The document outlines the process for obtaining the PGMP® credential from PMI, including details about the panel review and tips for successful application submission. It provides guidance on how to effectively describe program management experience, address specific application questions, and maintain alignment with organizational objectives. The author shares personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of honesty and clarity in responses.

1. PgMP® Credential Program Management Professional An introduction to the PMI’s PgMP ® Credential André Toso Arrivabene, MBA, PMP

2. PgMP ® Panel Review The Panel Review begins once you successfully pass the Audit Process. A panel of credentialed program managers will assess your professional experience based on your responses to the Program Management Experiences Summaries provided on the Application. If you fail the panel review, you will have one more chance to re-open your application and amend your summary statements, based on the feedback provided by the panel reviewers. This is very tough process, so be sure to ask for guidance if you have the chance to.

3. PgMP ® Credential Timeline: My Experience Application Submission Dec/08/2010 Application Completeness Rewiew Dec/13/2010 Applicant Payment Process Dec/13/2010 Audit Process Documents Sent: Dec/16/2010 PMI Receipt: Dec/20/2010 Audit Result: Dec/22/2010 Panel Review Jan/21/2011 Multi-choice Exam Sep/12/2011 Multi-rater Assessment Started: Sep/13/2011

4. Panel Review: My Experience The same day I passed the Audit Process, I got the following e-mail stating that my application was undergoing the Panel Review:

5. Tips Try to be as factual as possible on your answers. For example, when describing your program, you should try something like: My program "ABC" is a X year, Y USD Bi, natural gas field development program with Z projects - each one in a different life cycle phase, including 3 off-shore gas platforms, 1 on-shore gas process unit, 2 gas pipelines. My program was part of the company's strategic initiative to improve the natural gas production in XX% untill the year 20YY. Try to mention your overall program budget and duration Don’t forget to describe the projects on your program How many projects / project managers Brief description of each project scope / budget / schedule Try to be as clear as possible on how each project added value to the overall program, for example: Client satisfaction Increase in Production / Revenue / Eficiency

6. Tips Describe how your program is aligned with the Company’s strategy / objectives My program will improve the production capability in X% My program will generate an increase of Y% on company revenue Remember that you have a limited number of characters on each question, so try to use abreviations: pgm - program pjct - project pm - project manager pgm - program manager

7. Tips Make sure you keep consistency on your answers. Check if your numbers add up – for example, if you stated that your program has 6 projects on question 1, you cannot say it has 8 projects on question 3. Make sure there are no contradictions on your answers. Ask someone to help you to check quantities, durations, budgets, number of projects & project managers, etc.

8. Tips You have to make sure that you address all items on each question. For example, on question 5 you have 2 items: Which monitoring techniques you used to validate and maintain alignment How you applied corrective actions to maintain alignment In your answer for question 5, you must address all topics: monitoring techniques and corrective actions. Make sure you describe how you applied the techniques on your program - otherwise, PMI reviewers will probably request you to review and make your answers more clear.

9. Tips Most important of all: be really honest on your answers. Describe only the processes you really used; make sure your numbers are accurate and describe how you managed your programs. The application process as a whole and, especially, the Panel Review, is a very good tool for you to assess your own professional experience.

10. Panel Review – Question 1 Question 1: Describe the characteristics of a program that you managed and that consisted of multiple related projects. In your answer, please describe: Your program and its multiple related projects How your program related to the company's strategic business and/or organization's objectives How the projects added value to your overall program Hints from PMI: Cite specific examples where you coordinated management of multiple related projects directed toward strategic business and other organizational objectives. Describe how you, as a program manager, managed multiple related projects (don't just list the names of these projects). How did the projects relate to the company’s strategic business and/or organization’s objectives? How did these projects add value to the overall program objectives and other organizational objectives? What were the intended benefits? How did these projects relate to each other? What program management techniques did you use in order to accomplish this?

