Program Management Boot Camp

Option 1: Program Manager Boot Camp (4 Days)

Our complete, ready-to-deliver workshop. The full four-day program can be taken as is, with no add-ons required, and includes labs and exercises throughout plus a capstone review where teams brief a consolidated Program Baseline and Readiness package.

Learning objectives

By the end of Day 4, participants will be able to:

• Stand up a new contract correctly and run a high-impact kickoff with day-30 deliverables locked.
• Decompose scope into a compliant WBS with control accounts, CAM ownership, and measurable work packages connected to OBS/IMS/EVMS.
• Build an executable schedule (IMP/IMS) with quality and readiness events, run the 14-Point check, and manage critical and near-critical paths.
• Establish cost and PMB baselines, apply Earned Value, develop credible EAC/ETC, and run monthly control cycles.
• Identify and handle risks and opportunities, run a Schedule Risk Assessment, and integrate level-4/5 items into EAC and management reserve decisions.
• Conduct program reviews and prepare for IIBR/IBR with actionable findings and corrective actions.
• Manage subcontractors and the supply chain by embedding deliverables and critical parts in the WBS/IMS, reviewing EACs, using scorecards, and escalating early.
• Transition to production, control change through disciplined Baseline Change Requests, and close out contracts completely and cleanly.

Day 1: Stand Up and Structure

• Project Setup / Program Kickoff (Morning): Establish the operating framework (contract/finance setup, transaction controls, charge numbers, authorities) and deliver a high-impact kickoff with the right attendees, agenda, artifacts, and day-30 deliverables (program plans, tailoring, IP review, org charts). Exercise: Build a kickoff package and 30-day action plan.
• WBS Development (Morning): Create a product-oriented, MIL-STD-881F-compliant WBS; align SOW, specifications, and CLINs; define control accounts, CAM roles, and measurable work packages; connect to the OBS, IMS, and EVMS. Lab: Draft a WBS and WBS Dictionary excerpt for a sample scope.
• Technical Schedule, Opportunity, and Quality Management (Afternoon): Build the IMP/IMS with milestones, durations, dependencies, resourcing, and vertical/horizontal traceability; run the 14-Point IMS Health Check; embed readiness and quality events (CDRLs, SVTs, reviews). Lab: Create an initial IMS fragment with acceptance criteria.

Day outcomes: Kickoff package draft, WBS shell and dictionary entries, IMS starter with quality gates.

Day 2: Baselines, Risk, and Forecasting

• Cost and Risk Management, Part 1 (Morning): Build the Performance Measurement Baseline and program cost baseline; understand direct and indirect costs, management reserve, and time-phasing by WBS. Earned Value fundamentals: BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, CPI/SPI, VAR/VAC. Lab: Time-phase a mini-PMB and compute EV metrics.
• Risk and Opportunity Management, Part 2 (Afternoon): Identify events, score likelihood and consequence, select handling (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept, escalate), and integrate into the IMS and EAC. Run a Schedule Risk Assessment using three-point estimates and Monte Carlo outputs such as criticality and duration sensitivity. Lab: Populate risk and opportunity entries and SRA inputs; link level-4/5 items to the EAC.

Day outcomes: PMB/cost-baseline snapshot, EV worksheet, risk register entries with burn-down tasks, and SRA setup.

Day 3: Governance and External Execution

• Program Reviews (Morning): Design Monthly Status Reviews and prepare for IIBR/IBR: required artifacts, CAM interviews, critical/near-critical path and EAC validation, and findings and corrective action tracking. Lab: Mock IBR CAM interview and action log.
• Track A: Subcontractor Management (Afternoon): Flow requirements into the SSOW, assign WBS elements for subcontract scope, segregate major subs in EVMS, integrate subcontractor deliverables and critical parts into the IMS, and run performance and EAC reviews with corrective actions. Lab: Add a major subcontract to the WBS/IMS and set review metrics.
• Track B: Supply Chain Management (Afternoon): Resource-load and baseline material tasks, track long-lead and EOL critical parts that can drive the critical path, use supplier scorecards and readiness reviews, and escalate before milestones slip. Lab: Build a material plan slice and critical-part trackers tied to IMS logic.

Choose one afternoon track, or deliver the combined Subcontractor and Supply Chain Management module for a single integrated view.

Day outcomes: Review deck and CAM prep notes; integrated supplier/subcontract plan embedded in the WBS/IMS with measurable checkpoints.

