Skip to page navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content

Federal Program and Project Management Competency Development Framework - Part II

Part two of the framework identifies key work behaviors, and recommended training, certification, and developmental opportunities that will strengthen competencies. The key work behaviors at different grade levels may vary based upon unique program / project factors such as risk, complexity, cost, location, and stakeholders.

Mid/Full Performance-Level (GS 9-11) Project Manager/Functional Project Management Role/Business Function Generalist/Program Manager

While proficiency in these focus areas is important at all levels, this set of competencies is critical for successful performance at the Mid/Full Performance-Level (GS 9-11).

Behaviors at different grade levels may vary based upon unique program factors such as risk, complexity, cost, location, and stakeholders.

Core General Competencies

General competencies are grouped by likeness into six distinct categories. The various work behaviors are relevant to all competencies comprising each category.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Recommends improvements or solutions to problems.
  • Makes recommendations on prioritizing projects steps and tasks.
  • Gathers information and prepares responses to Congressional and other stakeholders inquiries.
  • Identifies project documentation requirements or procedures.
  • Maintains project records in accordance with regulations and laws.
  • Monitors contracts.
  • Manages schedules, budgets, project scopes and deliverables.
  • Evaluates program implementation and effectiveness.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in phase, milestone, and final project reviews.
  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on research and analysis techniques.
  • Shadow an experienced project manager.
  • Review past project requirement documents to become familiar with how to develop comprehensive requirements.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Decision-Making Techniques
  • Go/No-Go Decision Criteria
  • Decision-Making Tools
  • Scheduler and Coordinator
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • AGILE Methodologies
  • Federal budget, contracting and acquisition, MOU development
  • Ethics
  • Measuring Organization Result
  • Personnel Management
  • Leadership Skills

Problem Solving: Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Decision Making: Makes sound, well- informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.

Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long- term goals and strategies to achieve them; Coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Monitors, maintains, and/or updates data, records, or other information.
  • Processes or analyzes data using computer systems or applications.
  • Establishes and maintains networks of stakeholders and other relevant parties.
  • Uses computer systems or applications to access, create, edit, print, send, retrieve, or manipulate data, files, or other information.
  • Asks customers for suggestions or feedback on the performance of products or services.
  • Monitors programs, projects, operations, or activities.
  • Collaborates with others or works on teams to accomplish work-related activities.
  • Gathers technical information from internal and external stakeholders.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Develop a mentor relationship with a senior employee to serve as a role model for technical competence and technical credibility.
  • Engage in a service learning project with an organization to enhance contact with and understanding of the community in which the organization exists.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Professional Ethics
  • Business Ethics
  • Decision Making

Information Management: Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information or information management systems.

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

Technology Application: Uses machines, tools, instruments, or equipment effectively; uses computers and computer applications to analyze and communicate information in the appropriate format.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Demonstrates ethics, integrity, and professional conduct.
  • Establishes open and honest communication with employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
  • Instills a climate of trust, openness, and honesty by admitting own mistakes and taking responsibility for one's actions.
  • Establishes and maintains a baseline understanding of current organizational processes.
  • Manages, leads, or administers programs, projects, operations, or activities.
  • Reviews others’ work (for example, peers, subordinates, contractors).
  • Develops a working knowledge of the customer’s business or function.
  • Coordinates the activities of individuals inside or outside of the organization.
  • Collaborates with others or works on teams to accomplish work-related activities.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.
  • Join a Mentoring program.
  • Stay current on certifications.
  • Shadow an experienced Project/Program Manager

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Strategic Planning and Analysis
  • Professional Ethics
  • Problem Solving Tools and Techniques
  • Business Ethics
  • Negotiation and Mediation/ Conflict Resolution
  • Managing Across Generations
  • Valuing Diversity
  • Change Management
  • Code of Ethics for Government Services

Integrity / Honesty: Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, self, and others; is trustworthy.

Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

Organizational Awareness: Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.

Partnering: Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Collects, compiles, and organizes information.
  • Reviews reports, documents, records, data, or other materials to verify completeness, correctness, consistency, compliance, or authenticity.
  • Provides input on plans, goals, or objectives (for example, strategic plans, work breakdown structures, integration plans) for projects.
  • Participates in regular project team meetings.
  • Orally presents ideas and facts in a clear, organized, and convincing manner and in a style, tone, and level appropriate to the audience and the occasion.
  • Expresses facts and ideas in writing in a clear, convincing, and organized manner that is appropriate to the audience and occasion.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Make use of learning partner or peer coach to solicit feedback on written communications.
  • Obtain a coach to work on time management and organizational skills.
  • Participate in phase, milestone, and final project reviews.
  • Take on a developmental assignment that offers the opportunity to present to or communicate with areas of the organization with whom the leader normally does not interact.
  • Participate in a professional association.
  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on specific writing topics.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Time Management
  • Organizational Skills
  • Managing Your Workload
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Presentation Skills
  • Public Speaking
  • Technical Writing
  • Business Writing
  • Digital Communication Etiquette

Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Reading Comprehension: Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations.

Reasoning: Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.

Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Responds to requests or resolves complaints from customers.
  • Takes steps to prevent and resolve conflicts, concerns, or grievances.
  • Adjusts project plans, schedules, and resources in response to changing needs and priorities.
  • Collaborates with others or works on teams to accomplish work-related activities.
  • Promotes or develops and maintains good working relationships with key individuals or groups.
  • Coordinates the activities of individuals inside or outside of the organization.
  • Listens to others and seeks clarification when needed.
  • Demonstrates empathy and respect to team members.
  • Demonstrates openness and approachability to employees at all levels.
  • Responds appropriately to the needs, feelings and views of different people (including senior leaders, stakeholders, and customers) in different situations.
  • Listens to and shows understanding of oral communication from team members, customers, and other stakeholders.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on conflict management techniques.
  • Obtain a coach to work on conflict management skills.
  • Initiate and participate in team building exercises.
  • Engage in learning projects that are fluid.
  • Complete multisource or 360-degree assessments that evaluate interpersonal skills. Work with a coach to develop a learning plan to address identified gaps.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Conflict Resolution
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Dealing with Difficult Customers and/or Colleagues
  • Negotiation
  • Active Listening
  • Team Building
  • Teamwork
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Persuasive Techniques
  • Diversity & Inclusion

Conflict Management: Manages and resolves conflicts, grievances, confrontations, or disagreements in a constructive manner to minimize negative personal impact.

Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; adapts behavior or work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles; effectively deals with ambiguity.

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Team Building: Inspires and fosters team commitment, spirit, pride, and trust. Facilitates cooperation and motivates team members to accomplish group goals.

Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Maintains consistent communications with customers to notify them of decisions, problems, or further actions.
  • Gauges customer expectations and determines appropriate communication methods.
  • Serves as a primary point for a functional project management area.
  • Evaluates customer service efforts.
  • Delivers high-quality products and services.
  • Uses feedback systems to meet customer requirements and expectations.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Engage in an action learning project that focuses on improving internal and external customer service systems and processes.
  • Take part in a coaching program that centers on growing self-awareness and on improving recognition of client needs and balancing those with the leader’s own needs and constraints.
  • Participate in a Customer Experience Professional Association.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Customer Service
  • Customer Experience
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking

Customer Service: Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Recommends improvements or solutions to problems, or determines appropriate actions.
  • Develops concepts for new programs, products, or services.
  • Considers innovative ideas generated by others.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Works with coworkers to coordinate a project using a creative process.
  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on creative thinking.
  • Participate in innovation activities (For example, shark tanks, open opportunities)
  • Gain exposure to innovative program / project management practices.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Creative Thinking
  • Innovative Thinking
  • Human-Centered Design

Creative Thinking: Uses imagination to develop new insights into situations and applies innovative solutions to problems; designs new methods where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or are unavailable.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Encourages others to participate in mentoring programs and other learning opportunities.
  • Provides technical advice or assistance to others.
  • Persuades others to take a particular course of action or to accept findings, recommendations, changes, or alternative viewpoints.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Be a mentor.
  • Shadow an experienced program manager.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Mentoring
  • Coaching
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Constructive Criticism

Teaching Others: Helps others learn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.

