All right. Um So to everybody on the call today at the Women Tech Global Conference 2021. Uh Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Um wherever you may be in the world, uh My name is Candice Quadros and I lead program management and productivity tools at Roku.Um I have been in the program management discipline for a very long time and uh it's a topic that's really close to my heart, like I just said, um so I'm always excited to talk about program management. Uh As many of you must have seen uh technical program management or program and general program management are, are sort of the industry buzzwords today and it, it has become a booming career option for not only entry level or mid-level professionals, but even executive level professionals.

Now, more than ever, program managers are in high demand across the industry. And I would love to share a few of my learnings with you today if you want to consider a career in program management. So, um so before we, before we get into my slides, just wanted to do a quick introduction here. Um Like I said, I'm currently at Roku in the Bay area. And prior to Roku, I worked at Google and Microsoft in uh program management and leadership positions. My, pretty much my entire 15 year career, the majority of it has been um in technical program management. So I've been in the tech industry for, since the beginning, but I didn't start out as a technical program manager. In fact, I started out as a software development engineer uh at Microsoft. But early on in my career, I realized that I really loved the work that the program managers on my team were doing and I wanted to do what they did. But, you know, going from software development into program management was a long journey with many missteps, um many steps and many, many missteps along the way uh until I was actually able to make that career switch. So at today's session, I hope to give you all an overview of all of the key skills that you'll likely need um that if you want to have a successful career in program management.

Uh So getting into the agenda, um we'll start out talking about what uh what's a program manager. So how do we define a program manager? And then we'll try to understand what are the differences between program management and project management. Um What separates the tool on a day to day basis? We'll then dive into what I call the program management toolbox. These are the core tools that I think are key to success as a program manager. And finally, we'll look at the steps that it it takes to make your program management dream career a reality. OK. So let's start out by defining a program manager as a program manager. You will be the one that creates a program strategy and goal. You articulate that program strategy and goal. You passionately own that strategy. And finally, you relentlessly drive the program to completion. Uh driving to completion may range from simple, you know, regular meetings that you set up on a weekly basis to more complicated things like aligning on strategy, getting, getting leadership aligned on strategy, getting stakeholders aligned on the strategy. So you can think of someone, you know, when you think of a program manager, you can think of the uh the architect who sketches the blueprint.

The architects aren't the ones who install plumbing or drywall or the roof, but they are the ones that make sure all of these pieces come together to create that beautiful dream home. So program manager, the program manager role extends beyond the completion of individual projects.

But it's the whole picture. It's the big picture realization of that complete project is um is something that the program manager would own. Um And before we get more into program managers, I just wanted to briefly touch on what separates a program manager from a project manager because you'll find a lot of these uh similar sounding roles when you, when you look at open job postings, so essentially program managers supervise groups of projects while project managers oversee individual projects.

So it means program managers focus on, generally speaking, they focus on long term business objectives, they focus on how do groups of projects come together to achieve a strategic vision. So, you know, in a way, one way to look at it is a program manager looks at strategic outcomes and drives for strategic results and project managers look at tactical projects and drive for those tactical results. Um Again, none of these are, you know, this, this isn't, there isn't a definitive definition for a program manager or a project manager. You will see a lot of these job titles being used in the industry interchangeably. Uh But generally speaking, this is what I found when it comes to the uh to the differences between a program manager and a project manager. All right. So, uh let's talk about the deem the life of a program manager. Um You know, if you're a program manager, your day to day job involves going through the life cycle of a program. So the program manager defines the program controls, which is the processes, procedures reporting, which are used to manage the program. Program managers also plan the overall program, they monitor progress to make sure that milestones are being met across the various programs.

Program managers also manage the program budget, they manage risks and any issues that might crop up and they definitely do crop up during the course of the program life cycle. And they're also responsible for making sure that the appropriate measures are taken to correct the any kind of risks or issues when they occur. Program managers coordinate the dependencies between various programs so they understand what, what kind of alignment is needed across the various programs or even projects.

