Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: Building the Federal Program and Project Management Community of Practice
Abstract:
This session provides a blow-by-blow account of the successful creation of a first-in-kind government-wide forum for sharing project management information. The Federal Program and Project Management Community of Practice (FedPM CoP) was conceived to bridge the seemingly insurmountable divide across and between various federal agencies. They soon tapped into a latent demand for a way to connect with colleagues, prevent duplicative work, and share successful approaches with colleagues in other federal agencies and departments. The discussion will chart the growth of the FedPM CoP from a small group of IT project managers to an organization that now hosts almost 500 members from 80 organizations who focus on six major topic areas that strongly impact federal programs and projects. During this phase of explosive growth, coordinators have made a series of process improvements to automate the membership process and institute regular opportunities for face-to-face collaboration. The FedPM CoP draws support from the Office of Management and Budget, which establishes procurement policy for the federal government. The FedPM CoP is demonstrating the value of establishing a forum for bringing program and project managers together. This presentation will motivate and inspire attendees to translate this kind of outreach into their own organizations, and will demonstrate strategies for scaling up to keep pace with growth and demand.