Technical General Competencies

Key Work Behaviors

  • Reviews reports, documents, records, data, or other materials to verify completeness, correctness, consistency, compliance, or authenticity.
  • Evaluates, monitors, or ensures compliance with laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Explains or provides guidance on laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to management, personnel, or clients.
  • Implements new or revised laws, regulations, executive orders, policies, standards, or procedures.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in program evaluation assessments.
  • Join and participate in a professional association.
  • Obtain an experienced program management mentor.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Compliance
  • Program Evaluation
  • Business Ethics
  • Agency compliance training
  • Quality Management
  • Requirements Management

Compliance: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Collects, compiles, and organizes information.
  • Monitors, maintains, or updates data, records, or other information.
  • Uses computer systems or applications to access, create, edit, print, send, retrieve, or manipulate data, files, or other information.
  • Keeps abreast of key organizational activities, policies, and priorities likely to affect operations or the program area.
  • Provides regular status reports to management and leadership.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Mentoring
  • Coaching

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Knowledge Management
  • Succession Management
  • Change Management
  • Communications Skills

Knowledge Management: Knowledge of the value of collected information and the methods of sharing that information throughout an organization.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops a working knowledge of the customer’s business or function.
  • Responds to requests or resolves complaints from customers.
  • Manages program budget (for example, monitors expenditures or income).
  • Analyzes and interprets data or other program related information.
  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when problems arise with assigned program.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Serve as Program Manager for programs in increased scope, complexity, and responsibilities.
  • Review General Accountability Office reports on specific types of programs being managed.
  • Develop Standard Operating Procedures for projects that fall within the scope of the program to knowledge management and continuity of operations.
  • Identify and complete a rotation in a Program Management Office to gain an understanding of portfolio management.
  • Stay abreast of program management industry advances and best practices.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Program Management Professional Certification
  • Strategic Planning
  • Leadership Training
  • Life Cycle Management

Program Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools for the coordinated management of a program to include providing oversight of multiple projects, integrating dependent schedules and deliverables, and related activities (for example, benefits management, life cycle management, program governance).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops resource estimates related to cost, schedule, and performance.
  • Assesses the value and organizational impact of the project, ensuring that the target benefits are measurable and related to business goals.
  • Recognizes, understands, and interprets earned value management (EVM) and other performance evaluation policies, methodologies, and applicable software tools.
  • Develops and updates project plans including information such as project objectives, technologies, systems, specifications, schedules, funding, and staffing.
  • Monitors and tracks project milestones and deliverables.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Shadow an experienced Project Manager.
  • Find a mentor who is a project management expert.
  • Identify projects that will broaden experience in various phases of project management, types of projects being managed, and tools/applications used for project management.
  • Develop cross-functional knowledge of logistics, procurement, and finance / budget.
  • Review and become familiar with the Project Management Institute’s “A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBOK Guide) current version.
  • Stay abreast of project management industry advances and best practices.
  • Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative for a project.
  • Conduct post-implementation and baseline reviews.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Project Management Applications
  • General Project Management
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • Contract Management
  • Requirements Management
  • Cost Estimation/Cost Analysis

Project Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Understands and participates in the definition, initiation, conceptualization, or design of project requirements.
  • Explains the requirements development processes.
  • Identifies and defines the need for customer involvement in order to understand their objectives, plans, and requirements.
  • Identifies and defines the process of decomposing customer requirements into project requirements that are clear, feasible, and verifiable.
  • Identifies and defines requirements for appropriate base lining, traceability, change process, and allocation.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Obtain an experienced project management mentor.
  • Shadow a project manager who is beginning a new project.
  • Join and participate in a professional association.
  • Attend Agency or Federal Project Management Community of Practice (Cop) meetings.
  • Identify and complete cross agency training

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Requirements Management Tools and Applications
  • Project Management Professional Certification
  • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Development
  • Change Management
  • Configuration Management
  • Functional Design

Requirements Management: Knowledge of the principles and methods to identify, solicit, analyze, specify, design, and manage requirements.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Describes the principles and process for establishing and integrated risk, issue and opportunity management process.
  • Describes various techniques available to identify or forecast risks, issues and opportunities.
  • Identifies project risks and threats; accurately assesses, prioritizes and tracks risks; develops controls and plans risk responses.
  • Describes the difference between Technical Risk and Project Risk and how to identify them both.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Attend and observe Project Risk Management Board meetings.
  • Shadow/ interview Risk Management Officer.
  • Attend and observe strategy meetings.
  • Develop a risk register for a project, office, or program.
  • Review Federal case studies on risk management.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Risk Management Process and Tools (Federal and agency specific)
  • Risk Analysis Techniques
  • Practice Standards for Risk Management
  • Basic Risk Management
  • Probability and Impact Tools

Risk Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Describes how to use scheduling and cost estimating tools to plan the design, development, and testing of activities.
  • Describes how to develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and associated Integrated Master Schedule (IMS).
  • Develops and updates project schedules.
  • Sets project baselines to establish the commitment between the Project Manager, the project team, the organization, and the customer or stakeholders.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on specific schedule management topics.
  • Attend and observe project management schedule/status meetings.
  • Identify and complete a private sector/alternate agency rotation.
  • Become familiar with various scheduling program tools and technology.
  • Participate and lead work breakdown schedule development.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Scheduling software training (agency specific)
  • Schedule Management
  • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
  • Activity Diagramming
  • Cost Estimation

Schedule Management: Plans, develops, and controls project schedule and tracks project milestones, activities, and deliverables, including timeframes and assigned resources.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Describes scope management techniques in order to define, maintain, and manage the scope of the project.
  • Defines and describes the scope of assigned project(s).

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on scope management topics.
  • Shadow an experienced project manager.
  • Attend and observe project closing debriefs.
  • Review past project requirement documents to become familiar with how to develop comprehensive requirements.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Development
  • Agency specific training
  • General/ Introductory Project Management
  • Project Plan Development
  • Project Scope Development
  • Project Scope Control Tools and Techniques
  • Quality Control and Assessment

Scope Management: Plans, monitors, and controls project scope; includes collecting requirements, defining scope, creating a work breakdown structure, validating scope, and controlling scope to ensure project deliverables meet requirements (i.e., features, functions).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Identifies all project stakeholders, internal and external, formal and informal; reports to stakeholders formally and informally.
  • Describes how to set clear expectations for stakeholders and establishes a mechanism for stakeholder input and feedback throughout the program life cycle.
  • Participates in identification of escalation procedure for stakeholder issue management.
  • Understands how to prepare a project level stakeholder management plan that aligns with organizational objectives and considers the various levels of stakeholders.
  • Identifies strategies to engage affected stakeholders.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Join a public speaking association to practice oral communication skills.
  • Identify & participate in public speaking opportunities that focus on audience engagement.
  • Prepare and present briefings at the team level.
  • Review agency-specific communication and change management plans for assigned projects.
  • Obtain an experienced project management mentor who exemplifies strong communication skills.
  • Shadow a project manager during status meetings/integrated project team meetings.
  • Prepare elevator pitch for assigned projects.
  • Develop and practice facilitation skills.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Leadership Classes
  • Customer-Focused Conferences
  • Effective Communication
  • How to Facilitate Virtual Meetings

Stakeholder Management: Knowledge of the concepts, practices, and techniques used to identify, engage, influence, and monitor relationships with individuals and groups connected to a work effort; including those actively involved, those who exert influence over the process and its results, and those who have a vested interest in the outcome (positive or negative).

