and deliver value to stakeholders now you've got a good understanding of program management or much better than before

why don't we go a step further and let me show you some jobs for program management let's jump straight into Dice and right here on the screen you can see

I've got a job from dice.com for senior program manager Enterprise products let's scroll down and take a look and it says job duties in this role you will manage

executive project expectations including the escalation Communications and sea level interaction on critical you see that word again strategic strategic

projects for the company help guide the design Planning Development and implementation of again strategic you see that word corporate projects the scope of which includes program reviews

executive communication and approval requirements Gathering and eventual deployment it goes on and on supervised coordination program deliverables

collaborate cross-functionally to effectively guide projects so in the interview questions I show you you're going to see a lot of questions about the cross-functional aspects of teams

documental aspects of the program including requirements risks issues project schedules and meeting agendas so on and so forth so you can see this is a

rather robust breakdown just in the description alone you can see that lots of content to understand here

and go in a step further they're looking for Bachelors four years of experience the ability to convey urgency throughout a given program Dynamic personality that

can quickly establish trust and rapport ability to operate in uncertainty and adapt quickly the capacity to document vet requirements and drive quality so

it's it sounds like a lot but this is what program managers need to come with here's another one let me scroll down this is a contract

type thing and it says end-to-end IIT infrastructure management season proactive and business savvy professional with a well-earned reputation you see reputation is really

big in a program because it's touching so many parts of the firm proven ability to understand big picture that's another thing big picture the strategy this just comes with the program manager role

here's another one it program manager remote let's read the full description going down it says experience with both

traditional and waterfall and agile project management methodologies demonstrated experience in task risk and scope management the ability to communicate about technical matters with

business stakeholders business matters with technical stakeholders you see that person's a go-between it's mentioned in some agile terminology here so so the

summary my friends is this needs to be a seasoned individual with a very wide net of abilities really widen out of

abilities this would not be for a lightweight one more here this is within the United Kingdom and you can see the salaries are quite appealing but we got program

manager different levels different opportunities here engineering program manager so for you to be able to

survive in such a role you have to be business savvy a big picture person a strategy person someone who really knows

their ins and outs of what a program is and project management in general all right so my friends we are moving back into our discussion

about the work of the program manager and I am going to be giving you

15 interview questions today for the program manager so if you are ready to roll let's go

15 program manager interview questions all right so you know the way I roll with this I want you to take a few moments think about what I'm going to ask you and then I want you to return

and listen to what I have to say here's your very first one I'll give you a sample answer but for now there is your question can you tell us about your

experience in leading cross-functional teams and coordinating multiple projects you take some time

think about this okay now I'm assuming you've hit the pause button and you're back so this is how you could answer the question

during my time at the Semiconductor Company I led a team of Engineers designers and product managers to develop a new software platform

I coordinated the efforts of each team to ensure they were aligned with the program goals while also keeping an eye on Project timelines and budgets

at the Aero company I managed several projects concurrently working with cross-functional teams to deliver on program objectives while maintaining high levels of collaboration and

communication that is an example of how you can answer that question my friends so you got to have your experience ducks in a row let's go to the next one

number two how do you prioritize programs and manage conflicting demands take some time

hit the pause button before listening to my answer you could say something like this I prioritize programs based on the

number of variables including strategic importance resources required value risk and deadlines

when demands conflict I work with stakeholders to ensure we have a common understanding of

trade-offs and I make informed decisions with my stakeholders that balance priorities and maintain progress towards

our overall goals all this is balanced with knowledge and insights from c-level Executives in The Firm to ensure that

their strategic value and importance is factored in to the overall final decisions about what is prioritized over something else

let's go to number three can you give me an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision

in your role as a program manager so your answer to this question could be something like this I recall a situation in the semiconductor firm where the team was

behind schedule on a critical program and we faced pressure to release the product before it was fully tested

I made the difficult decision to delay the release and invest additional resources into testing for two more

weeks to ensure a high quality product that met customer needs and expectations the end result was it paid off because

even though we were delayed severely because two weeks is big in the world of production it panned out all right because what we

released was hitch free and bug free and it was a well accepted decision by the stakeholders

let's go to question four how do you measure the success of a program you're managing take some time to answer it

before listening to my answer this is how I could answer this question success on any program is measured by a

combination of quantifiable metrics such as program budgets timelines project deliverables

qualitative measures but most importantly stakeholder and customer satisfaction as well as feedback

it could also be measured by Employee Engagement I track progress against these metrics to ensure the program is on track

and I make any necessary adjustments let's go to number five can you discuss your experience with program planning and execution

after you I'll go next hit the pause button here's my turn I have extensive planning with both program planning and execution having managed complex projects at the Aero

firm I utilize agile methodologies to prioritize and deliver on program objectives