11. Panel Review – Question 2 Question 2: Describe how you managed your program that spanned functions, organizations, geographic regions, and cultures. In your answer, please address: How you managed cross functional teams from different organizations, regions and cultures What difficulties you encountered and how you overcame such difficulties Hints from PMI : Using your program management experience, describe activities that spanned functions, organizations, geographic regions, and cultures. Describe the program management activities that were required and that spanned functions, organizations, geographic areas, and cultures. How did you manage cross functional teams from different organizations, regions, and cultures? What difficulties did you encounter and how did you overcome such difficulties?

12. Panel Review – Question 3 Question 3: Describe how you built and maintained credibility and rapport with all internal and external stakeholders within the program that you managed. In your answer, please address: How you applied program management processes What management and/or leadership techniques you used How you gained trust and confidence from your sponsor, peers, and subordinates? Hints from PMI Demonstrate how you built credibility, established rapport and maintained communication with stakeholders at multiple levels, including those external to the organization. Which program management processes did you use to establish and maintain credibility, rapport, and communications that spanned functions, organizations, geographic areas, and cultures? How did you use persuasiveness and/or influence toward the outcome (for change control, issues management, quality management, program and project scopes etc.)? How did you gain trust and confidence from your sponsor, peers, and subordinates? How did you use these processes to achieve these activities?

13. Panel Review – Question 4 Question 4 : Describe how you selected and assigned project managers to component projects. In your answer, please address how you evaluated and assigned project managers. Hints from PMI: Describe which program management processes you used to evaluate and assign project managers to do project management level jobs. How did you make the final decision? How did you use these processes to achieve this?

14. Panel Review – Question 5 Question 5 : Describe how your program stayed in alignment with strategic business and/or organizational objectives. In your answer, please address: Which monitoring techniques you used to validate and maintain alignment How you applied corrective actions to maintain alignment Hints from PMI: Describe how you maintained continuous alignment of program scope with strategic business objectives. Describe which program management processes, tools, and techniques you used to maintain alignment between program scope and business objectives (Quality Management techniques). How did you prevent deviations from happening? How did you use these processes to achieve this?

15. Panel Review – Question 6 Question 6: Describe how you controlled your program's scope. In your answer, please address: How you defined your program's scope How you controlled and managed change in your program's scope How you managed the influence of component projects' scope change on your program Hints from PMI: How did you control project scope in your program management role? Describe the program scope management processes you used to control program scope and to ensure effective component project scope within the context of the program. How did you manage the Change Requests from individual projects? How did you prevent deviations from happening? How did you use these decision making processes to approve or reject project scope change?

16. Panel Review – Question 7 Question 7: Describe how you integrated projects to the overall benefit of your program. In your answer, please address: How you planned and implemented constituent projects for the benefit of your program How you managed and optimized the sharing of resources (such as financial, physical, equipment, human) across constituent projects Hints from PMI: How did you integrate projects to the overall benefit of the program? Describe which program management processes you used to determine whether a new project was to be included and/or an existing project was to be changed/terminated due to program-level changes. How did you explain that a new project added value to the program? How did you integrate project deliverables to satisfy program product delivery? How did you use these processes to achieve this?

17. Question 8: Choose four of the following areas to demonstrate how you applied your advanced skills to your program. In your answer, please provide program specific examples. Finance Cross-cultural awareness Leadership Communication Influence Negotiation Conflict resolution Hints from PMI : How did you apply your program management styles and/or skills in at least 4 of the 7 areas (limit to 50 words/each area): Finance, Cross-cultural awareness, Leadership, Communication, Influence, Negotiation, Conflict resolution Choose 4 areas (limit to 50 words/each area) in which you can elaborate on key considerations for each of the 4 areas. How did you resolve these considerations? What problem solving skills did you use? Panel Review – Question 8

18. Panel Review Finally, almost 30 days after my Audit Result, I got the following e-mail from PMI: