The presence and development of competency in IT programs

• Findings indicate that an IT program team can improve critical competencies.
• Critical competencies are improved by promoting participation among the program members.
• Participation mechanisms consist of interpersonal cooperation and mutual support.
• Personnel development and customer focus were positively associated with IT program performance.
• Interpersonal cooperation and mutual support were enhanced by the program team's self and social competencies.

Information technology (IT) programs are coordinated IT projects with a common business objective or underlying similar theme. Driving success in an IT program requires that the projects all work to achieve more global organizational goals than those of each individual project. These goals are better achieved in the presence of critical program team competences that include personnel development, dissemination of methodologies, and a key customer focus. These competences need to be developed to promote higher program performance where programs are dedicated to achieving business objectives of an organization. We propose a model based on the human resource model that considers the development of the critical competences when essential self and social competences are present in team members. Participation mechanisms of interpersonal cooperation and mutual support assist in the development of the critical competences. The model is supported by data collected from both quantitative survey and qualitative interviews with matched pairs of IT program managers and IT project managers. The results confirm the need to insure the presence of certain competences in team members and the construction of an environment that builds mutual support and cooperation. The human resource model is thus extended to include the inter-team environment of IT programs and further variables important to vendor competence.