Expert-Level (GS 12-13) Project Manager/Program Manager

GS 13 may include supervisory responsibilities.

While proficiency in these focus areas is important at all levels, this set of competencies is critical for successful performance at the Expert-Level (GS 12-13).

Core General Competencies

General competencies are grouped by likeness into six distinct categories. The various work behaviors are relevant to all competencies comprising each category.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Makes sound and timely tactical decisions for projects, team, or work unit based on data; decisions are made using sound tool set.
  • Prioritizes project steps and tasks.
  • Creates and executes quality assurance plans for expected program results.
  • Assesses, analyzes information and issues and provides alternatives analysis for managing risk.
  • Makes sound and timely decisions for multiple projects, teams, or work units assessing interaction across interrelated projects in a program; decisions are made using sound tool set.
  • Identifies potential and actual conflicts or issues which may arise among multiple projects or programs; formulates an action for resolution.
  • Prioritizes program issues and deliverables for action.
  • Makes sound and timely decisions for an organization or across organizations, assessing interaction across projects, programs and portfolios, uses all the information available even if it is limited; decisions are made using sound tool set.
  • Ensures program / project decisions align with agency strategic goals.
  • Identifies 2nd level and 3rd level consequences of decisions, intended and unintended consequences.
  • Assesses, analyzes information and issues and makes decisions managing enterprise risk.
  • Develops scorecards, metrics, and/or performance standards to accomplish desired project/program results.
  • Identifies trade-offs and scenarios; provides and evaluates options; formulates recommendations for the best project/program outcome.
  • Disseminates decisions clearly to key stakeholders ensuring terms and intent are understood.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Establish an understanding on how your contractors do business by obtaining a mentor with this expertise.
  • Shadow an experienced Program/Project Manager.
  • Participate in a private sector exchange program.
  • Gain exposure to innovative program / project management practices.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Decision-Making Techniques
  • Go/No-Go Decision Criteria
  • Decision-Making Tools
  • Scheduler and Coordinator
  • Cost Control
  • Risk Management
  • Quality Management
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • AGILE Methodologies
  • Federal budget, contracting and acquisition, MOU development, Clinger-Cohen, HR processes (“Government 101”)
  • Ethics
  • Measuring Organizational Result
  • Personnel Management
  • Leadership Skills

Problem Solving: Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Decision Making: Makes sound, well- informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.

Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long- term goals and strategies to achieve them; Coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Conducts evaluations, examinations, or other factfinding studies to obtain or verify information.
  • Designs or conducts analytical studies, cost-benefit analyses, or other research.
  • Processes or analyzes data using computer systems or applications.
  • Monitors current trends or events (for example, technological, economic, political, social, educational, or employment trends or events) and applies the information as appropriate.
  • Keeps abreast of latest technology, information, research, etc., to maintain knowledge in field of expertise (for example, reads trade journals, participates in professional/technical associations, maintains credentials).
  • Establishes and maintains networks of stakeholders and other relevant parties.
  • Maintain fairness and objectivity when selecting team members based upon skill sets needed for projects.
  • Displays fortitude to make ethical decisions that may negatively impact self or stakeholders.
  • Asks customers for suggestions or feedback on the performance of products or services.
  • Monitors programs, projects, operations, or activities.
  • Gives presentations or briefings on all aspects of the project.
  • Develops, modifies, or provides input to project plans.
  • Provides technical advice or assistance to others.
  • Collaborates with others or works on teams to accomplish work-related activities.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.
  • Maintain certifications.
  • Participate in private sector exchange program.
  • Shadow an experienced Program or Project Manager.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Professional Ethics
  • Business Ethics
  • Decision Making
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • Program Management Body of Knowledge

Information Management: Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information or information management systems.

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

Technology Application: Uses machines, tools, instruments, or equipment effectively; uses computers and computer applications to analyze and communicate information in the appropriate format.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Establishes and maintains a baseline understanding of current organizational processes.
  • Creates alternatives to mitigate organizational risk and capitalizes on new and changing
  • Scans the environment for external trends (i.e., technologies, policies, etc.), assesses impact for possible adoption, and adapts value-added innovations to transform service delivery.
  • Questions status quo and explores new ways of meeting organizational needs.
  • Manages organizational expectations for realistic program deliverables.
  • Creates and communicates a program vision.
  • Demonstrates ethics, integrity, and professional conduct.
  • Demonstrates understanding of the Code of Ethics for Government Service and other law governing ethical behavior.
  • Establishes open and honest communication with employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
  • Provides a bridge between strategy and culture to meet agency goals.
  • Serves as a bridge between CIO, legal, acquisition, budget and IT communities to meet customer needs.
  • Creates consensus (shows the win-win for all stakeholders) and gets to an interest-based outcome (versus a position-based outcome).
  • Ensures program decisions align with agency strategic goals.
  • Establishes professional standards for carrying out the program / project (i.e., establishing customer service standards, collaborative approach).
  • Understands stakeholder motivations and utilizes them effectively to meet program / project goals.
  • Creates a collaborative environment.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.
  • Encourage development of others.
  • Mentoring program.
  • Stay current on certifications.
  • Promote continuous learning.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Strategic Planning and Analysis
  • Problem Solving Tools and Techniques
  • Professional Ethics
  • Business Ethics
  • Negotiation and Mediation
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Managing Across Generations
  • Valuing Diversity
  • Change Management

Integrity / Honesty: Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, self, and others; is trustworthy.

Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

Organizational Awareness: Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.

Partnering: Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Reviews reports, documents, records, data, or other materials to verify completeness, correctness, consistency, compliance, or authenticity.
  • Conducts evaluations, examinations, or other fact finding studies to obtain or verify information.
  • Presents information orally about work of the organization to others (for example, describes the organization's programs and services to individuals or groups in the community or to higher management).
  • Reads and understands technical or other complex materials required for the job.
  • Justifies program objectives and required allocations to top management.
  • Prepares budget requests or justifications for funding.
  • Provides or disseminates information in writing.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Obtain a coach to work on time management and organizational skills.
  • Participate in phase, milestone, and final project reviews.
  • Participate in professional association.
  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on specific writing topics.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Time Management
  • Organizational Skills
  • Managing Your Workload
  • Productivity
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Presentation Skills
  • Public Speaking
  • Technical Writing
  • Business Writing
  • Digital Communication Etiquette

Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Reading Comprehension: Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations.

Reasoning: Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.

Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when problems arise.
  • Persuades others to take a particular course of action or to accept findings, recommendations, changes, or alternative viewpoints.
  • Adjusts project plans, schedules, and resources in response to changing needs and priorities.
  • Manages any change or refinement of project objectives.
  • Takes feedback into consideration while implementing organizational change.
  • Builds teams that leverage diverse capabilities of employees.
  • Provides career development opportunities for staff.
  • Reviews others’ work (for example, peers, subordinates, contractors).
  • Collaborates with others or works on teams to accomplish work-related activities.
  • Promotes or develops and maintains good working relationships with key individuals or groups.
  • Solicits input or feedback from staff and other stakeholders.
  • Listens to others and seeks clarification when needed.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Obtain a coach to work on conflict management skills.
  • Initiate and participate in team building exercises.
  • Review others’ work (for example, peers, subordinates, contractors).
  • Engage in learning projects that are fluid.
  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on conflict management techniques.
  • Complete multisource or 360-degree assessments that evaluate interpersonal skills. Work with a coach to develop a learning plan to address identified gaps.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Conflict Resolution
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Dealing with Diffilcult Customers and/or Colleagues
  • Negotiation
  • Active Listening
  • Team Building
  • Teamwork
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Persuasive Technique
  • Peer Coaching
  • Diversity & Inclusion

Conflict Management: Manages and resolves conflicts, grievances, confrontations, or disagreements in a constructive manner to minimize negative personal impact.

Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; adapts behavior or work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles; effectively deals with ambiguity.

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Team Building: Inspires and fosters team commitment, spirit, pride, and trust. Facilitates cooperation and motivates team members to accomplish group goals.

Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Establishes a customer service management plan for triaging customer inquiries.
  • Analyzes trends of customer inquiries to establish root causes for change recommendations.
  • Establishes value-added metrics for measuring customer service and continually refines to identify key performance indicators.
  • Responds to requests and inquiries from stakeholders.
  • Engages customers to identify requirements and balance business goals.
  • Modifies products or services based on suggestions or feedback from customers.
  • Anticipates and proactively addresses program needs by presenting options, taking action, and following up as appropriate.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Complete a rotation to Program Management Office, or other operational parts of agency.
  • Complete a rotation or visits to customer sites.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Customer Service
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Business Process Reengineering and Streamlining
  • Active Listening

Customer Service: Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Create new methods for planning, designing, and carrying out program objectives.
  • Develops concepts for new programs, products, or services.
  • Organizes and leads cross-divisional work groups in developing creative solutions to address problems.
  • Recommends improvements or solutions to problems, and determines appropriate actions.
  • Develops, introduces, defends and gains support for a new approaches.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on creative thinking
  • Host innovation activities (i.e., shark tanks)

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Creative Thinking
  • Innovative Thinking
  • Human-Centered Design

Creative Thinking: Uses imagination to develop new insights into situations and applies innovative solutions to problems; designs new methods where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or are unavailable.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Persuades others to take a particular course of action or to accept findings, recommendations, changes, or alternative viewpoints.
  • Creates consensus (shows the win-win for all stakeholders) and gets to an interest-based outcome (versus a position-based outcome).

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences .
  • Encourage development of others.
  • Promote continuous learning.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Negotiation and Mediation Conflict Resolution Motivation
  • Managing Across Generations
  • Professional Ethics

Influencing / Negotiating: Persuades others to accept recommendations, cooperate, or change their behavior; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Provides a bridge between strategy and culture to meet agency goals.
  • Serves as a bridge between CIO, legal, acquisition, budget and IT communities to meet customer needs.
  • Creates consensus (shows the win-win for all stakeholders) and gets to an interest-based outcome (versus a position-based outcome).
  • Ensures program decisions align with agency strategic goals.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in strategic planning sessions for the organization.
  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Strategic Planning and Analysis
  • Negotiation and Mediation
  • Problem Solving Tools and Techniques

Strategic Thinking: Formulates effective strategies consistent with the business and competitive strategy of the organization in a global economy. Examines policy issues and strategic planning with a long-term perspective. Determines objectives and sets priorities; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Provides technical advice or assistance to others.
  • Evaluates and provides feedback on others’ performance.
  • Provides career development opportunities for staff.
  • Works with staff to develop individual development plans addressing employee needs and meeting organizational goals.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Serve as a mentor or a coach.
  • Promote continuous learning.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Organizational Development
  • Leadership Development
  • Employee Development
  • Constructive Feedback

Teaching Others: Helps others learn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.

Technical General Competencies

Key Work Behaviors

  • Interprets and applies policies for emerging acquisition strategies; manages the application of government and agency acquisition policies to meet user and mission requirements.
  • Identifies and develops selection criteria and required pre- and post-award actions to meet acquisition project goals.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Develop a draft acquisitions strategy and obtain feedback from experienced program and project managers, and a Contract Specialist/Officer.
  • Follow up with the development of an Acquisition Plan to get an understanding of the key differences between an Acquisitions Strategy and the Acquisitions Plan.
  • Participate in a Professional Association and volunteer to work on a sub-committee.
  • Serve as a project manager for a smaller project.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Acquisition Strategy
  • Cost Analysis
  • Earned Value Management
  • Acquisition Law
  • COR Training
  • General Services Administration Schedule
  • Government Contract Vehicles

Acquisition Strategy: Knowledge of the principles and methods for developing an integrated acquisition management plan that describes the business, technical, and support strategies, including the relationship between the acquisition phases, work efforts, and key program events (for example, decision points, contract awards, test activities).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Evaluates, monitors, or ensures compliance with laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Evaluates the impact (for example, costs or benefits) of changes to laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Explains or provides guidance on laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to management, personnel, or clients.
  • Implements new or revised laws, regulations, executive orders, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Plans and manages technology integration and applies agency policy on interoperability and product support.
  • Reviews reports, documents, records, data, or other materials to verify completeness, correctness, consistency, compliance, or authenticity.
  • Analyzes or interprets data or other information.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Lead program or project evaluation assessments.
  • Join and participate in a professional association.
  • Obtain an experienced project management or program management mentor.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Compliance
  • Program Evaluation
  • Business Ethics
  • Agency compliance training
  • Quality Management
  • Requirements Management

Compliance: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Monitors current trends or events (for example, technological, economic, political, social, educational, or employment trends or events) and applies the information as appropriate.
  • Keeps abreast of key organizational activities, policies, and priorities likely to affect operations or the program area.
  • Keep abreast of the different forms of project management (agile, waterfall) and how they may be applied.
  • Keeps abreast of latest technology, information, research, etc., to maintain knowledge in field of expertise.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Read trade journals.
  • Participate in professional/technical associations.
  • Be a coach or a mentor.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Knowledge Management
  • Change Management
  • Succession Management
  • Effective Communications 

Knowledge Management: Knowledge of the value of collected information and the methods of sharing that information throughout an organization.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Advises on or develops criteria for measuring project or program accomplishments.
  • Designs or conducts analytical studies, cost-benefit analyses, or other research.
  • Conducts evaluations, examinations, or other fact finding studies to obtain or verify information.
  • Monitors programs, projects, operations, or activities.
  • Reviews reports, documents, records, data, or other materials to verify completeness, correctness, consistency, compliance, or authenticity.
  • Processes or analyzes data using computer systems or applications.
  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when problems arise.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Shadow a senior program manager.
  • Participate in phase, milestone, and final project reviews.
  • Attend agency’s strategic planning sessions.
  • Assist in developing criteria for measuring project or program accomplishments.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Performance Measurement
  • Earned Value Management
  • Data Visualization
  • Program Management
  • Program Management Tools
  • Evaluation Metrics and Outcomes
  • Agile Project Management
  • Cost-Benefit Analyses

Performance Measurement: Knowledge of the principles and methods for evaluating program or organizational performance using financial and nonfinancial measures, including identification of evaluation factors (for example, workload, personnel requirements), metrics, and outcomes.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops a working knowledge of the customer’s business or function.
  • Responds to requests or resolves complaints from customers.
  • Manages program budget (for example, monitors expenditures or income).
  • Analyzes and interprets data or other program related information.
  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when problems arise with assigned program.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Serve as Program Manager for programs in increased scope, complexity, and responsibilities.
  • Review Government Accountability Office reports on specific types of programs being managed.
  • Develop Standard Operating Procedures for projects within the program to ensure knowledge management and continuity of operations.
  • Identify and complete a rotation in a Program Management Office to gain an understanding of portfolio management.
  • Stay abreast of program management industry advances and best practices.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Program Management Professional Certification
  • Strategic Planning
  • Leadership Training
  • Life Cycle Management