Day 4: Production, Change, and Closeout

• Transition to Production (Morning): Assess TRL/MRL, conduct Production Readiness Reviews, stand up yield, quality, and throughput metrics, and confirm supplier manufacturing readiness to protect production rate. Exercise: Create a PRR checklist and production KPI set.
• Change Management (Morning): Apply Baseline Change Requests (BCRs) with clear rationale, scope/budget/schedule impacts, and configuration control. Exercise: Draft a BCR and show the PMB/IMS deltas.
• Closeout Process and Capstone (Afternoon): Complete deliverables and acceptance, reconcile funding and invoices, disposition property, close subcontracts and suppliers, finalize documentation, and capture lessons learned. Capstone Review: Teams brief a consolidated Program Baseline and Readiness package (Kickoff, WBS/IMS, PMB/EV/EAC, R&O/SRA, Supplier/Subcontract plan, PRR/BCR, and Closeout checklist).

Day outcomes: BCR example with configuration trace, PRR checklist and KPIs, full capstone baseline/readiness brief.

Option 2: Add-On Modules

Select any of the modules below to extend the boot camp, go deeper on a priority area, or build a focused program around your team's needs. Modules range from a half day to a full day and can be combined in any order.

Contract Pre-Award Activities (½ Day)

Turn proposal commitments into executable baselines and prepare for a smooth transition to contract execution.

• PM role in proposal and pre-award planning
• Baselines, management reserve, and startup risk
• Pre-award checklists and templates

Contract Negotiations (1 Day)

Plan, conduct, and document federal contract negotiations that deliver fair, reasonable, win/win agreements.

• Preparation: objectives, fact-finding, ZOPA, BATNA
• Bargaining techniques and handling aggressive tactics
• Cost/price analysis, profit, and documentation

Project Setup / Program Kickoff (½ Day)

Stand up a new contract quickly and run a high-impact program kickoff.

• Contract/finance setup, charge numbers, authorities
• Kickoff agenda, artifacts, and action owners
• People, process, and tools readiness and day-30 deliverables

WBS Development (½ Day)

Build a compliant, traceable Work Breakdown Structure using MIL-STD-881F principles.

• Product-oriented WBS with complete scope coverage
• Control accounts, CAMs, and work packages
• Traceability to the IMS and EVMS

Technical Schedule, Opportunity, and Quality Management (½ Day)

Plan technical work, schedule realism, opportunities, and quality in one integrated approach.

• IMP/IMS and the 14-Point Assessment
• Critical/near-critical path analysis
• Opportunities, plus quality and readiness events

Cost and Risk Management (1 Day)

Establish the PMB and cost baseline, apply Earned Value, and manage risk as part of monthly control.

• Cost baseline, time-phasing, management reserve
• BCWS/BCWP/ACWP, CPI/SPI, EAC/ETC
• Risk and opportunity handling (also available as two ½-day modules)

Risk and Opportunity Management (½ Day)

Identify, assess, mitigate, and monitor risks and opportunities across cost, schedule, and technical performance.

• Likelihood, consequence, and handling strategies
• Burn-down plans integrated into the IMS
• Level-4/5 risks in the EAC; schedule risk assessment

Program Reviews (½ Day)

Run Monthly Status Reviews and IBR/IIBRs that drive decisions, not just readouts.

• Monthly Status Review design
• IBR/IIBR artifacts and CAM interviews
• Performance metrics, EAC validation, corrective actions

Subcontractor Management (½ Day)

Manage subcontractors across scope, schedule, and cost throughout the program lifecycle.

• Subcontract scope in the WBS, EVMS, and IMS
• Status reviews, monthly EACs, performance tracking
• Scorecards, readiness reviews, corrective action

Supply Chain Management (½ Day)

Protect schedule integrity through material readiness and supplier performance.

• Material tasks, critical parts, and long-lead items in the IMS
• Supplier scorecards and readiness reviews
• Procurement timing and manufacturing readiness

Subcontractor and Supply Chain Management, Combined (½ to Full Day)

One integrated session covering subcontractor oversight and supply chain execution.

• Suppliers and subs in the WBS/IMS
• Performance, quality, and risk across the supply base
• PO changes, flow-downs, and supplier closeout

Transition to Production, Change Management, and Closeout (½ Day)

Move from development to production, control baseline changes, and close out cleanly.

• TRL/MRL assessments and Production Readiness Reviews
• Baseline Change Requests (Class I and II)
• Deliverables, funding, property, and supplier closure

Built Around Your Team

The structure above is a starting point, not a fixed menu. We can tailor any module's content, depth, duration, and exercises to match your program management processes, contract environment, and team experience. Run the full four-day boot camp, spread it across multiple sessions, or choose individual modules, delivered in person, virtually, or hybrid.

Pricing follows Shipley's standard model and is based on the number of delivery days. Contact training@shipleywins.com to discuss options and pricing for your team.