Dulio Denis
Program Management Enthusiast | Agile Advocate | Team Accelerator
1mo ago
Day 8: 1 Habit All Successful People In Program Management Have In Common
Written by Dulio Denis

Most successful people share the same handful of things in common:

  • They are disciplined with their time

  • They know how to stay focused on one goal at a time

  • They have mentors and other influential people they can turn to for advice

  • They have mastered one (or multiple) valuable skills

  • Etc.

But in Program Management, in particular, I have noticed that the most successful people have this one habit in common:

They religiously document decisions and their context.

And here's why:

Program Management is fundamentally about orchestrating complex initiatives across multiple teams and stakeholders. The best program managers understand that today's small decisions can have massive ripple effects months later. By meticulously documenting not just what was decided but why it was agreed, successful PMs create an invaluable knowledge base that:

  1. Prevents repeated discussions about previously settled issues

  2. Helps new team members quickly understand the historical context

  3. Provides clear accountability and traceability

  4. Enables better decision-making by surfacing patterns and learnings

  5. It serves as a shield against shifting priorities and "scope creep."

While it may seem tedious, this habit of comprehensive documentation separates great program managers from good ones. It transforms them from coordinators into trusted strategic advisors who can confidently guide programs through complexity and change.

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