Free-rein leadership, also called Laissez-Faire, is a type of leadership style in which leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make the decisions. Mangers set objectives and employees are free to do whatever is appropriate to accomplish those objectives. The traits managers need in such an organization include warmth, friendliness, and understanding. Free-rein is […]
An Effective Meeting is one where its objectives were accomplished within the stated timeframe. Executing an effective meeting is an important part of a Program Managers (PM) job. Being prepared is the most effective way to have a successful meeting. Below are some tips to running an effective meeting: Decide if a meeting is needed
Earned Value Management (EVM) is a project management technique for measuring project performance and progress in an objective manner. EVM has the ability to combine measurements of scope, schedule, and cost in a single integrated system. It’s notable for its ability to provide accurate forecasts of project performance problems. Early EVM research showed that the
Democratic leadership, a style of participant leadership, is a leadership style in which group members take a more participative role in the decision-making process. Employees meet to discuss and resolve issues by giving everyone some opportunity to contribute to decisions. This kind of leadership applies to all organizations, including businesses, schools, and the government. Researchers
Delegation is the assignment of authority and responsibility to another person to carry out specific activities. Delegation empowers a subordinate to make decisions. Managers assign work, responsibility, and authority so they can make maximum use of their abilities. [1] Delegation is one of the most fundamental features of management because it entails getting work done
Note: DAMIR has been replaced with Defense Acquisition Visibility Environment (DAVE) The Defense Acquisition Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) System is a DoD initiative that provides enterprise visibility to Acquisition program information. DAMIR streamlines acquisition management and oversight by leveraging web services, authoritative data sources, data collection, and data repository capabilities. Website: Defense Acquisition Visibility Environment
A Commercial off–the-Shelf (COTS) item is sold, leased, or licensed to the general public; offered by a vendor trying to profit from it; supported and evolved by the vendor who retains the Intellectual Property (IP) rights; available in multiple identical copies; and used without modification of the internals. Definition: Commercially off-the-Shelf (COTS) is hardware or
Configuration Management (CM) is the application of sound program practices to establish and maintain consistency of a product’s or system’s attributes with its requirements and evolving technical baseline over its life. It involves interaction among government and contractor program functions such as systems engineering, hardware/software engineering, specialty engineering, logistics, contracting, and production in an Integrated
Configuration Management (CM) is the application of sound program practices to establish and maintain consistency of a product’s or system’s attributes with its requirements and evolving technical baseline over its life. It involves interaction among government and contractor program functions such as systems engineering, hardware/software engineering, specialty engineering, logistics, contracting, and production in an Integrated
Brainstorming is a technique used to generate a large number of ideas for the solution of a problem. It can be used to identify risks, ideas, and solutions to issues by using a group o team members or subject matter experts. Typically, a brainstorming session is structured so that each participant’s ideas are recorded for
Benchmarking is the process of comparing one’s business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries. It’s a valuable tool for any Program Manager (PM) to determine if there are any areas or processes in their program that can be improved upon by understanding how they compare with other organizations.
Autocratic Leadership is a leadership style characterized by individual control over all decisions and little input from group members. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their own ideas and judgments and rarely accept advice from followers. Autocratic leadership involves absolute, authoritarian control over a group. Definition: Autocratic leadership is a management style wherein one
The Acquisition Plan has now been replaced by the Acquisition Strategy. An Acquisition Plan is a plan that documents all cost, schedule, technical, business, management, and other considerations that will govern an acquisition program and is derived from the Acquisition Strategy. It summarizes the acquisition planning discussions and identifies milestones in the acquisition process. An
The Acquisition Strategy is a comprehensive plan that identifies and describes the acquisition approach that Program Management will follow to manage program risks and meet program objectives. The Acquisition Strategy guides program execution across the entire program life cycle and is updated at every major milestone and review. An approved strategy is reviewed and approved
The Acquisition Program Baseline (APB) is developed by the Program Manager (PM) before the initiation of a program for all Acquisition Category (ACAT) programs and depicts the current condition of a program. The plan states the threshold and objective values for the cost, schedule, and performance requirements for a program. The performance requirements are listed
An Integrated Product Team (IPT) comprises representatives from appropriate functional disciplines working together to build successful programs, identify and resolve issues, and make sound and timely recommendations to facilitate decision-making. IPTs are used in complex development programs/projects for review and decision-making. The emphasis of the IPT is on the involvement of all Stakeholders (users, customers,
Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) is the DoD management technique that simultaneously integrates all essential acquisition activities through the use of Integrated Product Teams (IPT) to optimize design, manufacturing, and supportability processes. IPPD facilitates meeting cost and performance objectives from product concept through production, including field support. It evolved in industry as an outgrowth
The Integrated Master Plan (IMP) is an event-based, top-level plan consisting of a hierarchy of Program Events. Each event is decomposed into specific accomplishments and each specific accomplishment is decomposed into specific Criteria. The IMP is ultimately used to develop a time-based Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) to show a networked, multi-layered schedule showing all the
A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a tool used to define a project in discrete work elements in a Hierarchical format. It displays and defines the product, or products, to be developed and/or produced. It relates the elements of work to be accomplished to each other and to the end product. In other words, the
The Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) is a time-based schedule containing the networked, detailed tasks necessary to ensure successful program/contract execution. The IMS is traceable to the Integrated Master Plan (IMP), Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Statement of Work (SOW), Contractor Performance Report (CPR), and Earn Value Management system (EVMS). Definition: The Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) is
A Configuration Management Plan (CMP) details the methodology that the Program Manager (PM), systems engineer, and program personnel will use to control program documentation and the program baseline (Technical, Functional, and Allocated). It’s used as a tool on a project or program that defines, documents, controls, instructs, implements, and manages changes to various components throughout
The Program Management Office (PMO) is the organization or group of people who are in charge of project management within an organization. They maintain the standards and sound business practices that are necessary for a company or organization to execute a project successfully. They are responsible for making sure everyone within an organization or project
The Program Support Review (PSR) is conducted to provide insight into current and future program execution through detailed analysis using the Defense Acquisition Program Support (DAPS) Methodology. The Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) Program Support Team applies the DAPS methodology to Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP) and Major Automated Information Support (MAIS) programs approaching
The Defense Acquisition Program Support (DAPS) Methodology provides the tailorable framework for conducting Program Support Reviews (PSR) to assist Program Managers (PM) and DoD decision-makers in preparation for Milestone A, B, and C decision reviews. The methodology is composed of a listing of programmatic and technical areas, sub-areas, and factors, developed to be both broad
Program Management is a strategic discipline employed to oversee the cost, schedule, and performance of individual projects or a cluster of projects to accomplish a predefined objective. Programs offer organizations a structured approach to overseeing and synchronizing multiple projects, optimizing their combined influence and alignment with strategic goals. Program Management is focused on: [1] Meeting