wherever necessary I also ensure that our resources are effectively allocated and risks are proactively managed I go the extra mile where necessary to

include metrics such as earn value to ensure that we're in total sync with scope schedule and cost sometimes I may employ a hybrid approach

where some projects are more agile and others are more predictive number six can you walk us through your approach to

risk management for a program I sure can being a risk management professional in addition to being an organizational

project management maturity model expert I have systematic approaches to risk management starting with the planning for risk across the entire program

in a previous employment at the semiconductor firm I sat down with the pmo manager and strategized a planning approach and a management approach for risks

we had a risk register that was well thought out the formatting of the register was very meticulous and the scale that was used to score qualitative and quantitative

risks was decided upon and that was used across the sleeve projects within the program when I've planned risk management I then prioritize risks that have been

discovered and identified by team members based on their likelihood and impact I ensure that all project managers within the program use one

template one tool one look for risk so that we're comparing Apples to Apples I then prioritize risks based on likelihood and impact and developed risk

mitigation strategies at the program level to reduce the impact on the program I regularly re-evaluate risks with project managers within my program and

adjust mitigation strategies as needed I also involve key stakeholders in the risk management process to ensure they're buying and support and this previous program Endeavor that

I mentioned this was a divestiture into a large firm and it was very important that the deal went through hitch-free for that reason I had daily meetings

with all the project managers within my program let's move on to number seven how do you ensure effective

communication and collaboration between program teams and stakeholders you could answer the question like this I believe that Claire and regular

communication is key to effective collaboration and program success I hold regular check-ins with team members and stakeholders and I use

collaboration tools such as Miro Asana jira and others to keep everyone informed and aligned I also encourage open communication

and I actively listen to feedback ensuring that all stakeholders have a voice in the program and can contribute to its success let's move on to the next one

number eight how do you stay on top of Industry Trends and incorporate them into your program management strategies

I would answer the question like this I stay informed of Industry Trends in a number of ways such as regular reading regular research

staying plugged into the project management Institute and other bodies and I also attend conferences and events I also have a network of Industry peers

who I regularly connect with to exchange ideas and insights I'm also a member of the project Leadership Institute project leadershipinstitute.com where I network

with other like-minded professionals and I'm regularly updated with what is best in class or new in industry I regular connect with other individuals

to exchange ideas and thoughts and insights and when a trend is relevant to a program I'm managing I assess its potential impact and I work with the

team to incorporate it into our strategies and in that way it adds value to the program and supports our goals now let's have a very quick synopsis of

how I have been answering the question so far you can hear my voice is pretty even it is not up and down you would also be

able to see my demeanor that is common composed when you're interviewing be sure to be cool calm and collected not all over the place and not

with fluctuations in how your voice is projecting this is a very key step in being successful in any interview your poise

and having the knowledge to disperse back to the person questioning you is important so you must know your definitions

your tools your techniques and the lingo of programs to be able to succeed in such an interview let's go to number nine

can you describe a situation where you had to manage a program with limited resources go ahead and answer and my answer would be something like this

at the semiconductor firm I was tasked with managing a program that had limited resources and a tight deadline in fact I had to jump in as a project manager on

one of the projects within my program for human resources I worked with the team to prioritize deliverables and identify opportunities for resource

optimization we also identified areas where we could leverage external resources or Partnerships from other parts of the firm to support the program

through effective collaboration and resource management we were able to deliver the program successfully and within the specified

timeline the diversity show went through and on day one of the new year after we were divested into this firm everyone was happy

so you notice I am introducing some personal stories into the interview answers and this just helps underscore

your familiarity with your resume and your content so I tell people know your resume I also

tell people know your story very important number ten can you discuss your experience with budget management and financial

forecasting for program I would answer something like this thanks for your question I have extensive experience in this area

having been a program controller for a slew of projects from the Aero industry every week without fail I would have to

give an account of how budgets were spent and the earned value metrics SPI CPI cvsv and even EAC

and Etc so for me it is extremely important for anyone in program management to have a handle on budget management and

financial forecasting as I did as you might know EAC means estimate that completion and Etc means estimate to complete and I had experience in reporting on

very deep analytical Financial forecasting for the programs I was on let's move on to our next one

next we're going to number 11.

