ABSTRACT
This chapter presents in detail the steps to start a program. It also presents the team-member buy-in elements that should be discussed and revisited throughout the life of the program. The scheduler must have the intuition to detect if the status they are receiving from any of the task teams is somehow censored or incomplete, and they must be forward enough to dig deep into status reports from the various task teams to learn all the facts. The best program manager (PM) are motivated by knowing that this job is what they do well and that this work largely or completely meets the needs of their self-actualization. The PM must empathize with the wide breadth of team-member personalities and strive to fluently communicate with them and develop them. The PM must be enthusiastic about candidly and honestly communicating with each team member, team leadership, executive management, the customer, subcontract management, vendor management, and the other team interfaces.