Program Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools for the coordinated management of a program to include providing oversight of multiple projects, integrating dependent schedules and deliverables, and related activities (for example, benefits management, life cycle management, program governance).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops resource estimates related to cost, schedule, and performance.
  • Oversees execution of the project and closely monitors program progress; responds and adapts plans to changes and manages risk.
  • Assesses the value and organizational impact of the project, ensuring that the target benefits are measurable and related to business goals.
  • Recognizes, understands, and interprets earned value management (EVM) and other performance evaluation policies, methodologies, and applicable software tools.
  • Manages and understands the application of EVM. The criticality of the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) process, and how to interpret the EVM indications and resulting analysis.
  • Develops and documents a work breakdown structure (WBS) and resource loaded project schedule using common project information systems technology and software.
  • Monitors and tracks project milestones and deliverables.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Find a mentor who is a project management expert.
  • Serve as a project manager for a small or medium projects.
  • Develop cross-functional knowledge of: logistics, procurement, and finance / budget.
  • Review and become familiar with the Project Management Institute’s “A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBOK Guide) current version.
  • Stay abreast of project management industry advances and best practices.
  • Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative for a project.
  • Conduct post-implementation and baseline reviews.
  • Participate in a professional association.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Project Management Applications
  • General Project Management
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • Contract Management
  • Requirements Management
  • Project Management Commercial Literature
  • Cost Estimation

Project Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Establishes and maintains a system of continuous program or project planning, analysis, or evaluation and identifies areas for improvement or best practices.
  • Advises on or develops criteria for measuring project or program accomplishments.
  • Implements, monitors, or maintains internal control systems to ensure protection against fraud, waste, and mismanagement.
  • Evaluates the efficiency or effectiveness of organizational programs, projects, or operations.
  • Implements or maintains quality assurance processes.
  • Conducts evaluations, examinations, or other fact finding studies to obtain or verify information.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in project planning sessions.
  • Assist in defining the quality metrics for both control and assurance.
  • Lead the development of a Quality Management Plan.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Quality Management Plan
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Control
  • Quality Metrics
  • Quality Standards

Quality Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools of quality assurance, quality control, and reliability used to ensure that a project, system, or product fulfills requirements and standards.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Prepares and updates a strategy for requirements management.
  • Manages expectations and requirement changes; communicates expectation and requirement change information.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Identify stretch assignments that focus on developing a Statement of Work, Statement of Objectives, and Performance Work Statement for projects with increased scope and complexity.
  • Develop and manage a project requirements matrix.
  • Shadow an agency procurement officer or resource manager.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • System Engineering Certification
  • Business Analysis Certification
  • Contract Management

Requirements Management: Knowledge of the principles and methods to identify, solicit, analyze, specify, design, and manage requirements.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Proactively identifies program / project risks and threats; accurately assesses, prioritizes, plans risk responses, and tracks and controls risks.
  • Develops an effective risk management plan for a program / project.
  • Identifies and recommends risk management strategies relevant to policies and regulations.
  • Determines the relevancy of policies and regulations and applies them to the risk management plan.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Shadow and interview agency risk management officer.
  • Identify and complete a stretch assignment with agency’s risk management office.
  • Monitor industry risk management methodologies for insight and opportunities.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Cognitive Bias
  • Quantitative Risk Analysis
  • Communicating Risk
  • Risk Management Strategies

Risk Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Monitors, maintains, or updates schedule data, records, or other information.
  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when schedule problems arise.
  • Modifies or provides input on plans, goals, or objectives (for example, strategic plans, work breakdown structures, integration plans) for programs/projects.
  • Develops, modifies, or provides input to project plans.
  • Manages any changes to the project/program schedule.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Lead the development and management of assigned project schedules.
  • Prepare and deliver training to colleagues on effective schedule management techniques.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Advanced courses for agency specific scheduling tools and applications
  • Planning & Scheduling Professional Certification
  • Performance Evaluation
  • Quality control

Schedule Management: Plans, develops, and controls project schedule and tracks project milestones, activities, and deliverables, including timeframes and assigned resources.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Describes scope management techniques in order to define, maintain, and manage the scope of the project.
  • Aligns activities, services, products, and performance measures with strategic goals.
  • Adjusts project plans, schedules, and resources in response to changing needs and priorities.
  • Manages project constraints (for example, technology and resource constraints).
  • Monitors programs, projects, operations, or activities.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on scope management topics.
  • Participate on an interagency or intra-agency task force, working group, or project.
  • Attend and observe project closing debriefs.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Work breakdown Structure (WBS) Development
  • Agency specific training
  • General/ Introductory Project Management
  • Project Plan Development
  • Project Scope Development
  • Project Scope Control Tools and Techniques
  • Quality Control and Assessment

Scope Management: Plans, monitors, and controls project scope; includes collecting requirements, defining scope, creating a work breakdown structure, validating scope, and controlling scope to ensure project deliverables meet requirements (i.e., features, functions).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Identifies all stakeholders, internal and external, formal and informal; reports to stakeholders formally and informally.
  • Sets clear expectations for stakeholders and establishes a mechanism for stakeholder input and feedback throughout the program life cycle.
  • Identifies an escalation procedure for stakeholder issue management.
  • Proposes solutions for stakeholder issues; resolves identified issues.
  • Prepares a program / project level stakeholder management plan that aligns with organizational objectives and considers the various levels of stakeholders.
  • Accurately captures stakeholder needs and expectations; maintains stakeholder support through effective consensus building.
  • Engages affected stakeholders, manages their expectations to improve their acceptance of the program objectives, schedule, and metrics.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Shadow an executive.
  • Identify and complete project assignments with increased scope and responsibilities simultaneously receiving mentorship.
  • Participate in a professional association and volunteer to work on a sub-committee.
  • Participate on an interagency or intra-agency task force, working group, or project.
  • Participate or lead an Integrated Product / Process Team (IPT).
  • Attend and participate in “after action” meetings for assigned programs and projects.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Appreciative Inquiries
  • Coaching Skills (Active Listening)
  • Developing Stakeholder Engagement
  • Stakeholder Engagement Tools
  • Conflict Management and Negotiating

Stakeholder Management: Knowledge of the concepts, practices, and techniques used to identify, engage, influence, and monitor relationships with individuals and groups connected to a work effort; including those actively involved, those who exert influence over the process and its results, and those who have a vested interest in the outcome (positive or negative).

Senior-Level (GS 14-15) Senior Expert Project Manager/Program Manager

May include supervisory responsibilities.

While proficiency in these focus areas is important at all levels, this set of competencies is critical for successful performance at the Senior-Level (GS 14-15).

Core General Competencies

General competencies are grouped by likeness into six distinct categories. The various work behaviors are relevant to all competencies comprising each category.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Makes sound and timely tactical decisions for projects, team, or work unit based on data; decisions are made using sound tool set.
  • Prioritizes project steps and tasks.
  • Creates and executes quality assurance plans for expected program results.
  • Assesses and analyzes information and issues; makes decisions based on enterprise risk management.
  • Makes sound and timely decisions for multiple projects, teams, or work units assessing interaction across interrelated projects in a program; decisions are made using sound tool set.
  • Identifies potential and actual conflicts or issues which may arise among multiple projects or programs; formulates an action for resolution.
  • Prioritizes program issues and deliverables for action.
  • Makes sound and timely decisions for an organization or across organizations, assessing interaction across projects, programs and portfolios, sometimes with limited information; decisions are made using sound tool set.
  • Ensures program / project decisions align with agency strategic goals.
  • Identifies cascading and/or multi-level consequences of decisions, intended and unintended consequences.
  • Assesses, analyzes information and issues and makes decisions managing organization/agency/ enterprise risk.
  • Develops scorecards, metrics, and/or performance standards to accomplish desired project/program results.
  • Identifies trade-offs and scenarios; provides and evaluates options; formulates recommendations for the best project/program outcome.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Establish an understanding on how your contractors do business by obtaining a mentor with this expertise.
  • Participate in a private sector exchange program.
  • Gain exposure to innovative program / project management practices.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Decision-Making Techniques
  • Go/No-Go Decision Criteria
  • Decision-Making Tools
  • Scheduler and Coordinator
  • Cost Control
  • Risk Management
  • Quality Management
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • AGILE Methodologies
  • Federal budget, contracting and acquisition, MOU development, Clinger-Cohen, HR processes (“Government 101”)
  • Ethics
  • COTR/COR
  • Measuring Organizational Result
  • Personnel Management
  • Leadership Skills

Problem Solving: Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Decision Making: Makes sound, well- informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.

Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.

Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long- term goals and strategies to achieve them; Coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Conducts evaluations, examinations, or other factfinding studies to obtain or verify information.
  • Designs or conducts analytical studies, cost-benefit analyses, or other research.
  • Processes or analyzes data using computer systems or applications.
  • Monitors current trends or events (for example, technological, economic, political, social, educational, or employment trends or events) and applies the information as appropriate.
  • Keeps abreast of latest technology, information, research, etc., to maintain knowledge in field of expertise (for example, reads trade journals, participates in professional/technical associations, maintains credentials).
  • Establishes and maintains networks of stakeholders and other relevant parties.
  • Determines appropriate products or services for clients or customers.
  • Asks customers for suggestions or feedback on the performance of products or services.
  • Monitors programs, projects, operations, or activities.
  • Gives presentations or briefings on all aspects of the project.
  • Develops, modifies, or provides input to project plans.
  • Provides technical advice or assistance to others.
  • Collaborates with others or works on teams to accomplish work-related activities.
  • Gathers technical information from internal and external stakeholders.
  • Makes technically sound recommendations to develop effective work products.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.
  • Maintain certifications.
  • Participate in private sector exchange program.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Professional Ethics
  • Business Ethics
  • Decision Making
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • Program Management Body of Knowledge

Information Management: Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information or information management systems.

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

Technology Application: Uses machines, tools, instruments, or equipment effectively; uses computers and computer applications to analyze and communicate information in the appropriate format.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Establishes and maintains a baseline understanding of current organizational processes.
  • Creates alternatives to mitigate organizational risk and capitalizes on new and changing technologies.
  • Scans the environment for external trends (i.e., technologies, policies, etc.), assesses impact for possible adoption, and adapts value-added innovations to transform service delivery.
  • Questions status quo and explores new ways of meeting organizational needs.
  • Manages organizational expectations for realistic program deliverables.
  • Creates and communicates a program vision.
  • Demonstrates understanding of the Code of Ethics for Government Service and other laws governing ethical behavior.
  • Establishes open and honest communication with employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
  • Recognizes and documents available options in analyzing and resolving ethical situations.
  • Maintain fairness and objectivity when selecting team members based upon skill sets needed for projects.
  • Instills a climate of trust, openness, and honesty by admitting own mistakes and taking responsibility for one's actions.
  • Displays fortitude to make ethical decisions that may negatively impact self or stakeholders.
  • Demonstrates ethics, integrity, and professional conduct.
  • Provides a bridge between strategy and culture to meet agency goals.
  • Serves as a bridge between CIO, legal, acquisition, budget and IT communities to meet customer needs.
  • Creates consensus (shows the win-win for all stakeholders) and gets to an interest-based outcome (versus a position-based outcome).
  • Ensures program decisions align with agency strategic goals.
  • Establishes professional standards for carrying out the program / project (i.e., establishing customer service standards, collaborative approach).
  • Understands stakeholder motivations and utilizes them effectively to meet program / project goals.
  • Creates a collaborative environment.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.
  • Encourage development of others.
  • Stay current on certifications.
  • Promote continuous learning.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Strategic Planning and Analysis
  • Problem Solving Tools and Techniques
  • Professional Ethics
  • Business Ethics
  • Negotiation and Mediation
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Managing Across Generations
  • Valuing Diversity
  • Change Management

Integrity / Honesty: Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, self, and others; is trustworthy.

Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

Organizational Awareness: Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.

Partnering: Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Reviews reports, documents, records, data, or other materials to verify completeness, correctness, consistency, compliance, or authenticity.
  • Conducts evaluations, examinations, or other fact finding studies to obtain or verify information.
  • Listens to others and seeks clarification when needed.
  • Presents information orally about work of the organization to others (for example, describes the organization's programs and services to individuals or groups in the community or to higher management).
  • Reads and understands technical or other complex materials required for the job.
  • Justifies program objectives and required allocations to top management.
  • Prepares budget requests or justifications for funding.
  • Provides or disseminates information in writing.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Take on a developmental assignment that offers the opportunity to present to or communicate with colleagues in different areas of the organization.
  • Enter a coaching relationship in which oral communication abilities is the focal point of development
  • Participate in professional association.
  • Make use of learning partners and peer coaches to solicit feedback on written communications.
  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on specific writing topics. Volunteer to produce written materials for assigned projects.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Time Management
  • Organizational Skills
  • Managing Your Workload
  • Productivity
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Presentation Skills
  • Public Speaking
  • Technical Writing
  • Business Writing
  • E-mail Etiquette

Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Reading Comprehension: Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations.

Reasoning: Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.

Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when problems arise.
  • Persuades others to take a particular course of action or to accept findings, recommendations, changes, or alternative viewpoints.
  • Adjusts project plans, schedules, and resources in response to changing needs and priorities.
  • Manages any change or refinement of project objectives.
  • Takes feedback into consideration while implementing organizational change.
  • Builds teams that leverage diverse capabilities of employees.
  • Provides career development opportunities for staff.
  • Reviews others’ work (for example, peers, subordinates, contractors).
  • Collaborates with others or works on teams to accomplish work-related activities.
  • Promotes or develops and maintains good working relationships with key individuals or groups.
  • Solicits input or feedback from staff and other stakeholders.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Obtain a coach to work on conflict management skills.
  • Initiate and participate in team building exercises.
  • Engage in learning projects that are fluid.
  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on conflict management techniques.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Conflict Resolution
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Dealing with Difficult Customers and/or Colleagues
  • Negotiation
  • Active Listening
  • Team Building
  • Teamwork
  • Effective Communication Skills
  • Persuasive Techniques Peer Coaching
  • Diversity & Inclusion

Conflict Management: Manages and resolves conflicts, grievances, confrontations, or disagreements in a constructive manner to minimize negative personal impact.

Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; adapts behavior or work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles; effectively deals with ambiguity.

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Team Building: Inspires and fosters team commitment, spirit, pride, and trust. Facilitates cooperation and motivates team members to accomplish group goals.

Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Establishes a customer service management plan for triaging customer inquiries.
  • Analyzes trends of customer inquiries to establish root causes for change recommendations.
  • Establishes value-added metrics for measuring customer service and continually refines to identify key performance indicators.
  • Responds to requests and inquiries from stakeholders.
  • Engages customers to identify requirements and balance business goals.
  • Modifies products or services based on suggestions or feedback from customers.
  • Anticipates and proactively addresses program needs by presenting options, taking action, and following up as appropriate.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Complete a rotation to Program Management Office, or other operational parts of agency.
  • Complete a rotation or visits to customer sites.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Customer Service
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Business Process Reengineering and Streamlining

Customer Service: Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Create new methods for planning, designing, and carrying out program objectives.
  • Develops concepts for new programs, products, or services.
  • Organizes and leads cross-divisonal work group in developing creative solutions to address problems.
  • Recommends improvements or solutions to problems, and determines appropriate actions.
  • Develops, introduces, defends and gains support for a new approaches.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Leverage self-learning platforms for real-time information on creative thinking
  • Host innovation activities (i.e., shark tanks)

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Creative Thinking
  • Innovative Thinking
  • Human-Centered Design

Creative Thinking: Uses imagination to develop new insights into situations and applies innovative solutions to problems; designs new methods where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or are unavailable.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Persuades others to take a particular course of action or to accept findings, recommendations, changes, or alternative viewpoints.
  • Creates consensus (shows the win-win for all stakeholders) and gets to an interest-based outcome (versus a position-based outcome).

