New version of PM CoP portal now online!

Program Manager, May-June, 2002

http://www.pmcop.dau.mi/pmoop

The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition (Acquisition Reform Office), and the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) have updated their recently developed Program Management Community of Practice (PM CoP) Web site. In addition to a new user interface, the site features better support for discussion forums, member information for community collaboration, and new content In the areas of contract management and risk management.

The PM CoP portal and communities are helping the program manager, the program management team, and their industry partners perform their jobs more effectively through knowledge sharing. PMs now have anywhere, anytime (24/7) program management support for job performance through a Web portal. Populated with links to net materials, lessons learned, questions, best practices, yellow pages, and chat capability the goals of the PM CoP include: knowledge capture and retrieval, collaboration, solution development, new idea generation, and online mentoring of acquisition workforce personnel.

The development and support team consists of executive leaders, an Overarching Integrated Product Team (IPT), and Working IPTs, which include joint leadership and membership. Through the participation of 30 current and former program managers in February 2001, five key high-priority kickoff areas were identified in supporting a PM community:

* Risk Management

* Contract Management

* Software Acquisition Management

* Systems Engineering

* Earned Value Management

Currently Risk Management, Contract Management, and Systems Engineering communities are linked to the portal. A previously developed Total Ownership Cost (TOC) community has also been integrated into PM CoP. Links are also provided to information sources on various subjects of interest to the Program Management community which are candidates for future communities of practice.

How can the PM CoP benefit you and your program? The PM CoP supports program managers from the ranks of the DoD acquisition, technology and logistics workforce and their executive teams by providing a valuable resource to aid their program management efforts in several areas:

* Solving real-world problems and performing tasks typical of the acquisition workforce.

* Managing requirements.

* Performing political, social, technical, economic, and programmatic activities.

* Achieving organizational goals more efficiently.

Long-Term Plans

The long-term PM CoP vision calls for community support for all key acquisition functional areas. Eventually the Navy Acquisition Reform Office and DAU anticipate that there may be around 40-50 key functional areas. In the coming year the Navy Acquisition Reform Office, Defense Acquisition University, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Defense Contract Management Agency will partner to develop an Earned Value Management focus area within the PM CoP.

What are you waiting for? Log in now, learn, and share. Your knowledge contributions are what the community is all about!