And they are the ones who are tracking those. There's also resource management that sometimes falls under the program management umbrella. So being able to effectively understand which resources you need for success of your program managing and using those resources correctly across various programs comes to program managers.

Stakeholder management is another big thing uh that program managers own and drive uh understanding the stakeholder needs, ensuring that stakeholders are tightly aligned with the outcomes of the program and ensuring that there is communication, transparency and visibility for all of the stakeholders is part of program management.

And the uh deliverables program manager has to be singularly focused on the deliverables of the program. So making sure that the deliverables are aligned across various programs and projects also falls into program managers heads. So as you can see, there's a, there's a number of different things that program managers would own. And a lot of this depends on how, how high up in the on the ladder, the job ladder you are. So if you're uh if you're an entry level program manager, uh you, you will be doing a lot of this stuff for a single program. But as you grow in your career in program management, you're likely gonna be managing and coordinating across a wide variety of programs. And that's where the, you know, having the experience and the expertise to be able to uh identify the risks that cut across these various programs um is really, really crucial for success. OK. So we've talked about uh differences between a project and a program manager. We talked about at a high level, what the program managers do on a day to day basis. So now let's get into what I call the program manager toolbox. And here's what I want to talk about the skills that would really help you succeed uh as a program manager. So if you have these skills, that's great, you're already on the path to success. But if you see there's things here that you would like to work on.

These are things that I wanted to highlight to folks on the call to help you better understand what are the things that you likely want to already build and have in your toolbox so that you're set up for success. So delivering this, delivering a program or delivering a great program really depends, I would say solely on the program manager, it might sound counterintuitive to a few of you because there's usually a whole slew of people, there's a whole team that's involved in the process of launching a program, what, you know, while it is true.

And I uh I wouldn't argue that the team members are just as important from my perspective. The program manager is the one who takes all of the responsibility for the outcome of the program. The program manager is burdened with a great task that requires them to possess and develop many qualities. And like I mentioned, all successful program managers have a toolbox which they use to run their programs and achieve desired results. So let's look into what's inside this toolbox.

Um So just like in the toolbox, there's different layers where all of the important tools are stored based on how often you tend to use those tools. The top level is the one that you're most often going to use on a daily basis. So these are the ones that you use the most and the ones that can save your project. So in the top layer, the number one skill set or the number one mindset that a program manager needs to have is ownership as the program manager, you are the owner, period, you have to think long term and strategic, which means you don't sacrifice short term results for you don't sacrifice long term value for short term results.

As the owner, you are acting on behalf of the entire company beyond just your own team. As a program manager, you should never be the one that says that's not my job when I run my programs at Roku or even my past programs at Google and Microsoft, I've had program teams that range from 5 to 50 people. And as the owner, I consider each of those resources as my own resources that I need to use to achieve the program goals that I'm tasked with running. Number two that I would say is the most uh is a top level tool that the program managers need to use is effective communication. A successful program manager has to know how to communicate effectively. Every person perceives information differently. Some people like numbers, other people like to see the human side of a particular issue. The program manager needs to understand these different aspects and communication style and they have to adjust their own style to match the the audience that's in front of them. And then number three is bias for action. Program managers really need to have bias for action because speed matters in business, you need to understand the difference between reversible and irreversible decisions and actions. In reality, there are many decisions and act actions which are essentially reversible and more.

And anytime you need to make a reversible decision, you do not need to spend hours upon hours for study or research. What matters is the ability to, to make, to have to be able to take uh calculated risks and being able to move fast. So here's the uh top level items in the program manager toolbox. So now let's get into the middle level in the middle level, you'll find tools that are vital for success of your uh of your program and for execution of the program. So number one here is planning and tracking. There's a, there's a very famous quote that goes without a goal without a plan is merely a wish, a successful needs to be fluent in the language of planning. You need to build a plan and track the most important milestones. Along the way, you need to add numerical measurements such as deadlines and KPIS, which are key performance indicators. Once you have that plan in place, then comes tracking KPIS can help you see how well your project is doing and if something is missing, you should be able to take action right away. Number two is diving into the details. As the program manager, you have to operate at all levels, you should be able to operate right from. You should be able to stay connected to the details and be able to audit frequently.