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences .
  • Encourage development of others.
  • Promote continuous learning.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Negotiation and Mediation Conflict Resolution Motivation
  • Managing Across Generations
  • Professional Ethics

Influencing / Negotiating: Persuades others to accept recommendations, cooperate, or change their behavior; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Provides a bridge between strategy and culture to meet agency goals.
  • Serves as a bridge between CIO, legal, acquisition, budget and IT communities to meet customer needs.
  • Creates consensus (shows the win-win for all stakeholders) and gets to an interest-based outcome (versus a position-based outcome).
  • Ensures program decisions align with agency strategic goals.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in strategic planning sessions for the organization.
  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Strategic Planning and Analysis
  • Negotiation and Mediation
  • Problem Solving Tools and Techniques

Strategic Thinking: Formulates effective strategies consistent with the business and competitive strategy of the organization in a global economy. Examines policy issues and strategic planning with a long-term perspective. Determines objectives and sets priorities; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Keeps abreast of key organizational activities, policies, and priorities likely to affect operations or the program area.
  • Establishes and maintains networks of stakeholders and other relevant parties.
  • Keeps abreast of latest technology, information, research, etc., to maintain knowledge in field of expertise (for example, reads trade journals, participates in professional/technical associations, maintains credentials).
  • Participates in or represents the organization or clients at briefings, meetings, or conferences.
  • Serves as a liaison between government personnel (inside and outside the organization), representatives of business and industry, trade and professional associations, the media, or the public.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations’ initiatives and conferences.
  • Stay current on certifications.
  • Read trade journals to stay abreast of economic, political and social trends.
  • Read the Government Accountability Office reports
  • Stay abreast of Federal Register notifications.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Leadership Development
  • Forecasting

External Awareness: Identifies and understands economic, political, and social trends that affect the organization.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Determines resource requirements (for example, staffing, equipment) based on program or project objectives or operational needs.
  • Adjusts project plans, schedules, and resources in response to changing needs and priorities.
  • Identifies and accommodates technology and resource constraints.
  • Allocates resources based on program or project objectives or operational requirements.
  • Purchases or contracts for property, services, supplies, equipment, or other items.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate on an interagency or intra-agency task force, working group, or project.
  • Lead the implementation of a Resource Management Plan.
  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Resource Management
  • Program Management
  • Financial Management

Manages Resources: Selects, acquires, stores, and distributes resources such as materials, equipment, or money.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Provides technical advice or assistance to others.
  • Evaluates and provides feedback on others’ performance.
  • Provides career development opportunities for staff.
  • Works with staff to develop individual development plans addressing employee needs and meeting organizational goals.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Serve as a mentor or a coach.
  • Promote continuous learning.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Organizational Development
  • Leadership Development
  • Employee Development
  • Constructive Feedback

Teaching Others: Helps others learn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Plans, distributes and monitors work assignments.
  • Builds teams that leverage diverse capabilities of employees.
  • Evaluates subordinates’ work performance and provides feedback on their performance.
  • Motivates subordinates.
  • Recommends personnel actions (for example, appointments, promotions, reassignments)

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Be a mentor or a coach.
  • Promote continuous learning.
  • Plan and participate in team building activities.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Organizational Management
  • Performance Management
  • Workforce Planning
  • Constructive Feedback

Managing Human Resources: Plans, distributes, and monitors work assignments; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Persuades others to take a particular course of action or to accept findings, recommendations, changes, or alternative viewpoints.
  • Establishes and maintains networks of stakeholders and other relevant parties.
  • Justifies program objectives and required allocations to top management.
  • Participates in or represents the organization or clients at briefings, meetings, or conferences.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in professional organizations' initiatives and conferences.
  • Stay current on certifications.
  • Read trade journals to stay abreast of political trends.
  • Read the Government Accountability Office reports.
  • Stay abreast of Federal Register notifications.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Professional Ethics
  • Business Ethics
  • Negotiation and Mediation/ Conflict Resolution

Political Savvy: Identifies the internal and external politics that impact the work of the organization. Perceives organizational and political reality and acts accordingly.

Technical General Competencies

Key Work Behaviors

  • Formally initiates an acquisition project; develops acquisition schedule, expectations and requirements plan.
  • Formulates an acquisition strategy that incorporates risk mitigation strategies and opportunity costs.
  • Utilizes Earned Value Management (EVM) and other performance evaluation systems to control and evaluate acquisition investments.
  • Manages the leadership and management processes associated with acquisition and acquisition planning.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Participate in cross-functional, interagency training.
  • Serve as a mentor to junior staff.
  • Identify and complete a detail or rotation that involves leading or assisting with a major acquisition.
  • Serve on proposal review and technical evaluation teams.
  • Participate on an interagency or intra-agency task force, working group, or project.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Lean Six Sigma
  • Business and Marketing
  • Acquisition training
  • Systems Acquisition Management
  • Life Cycle Management
  • Logistic Management
  • Intermediate Acquisition Logistics
  • Social Impact & Consequences to Technical Strategy
  • Performance-Based Contracts

Acquisition Strategy: Knowledge of the principles and methods for developing an integrated acquisition management plan that describes the business, technical, and support strategies, including the relationship between the acquisition phases, work efforts, and key program events (for example, decision points, contract awards, test activities).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Prioritizes and adjusts plans, schedules, and resources in response to changing needs and competing priorities.
  • Identifies the impacts of change on business processes.
  • Designs and implements a change management plan to manage changes to the program scope, schedule, quality, and costs.
  • Updates relevant plans and communicates approved changes.
  • Develops and approves program tolerance plans within the program.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Identify and participate in details that involve leading change management initiatives.
  • Assist and lead assignments that include process improvements or change initiatives, business process reengineering efforts, or implement changes developed by a larger project.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Change Management
  • Strategic Planning and Analysis
  • Program Change Requests
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • Lean Six Sigma
  • Change Management Professional Certification
  • Total Quality Management
  • Release Management

Change Management: Knowledge of change management principles, strategies, and techniques required for effectively planning, implementing, and evaluating change in the organization.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Evaluates, monitors, or ensures compliance with laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Evaluates the impact (for example, costs or benefits) of changes to laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Explains or provides guidance on laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to senior management, personnel, or clients.
  • Implements new or revised laws, regulations, executive orders, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Plans and manages technology integration and applies agency policy on interoperability and product support.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Lead program or project evaluation assessments.
  • Join and participate in a professional association.
  • Obtain an experienced project management or program management mentor.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Compliance
  • Program Evaluation
  • Business Ethics
  • Agency compliance training
  • Quality Management
  • Requirements Management

Compliance: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops short- or long-term financing plans or identifies funding sources.
  • Prepares budget requests or justifications for funding.
  • Reviews and recommends the approval or disapproval of funding requests.
  • Manages budget (for example, monitors expenditures or income).
  • Monitors and controls burn rates against the spending plan.
  • Applies Earned Value Management (EVM) and other performance evaluation methods, processes, and tools.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Identify and participate in a financial management details or rotation.
  • Participate in agency’s budget process.
  • Lead an interagency or intra-agency task force, working group, or project.
  • Lead an Integrated Product/Process Team (IPT).

