Robert Rovinsky

Presentation #1: Implementing the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act

Abstract: Federal program and project managers have an important obligation to ensure programs and projects deliver critical services to the American public efficiently and effectively. To accomplish this, OMB and Federal agencies will leverage three key strategies as part of a 5-year strategic plan for implementing the PMIAA. Outlined below, these strategies focus on clarifying key roles and responsibilities, identifying principles-based standards, holding managers accountable for results, and building a capable program management workforce. (Abstract from OMB M-18-19).

PMI Talent Triangle: Strategic and Business Management


Presentation #2: The Role of Senior Leaders in Assuring Project Management Success

Abstract: Project Managers and their teams often perceive the Senior Leaders of their organizations as either clueless about project management or impediments to success.  Senior Leaders, in turn, often feel inadequate in the face of complex technical, financial, legal, and organizational complexities, and either focus on just one area or become either nitpickers or virtual spectators.  At a conference last year Karen Richey of GAO and I spoke about what we believe Senior Leaders can do, without needing special knowledge or superhuman efforts on their part, to contribute to assuring project success, and we followed that by a discussion among senior leaders themselves.  We share a summary of that talk, the results of that discussion and thoughts on the “tricks of the trade” that senior leaders can use to be effective players and an important part of Project Management.

PMI Talent Triangle: Leadership


Biography: Since 2013, Robert “Bob” Rovinsky has been a Principal at Deep Water Point, a group of over 60 former executives from the civilian, defense and intelligence agencies and as well as over 60 former executives from federal contractors.  Deep Water Point helps over 100 companies large and small win contracts with the Federal Government.

From 1999- 2012, Dr. Rovinsky directed an office responsible for reviewing and improving all IT investment decisions within the office of the CIO of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  His office reviewed the capital investment business cases for all IT investments (over 2 billion dollars annually) to make sure that the agency was a good steward of its share of federal funds.  As part of this effort, Bob led the implementation of earned value management (EVM) in the FAA, for which he received the first Gary Christle leadership award from the Project Management Institute’s College of Performance Measurement.  He and his office led the effort that resulted in the FAA Air Traffic Modernization Program being removed from the GAO High Risk List, and he helped other agencies implement EVM and in their efforts to remove their programs from the GAO High Risk List.  He co-chaired the Civilian Agencies Industry Working Group for the National Defense Industrial Association, which aims to share best practices in project management between industry and government.  Prior to the FAA Bob held executive positions within Fairfax County Virginia and the US Department of Agriculture, and consulted in five countries and taught at seven universities.  Bob holds a doctoral degree in Operations Research and a Masters degree in Mathematics, both from Cornell University, a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a CIO Certificate from the National Defense University.   In Bob’s spare time, he is a professional storyteller.