And you should also be able to be enough in the details enough that when somebody gives you uh data that doesn't match what you're seeing. You, you are able to ask the right questions. You should be skeptical when metrics and anecdotes differ. So don't think of any task as beneath you and being able to dive into the details, being able to speak from the, from the IC level all the way up to the executive level um is really a crucial skill for program managers. And then number three is team management. You need to have the right people to be able to complete your program successfully. So you need to choose them carefully. What are the profiles of the people that you need on your team? What are the skill sets that you're looking for? What is the behavior that you want your team members to display when you have that right team selected, you need to be prepared to lead and manage them in the beginning of your program, people will need a lot more guidance and a lot of explanation, conflicts may arise while everyone is learning how to work with each other.

This is a normal process and it's nothing to be afraid of your job as a program manager is to help them through it. You should be the one that is able to bring out the conflict, able to drive the resolution to that conflict with through communication and resolution management. And then when you're past that conflict, the team members will know how to work together and they will be able to perform to their best. And finally, we go to the bottom level, which is the lower level of your toolbox. These are the tools that you probably don't use on an everyday basis, but they are the ones that really are foundational and support the, the tools, the tools that you have at the top layers. So the first one here I say is time management. If, if you're managing a program and you want that program to be on time, you as a program manager need to be on time that happens with proper planning and being able to track your KPIS and milestones. You should also be, you should also have the ability to monitor your team, your team members and yourself is everybody executing on time. If it's not the case, what is the reason? How can it be improved?

These are all of the questions that you need to ask yourself time and time again. Number two is conflict management and resolution. Conflicts are a natural part of team formation. Many folks tend to be afraid of them so they try to avoid them. But that however, is one of the biggest mistakes that you can do. Having conflicts in the team is a healthy thing. It means that people care about the program and they want to see it succeed just as much as you do. It can be difficult to maneuver to people's emotions and thoughts. But going through and resolving the conflict will make the end resolve that much more worth it. And finally, tool. Number three is delegation, think of all other types of management, resource management, risk management, financial management.

These are all critical but they can be delegated the ability to delegate is really a vital tool in your toolbox. Ask your team members, the one ask your team member that has financial experience to deal with the finances. Ask someone, ask another team member to create a risk assessment and track it. That way with the delegation, you will create a bandwidth to focus on their strategic uh goals. And it will also give your team more ownership and more accountability on the program. Um So just to summarize the program management toolbox, the success of a program does not depend on one thing. It is a combination of tools, processes and good teamwork. A successful program manager knows that and uses it to their advantage. And so now I want to talk about, well, what are, you know, you understand all of the things about program management? But how do you get to that? How do you uh how do you switch, how do you make this career switch into program management? So you know, first thing is first things first is understanding this toolbox, building your toolbox, which means gathering these key skills. One by one next is sharpening your tools. So start applying these tools one by one at your current job. Uh start small, look for small areas within your current role where there are gaps and start applying the skills. Um finally build a portfolio.

Uh Even as a software developer, you can have a portfolio program management work that you can showcase when you apply uh to your program management job and lastly is really making that leap. Uh This is when you have the foundation you built out your toolbox, you have, you have the experience of using these tools and now you can take that leap and apply for that dream program manager job that you've been eyeing. And you know, as a program manager, I like to think of my job as not just a title but an attitude. You always be on the lookout for areas in your current job where you can apply these skills and reaching your dream job of becoming a program manager. So start small and start now. Um So that's the end of my presentation for today. A big thank you to all of you for being such a wonderful audience and a huge thanks to Margo and the Woman Tech Global Conference 2021 team for having me here for this wonderful opportunity.