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Financial Management Certification
  • Financial Analysis
  • Return on Investments
  • Program Planning, Budgeting, and Execution
  • Economic Forecasting / Analysis
  • Cost Management
  • Financial Closure Processes

Financial Management: Prepares, justifies, and/or administers the budget for program areas; plans, administers, and monitors expenditures to ensure cost-effective support of programs and policies; assesses financial condition of an organization.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Monitors current trends or events (for example, technological, economic, political, social, educational, or employment trends or events) and applies the information as appropriate.
  • Keeps abreast of key organizational activities, policies, and priorities likely to affect operations or the program area.
  • Keeps abreast of latest technology, information, research, etc., to maintain knowledge in field of expertise.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Read trade journals.
  • Participate in professional / technical associations.
  • Be a coach or a mentor.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Knowledge Management
  • Change Management
  • Succession Management
  • Effective Communications 

Knowledge Management: Knowledge of the value of collected information and the methods of sharing that information throughout an organization.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Conducts evaluations, examinations, or other fact-finding studies to obtain or verify information program and organizational performance metrics.
  • Advises on or develops criteria for measuring project or program accomplishments.
  • Evaluates, monitors, or ensures compliance with laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures.
  • Develops or analyzes plans of action and milestones for mitigating risks.
  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when performance problems arise.
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of problem solving processes and outcomes to improve program and organizational performance.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Shadow an executive.
  • Attend and participate in the agency’s strategic planning sessions.
  • Manage a Government Accountability Office / Inspector General Audit Response.
  • Identify and complete a detail or rotation with increased program scope, complexity, and responsibilities.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Performance Measurement
  • Earned Value Management
  • Program Management
  • Data Visualization
  • Program Management Tools
  • Testing and agile/scrum master for types of programs being managed
  • Benchmark Identification
  • Agile Methodologies( e.g. Scrum, lean etc.)

Performance Measurement: Knowledge of the principles and methods for evaluating program or organizational performance using financial and nonfinancial measures, including identification of evaluation factors (for example, workload, personnel requirements), metrics, and outcomes.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Prepares budget requests or justifications for funding.
  • Provides technical supervision of program or project work.
  • Negotiates with others to reach an agreement, settlement, compliance, or a solution.
  • Determines resource requirements (for example, staffing, equipment) based on program or project objectives or operational needs.
  • Ensures new projects align with other projects underway.
  • Implements operational, program, or project plans to meet objectives.
  • Analyzes organizational objectives and identifies where gaps in capability exist to meet those objectives.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Manage multiple connected programs.
  • Identify and complete detail or rotation that broadens and diversifies the types of programs managed.
  • Stay abreast of program management industry advances and best practices.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Advanced Program Management
  • Strategic Planning
  • Leadership Training
  • Life Cycle Management

Program Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools for the coordinated management of a program to include providing oversight of multiple projects, integrating dependent schedules and deliverables, and related activities (for example, benefits management, life cycle management, program governance).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops resource estimates related to cost, schedule, and performance.
  • Oversees execution of the project and closely monitors program progress; responds and adapts plans to changes and manages risk.
  • Assesses the value and organizational impact of the project, ensuring that the target benefits are measurable and related to business goals.
  • Recognizes, understands, and interprets earned value management (EVM) and other performance evaluation policies, methodologies, and applicable software tools.
  • Manages and understands the application of EVM. The criticality of the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) process, and how to interpret the EVM indications and resulting analysis.
  • Develops and documents a work breakdown structure (WBS) and resource loaded project schedule using common project information systems technology and software.
  • Monitors and tracks project milestones and deliverables.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Develop cross-functional knowledge of: logistics, procurement, and finance / budget.
  • Review and become familiar with the Project Management Institute’s “A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBOK Guide).
  • Stay abreast of project management industry advances and best practices.
  • Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative for a project.
  • Conduct post-implementation and baseline reviews.
  • Participate in a professional association.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Project Management Applications
  • General Project Management
  • Project Management Body of Knowledge
  • Contract Management
  • Requirements Management
  • Project Management Commercial Literature
  • Cost Estimation

Project Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Establishes and maintains a system of continuous program or project planning, analysis, or evaluation and identifies areas for improvement or best practices.
  • Advises on or develops criteria for measuring project or program accomplishments.
  • Implements, monitors, or maintains internal control systems to ensure protection against fraud, waste, and mismanagement.
  • Evaluates the efficiency or effectiveness of organizational programs, projects, or operations.
  • Implements or maintains quality assurance processes.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Serve as a mentor or coach.
  • Teach control quality reviewing techniques to junior staff members.
  • Lead the defining of quality metrics.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Quality Management Plan
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Control
  • Quality Metrics
  • Quality Standards

Quality Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools of quality assurance, quality control, and reliability used to ensure that a project, system, or product fulfills requirements and standards.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Prepares and updates a strategy for requirements management.
  • Manages expectations and requirement changes; communicates expectation and requirement change information.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Identify stretch assignments that focus on developing a Statement of Work, Statement of Objectives, and Performance Work Statement for projects with increased scope and complexity.
  • Teach requirements gathering techniques to junior staff members.
  • Manage all stages of requirements gathering / management.
  • Shadow an agency procurement officer or resource manager.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • System Engineering Certification
  • Business Analysis Certification
  • Contract Management

Requirements Management: Knowledge of the principles and methods to identify, solicit, analyze, specify, design, and manage requirements.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Assesses and approves risk management plans for programs.
  • Coordinates the interdependencies of risk management across systems and organizations.
  • Develops and shares best practices regarding risk management.
  • Effectively communicates change across the enterprise.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Identify and complete a detail or rotation to manage a high-risk portfolio or program.
  • Attend workshops given by program / project management governing bodies or private companies.
  • Serve as a risk manager on large program / project.
  • Assist in an enterprise risk management office.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Agile Risk Management / Visualization
  • Quality Assurance
  • Risk Informed Decision-Making
  • Risk Identification, Tracking, and Mitigation
  • Risk Management Professional Certification

Risk Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops a schedule management plan based on the project management plan and using schedule management techniques.
  • Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when schedule problems arise.
  • Develops, modifies, or provides input to project plans.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Prepare and deliver training to colleagues on effective schedule management techniques.
  • Serve as a mentor or coach.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Advanced courses for agency specific scheduling tools and applications
  • Scheduling Professional Certification
  • Performance Evaluation
  • Alternative Analysis

Schedule Management: Plans, develops, and controls project schedule and tracks project milestones, activities, and deliverables, including timeframes and assigned resources.

Key Work Behaviors

  • Develops a scope management plan based on the approved project scope and using scope management techniques.
  • Assures that resources and schedule are commensurate with the project scope.
  • Successfully advocates for the resources needed to accomplish project work scope.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Complete a stretch assignment to project with complex or broad stakeholders.
  • Complete Mind MAP exercises.
  • Identify and complete detail / rotation project assignment in scope management.
  • Lead the development of work breakdown structures.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Scope Management
  • Facilitation
  • Brainstorming Techniques
  • Agile Sprint / Release Training
  • Hybrid Agile Waterfall Development
  • Requirements Management
  • Stakeholder Engagement

Scope Management: Plans, monitors, and controls project scope; includes collecting requirements, defining scope, creating a work breakdown structure, validating scope, and controlling scope to ensure project deliverables meet requirements (i.e., features, functions).

Key Work Behaviors

  • Implements solutions for stakeholder issues; resolves identified issues.
  • Develops a communication strategy to engage stakeholders, manage their expectations, and improve their acceptance of the objectives of the program.
  • Accurately captures stakeholder needs and expectations and maintains stakeholder support through effective consensus building.
  • Engages and facilitates affected stakeholders, manages their expectations to improve their acceptance of the program objectives, schedule, and metrics.
  • Generates buy-in to the business goals and technical approach of the program / project.

Recommended Developmental Activities

  • Serve as mentor or coach.
  • Identify and participate in an interagency developmental assignments or integrated project team.
  • Assist and lead stakeholder management in major projects/initiatives.
  • Continuously seek opportunities to improve communication skills.

Recommended Training / Subject Areas

  • Agile Requirements Training
  • Human-Centered Design
  • Negotiating/Conflict Management training
  • Collaborative Government
  • Executive Communications
  • Project Management Tools

Stakeholder Management: Knowledge of the concepts, practices, and techniques used to identify, engage, influence, and monitor relationships with individuals and groups connected to a work effort; including those actively involved, those who exert influence over the process and its results, and those who have a vested interest in the outcome (positive or negative). *GS-15 (stakeholders change and include organizations such as GAO, CIO, OMB, Congress).

Control Panel