can you give an example of a successful program launch and how you managed it you go ahead answer to the best of your ability

before I share my answer all right so I would answer something like this I have mentioned the

semiconductor firm a few times this is an example of a successful program that I managed it was a program

that touched on very many parts of the firm and I led a cross-functional team to effectively divest into another firm

the program was successful due to a clear focus on the customer effective stakeholder management strong team culture that encouraged

collaboration and open communication everyone was ready to roll up their sleeves and Leadership level was high through these efforts we were able to

deliver a high quality final divestiture into this second firm without any hitch on day one

it received a lot of positive reviews and our customers were very pleased let's move on to the next one can you discuss a time

when you had to handle a crisis situation in a program I'll let you think about it for some time okay

so I would answer the question like this in the era firm I did mention I had experience managing programs with extremely tight deadlines

having delivered several high pressure programs at both companies I mentioned went facing a crisis in a program such as the

program falling apart my Approach is to sit down with the stakeholders let's have a meeting where we can see eye to eye and talk about what is

causing the program to fall apart in one of the programs I was managing without divulging too much information it had gotten to the point where the

program was about to fall apart because all seven stakeholders believed that we were not able to deliver what was promised them

after several hours of reassurance and going through facts and figures both my boss and I were able to convince the senior stakeholders to hold on and

give it another try to be able to proceed forward in this program and as I mentioned earlier there were some significant delays of two weeks but

we were able to get the program back on track and my Approach is to sit down with stakeholders to have a conversation

and to make Way Forward together the agile Manifesto is my watchword of customer collaboration over contract negotiation

yeah all right let's move on to number 13 we are almost done can you describe your experience with stakeholder management

and keeping them satisfied with program outcomes all right so I would answer the question like this in my previous example I did mention how

stakeholders were disillusioned and the program was almost coming to a halt but I believe that clear communication and a positive mental attitude are key to Leading and motivating the team

through challenging circumstances one of the ways I handle stakeholder management and keep my stakeholders satisfied is with regular updates I

encourage team members to voice any concerns and ideas I also recognize and reward team members successes so talking about stakeholders all the full gamut of

stakeholders ensure that they are satisfied they listened to they fail heard and they're happy by maintaining a positive and supportive work environment

I'm able to keep my team focused on shared goals and one of our highest priorities is to satisfy the customer becomes a win-win for everyone all right let's move on to number 14.

can you discuss a situation where you had to make changes to the program scope and how you handled it all right so I would say something like this

in one of the firms I mentioned I had a situation where we needed to make changes to the scope at the last minute not only were additional requirements requested by the customer

but these requirements were going to be pretty hard to implement knowing that the customer needed them

my boss and I decided to move ahead with those requirements and put them in our traceability Matrix before working with vendors and other individuals who made it happen

making changes to the scope was very important but it was not done irresponsibly it was done using an intentional approach by first of all

documenting the requirements in our requirements traceability Matrix across the entire program and then running test scripts use cases and understanding

what exactly we had to do and test to get our stakeholders to be happy once the scope was determined and assignments were made to team members

our next step was to tightly manage the schedule to drive the schedule I'm not proud of saying we had a lot of overtime to do but I was working upwards

of 70 hour weeks along with other team members but when the dust settled when all was said and done it was a home run my boss actually got a promotion at the end of that program and left the

department left me in the department but it was a huge success

now you probably realize I tell a few stories in my interview that is just my style it may or may not be your style but I

don't dwell too much on the story I just sprinkle it in a little bit and come out of it to make it as realistic as possible

to put a human touch to it so I don't sound robotic I know my resume pretty well so as a trainer it could also come

across as rehearsed if I'm not careful and that's why sometimes I put certain pauses into what I'm saying or I may accelerate the way I say it just to

ensure that it comes across as being authentic and at the spur of the moment even though I know my resume so well because I've been to over 50 interviews

you need to know your resume well enough to the point that you're so comfortable in answering questions and narrating any stories you might have here is the final one my friends and

this is number 15.

can you describe a program where you had to lead a virtual team and how you ensured their effectiveness you do know that in today's world this

is a big question so I would answer the question like this in a previous employment in the gaming company on a program

I had to lead a team across the United States and Europe it was very challenging because of the language barrier and not only the language barrier we also had trouble with time

differences at first but as the project proceeded and we began to know each other better we had a common understanding of the time that was best

for both teams and we were also able to turn on our webcams to ensure that everyone was in sync we realized that if the webcams were on and everyone was

able to see themselves things went a lot smoother so to ensure Effectiveness we used the concept you could call it of web conferencing or even at times a

fishbowl window where we worked collaboratively with camerazon and everyone was right there in the zone at the same time collaborating sometimes we

used a concept known as swarming or Mobbin just to ensure that everyone worked to the highest efficiency on problems that were common to us at the

time and needed to be resolved with all hands on deck and that my friends has brought us to the end of these 15 questions did that feel like quicksand

kind of grueling at times and I mean these are questions I put together so if you found these to be helpful I'd appreciate it hit the like button

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offer resume help at PM anonymous.com I prepare Executives and project and program managers for professional interviews many of who have

received glowing reviews after their interviews and gained employment in top Fortune 500 companies there's a ticket tape again it's pm anonymous.com thank

you very much for joining me I look forward to speaking to you in my next video bye for now