Evaluation of a planning process considered as a curriculum component in the education of program managers in the defense industry

• Main Author: Springer, Mitchell L.
• Other Authors: Wood, George S.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Employee training personnel > Training of.; Employees > Training of.; Planning.; Defense contracts > United States.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/181049; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/941573

The purpose of this study was to use evaluation research methods to test the effectiveness of a model for planning programs in the defense industry.One of the major reasons for deficiencies in both training and education of Program Managers is the lack of a generic Program Management Planning Process which contains essential elements of program planning and which can be modified or tailored to accommodate the specifics of a given program.This study addressed the following evaluation research questions with regard to a selected Program Management Planning Process:1. How adequate is the functional Performance Measurement Baseline, as a result of following the Program Management Planning Process of this study?2. What is the quality of the resulting Performance Measurement Baseline?3. To what extent are the efforts in creating a performance measurement baseline as defined by the Program Management Planning Process of this study perceived as justified?4. Is the methodology employed in this evaluation research study generalizable to other studies of planning processes?5. Relative to integrated linear and integrated nonlinear models of planning processes, what does this study reveal?The results indicated:1. All of the activities of the Program Management Planning Process of this study were performed and their culminating products produced.2. The Performance Measurement Baseline for the program of this study was satisfactory, but subject to short-term obsolescence and may have been created without sufficient attention being paid to potentially significant cost, schedule or technical program drivers.3. The program planning team participants did believe the Program Management Planning Process of this study added sufficient value, over alternative methodologies, to merit its continued use.4. On the whole, the methodology employed in this research study proved to be generalizable for use on other programs.5. The findings of this study support the proposition that integrated nonlinear planning models are really macro-models and integrated linear models are really micro-models, as applicable to program planning. They are not separate models, but, in fact, the integrated linear model is a subset of the higher level integrated nonlinear model. === Department of Educational Leadership