News

November 6, 2009

Integrated Program Management Conference: IPM09 Wrap-Up

The 21st Annual Integrated Program Management Conference wrapped up this week in Alexandria, Virginia, after three days of intensive Earned Value Management discussion, training, and presentations. For the second consecutive year, Simon Dekker, President and CEO of Dekker, Ltd., served as the program manager. The College of Performance Management, National Defense Industrial Association, and Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis co-sponsored the event.

“There is a lot happening in the world of Earned Value right now,” Mr. Dekker said, “and we feel like the conference really provided a valuable forum for professionals to keep on top of recent developments.”

Nearly 600 attendees and 30 exhibitors converged in Alexandria for the largest U.S. conference dedicated to Earned Value Management. Keynote presenters Jon Swartzentruber of Kiewit, Gary Bliss of the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, and Frederick Payne of Ricardo kicked off each morning’s General Session. Conference attendees then broke out into training sessions, panels, and workshops to learn about recent developments in Earned Value practices, software tools, and industry standards.

One of the most prominent trends to emerge at the conference was a new focus on program management, rather than project, portfolio, or enterprise management. Government agencies and private organizations are coming to view projects less as isolated efforts and more as components in a larger organizational mission, and this change in perception is finding voice in the idea of a codified approach to program management, and a growing recognition that the words “program” and “project” have distinct meanings and incorporate distinct concepts. Simon Dekker’s well attended Practice Symposia presentation “Programs and the Future of Project Management” captured the importance and discussed possible impacts of this shift within the project management community.

Representing private sector industry and government offices, respectively, Michael R. Nosbisch of SM&A and Karen A. Richey of the Government Accountability Office acted as conference co-chairpersons.

Next year’s Integrated Program Management Conference will take place November 8-10 in Bethesda, Maryland. More details will be available from the College of Performance Management as the conference dates approach.


Tina Higuska, winner of the Dekker, Ltd. drawing for a 40” stuffed Dekker Lion, with the rest of her Los Angeles Air Force Base team.	Brenda Bizier of NAVAIR won a 40” stuffed Dekker tiger in a drawing at the Dekker, Ltd. booth at the Integrated Program Management conference.

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