UMT Report: New Law Suggests Project Management More Important than Ever in Government

PMIAA dramatically boosts project/program management in government

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University of Management and Technology

Mar 29, 2017, 10:30 ET

ROSSLYN, Va., March 29, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One of the last pieces of legislation Barack Obama signed before leaving office was the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act (PMIAA). It became law on December 16, 2016. This new law acknowledges that the Federal workforce must make the acquisition of project/program management skills a top priority. Having a workforce that is proficient in the practice of project/program management is important at a time when the size of the Federal workforce is projected to shrink dramatically. Already, Federal employees recognize that they are expected to do more with less. To the extent they can demonstrate proficiency in project/program management, they will improve their work effectiveness and strengthen their career prospects.

Following are the key features of the PMIAA:

It formally creates a project/program management career track in the Federal government, which requires Federal employees to increase their formal study of program/project management
It promotes the employment of standards-based project/program management throughout the Federal government
It recognizes the importance of executive sponsorship by designating a senior executive in each agency to be responsible for project/program management policy and strategy
It promotes the sharing of knowledge and experience within the Federal government through an interagency council on project/program management

Strengthening the project/program management capabilities of the Federal workforce will require Federal workers to learn good project/program management practice through education and training. The University of Management and Technology (UMT) has been a key player in project/program management education since it was founded in 1998. It was one of the first universities to offer an academic degree in project management. Based in the Washington, DC region, it has educated thousands of Federal workers. Its faculty have collectively published more than a dozen books on project/program management, several of which became business best-sellers. Its leaders have been active volunteers at the Project Management Institute, serving senior roles in the governance of the Institute.

Currently, UMT offers the following online degrees in project and program management:

MBA, with a project/program management track
MS in Management, with project/program and acquisition management tracks
MS in Information Technology, with a project/program management track
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), where students can orient their work toward project/program management

For more information about UMT's degree programs, go to www.umtweb.edu.

SOURCE University of Management and Technology