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TECHNOLOGY AND THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT
Federal IT professionals to receive new program manager status
By Aliya Sternstein 03/30/2011
The Obama administration has proposed creating a new federal position -- information technology program manager -- to help reverse the multiyear delays and multimillion-dollar losses that agency computing projects traditionally accrue. The new position is part of a 25-point strategy unveiled late last year for changing the way the government buys IT systems and services.

The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday issued a draft job description for the new title. The position's responsibilities include coordinating,Office Ultimate 2007, communicating and integrating IT projects and program activities; ensuring such work achieves the outcome specified by IT business strategies; and conducting negotiations and decision-making to execute programs.

The post involves managing at least one "large" IT program "to provide products and/or services." A project is a singular endeavor with a tangible outcome that starts and stops during a short period of time, whereas a program typically consists of several interrelated projects aimed at a achieving a certain long-term benefit for the agency.

IT program manager will be added to a category of jobs known as the IT Management 2210 series. All jobs in the series require knowledge of information technology concepts, including data storage,Microsoft Office 2007 Standard, software applications and networking. Other positions in this class include project manager and IT specialist.

Establishing a career path for IT program managers is the centerpiece of the technology management overhaul, which also focuses on centralizing purchasing power at the office of the chief information officer,microsoft Office 2010 License, increasing communication with potential vendors early in the bidding process and outsourcing IT services to online hardware and software providers in the cloud.

Eventually, programs will be denied funding unless they are staffed by a dedicated program manager, according to the plan. The White House has instructed OPM to design a formal IT program management career roadmap by June that includes direct hiring authority. Agency officials currently are consulting with subject matter experts to develop a competency model for IT program managers and will survey federal employees for feedback in April, according to administration officials.

Bolstering program management is one of the least controversial IT reforms,Microsoft Office 2007 Pro Plus, but funding for education, new jobs and promotions might be hard to get from Congress in a tight economy. Administration officials said previously that they expected to provide $158 million in fiscal 2011 for training and hiring civilian acquisition professionals.

Program management enthusiasts said the discipline will be attractive to youth entering the federal workforce because it involves heading up major initiatives, such as FBI information sharing, that effect change in government.

An announcement about the new title on the CIO.gov federal website,Office 2010 Professional Plus, stated, "The government is taking steps to recruit talent with deep experience in IT management, who can take ownership and 'steward IT programs from beginning to end.' The IT program manager title is a step toward recruiting the best of the best for these critical roles."

Interested members of the public and employees have until April 14 to comment on the new title.