Would you cope with a difficult delay if you were a Technical Program Manager at Groww?

Question Analysis

This question is asking you to demonstrate your problem-solving and coping skills in the face of a significant project delay, which is a common challenge for a Technical Program Manager. The interviewer is interested in understanding how you handle pressure, manage stakeholders, and adapt your plans to meet project goals despite unforeseen obstacles. This is a behavioral question, so using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method will help structure your response effectively.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a Technical Program Manager at XYZ Corporation, we faced a significant delay in a product launch due to a critical software bug discovered during the final testing phase.

Task: My responsibility was to manage the delay, communicate with stakeholders, and ensure that the project was brought back on track without compromising quality.

Action:

• Communication: I immediately organized a meeting with the development team to understand the scope of the issue and gathered technical details to assess the impact on the timeline.
• Stakeholder Management: I informed key stakeholders about the delay, providing them with a clear understanding of the issue, the expected delay, and our plan to resolve it.
• Revised Planning: I worked with the team to prioritize tasks and allocate additional resources to fix the bug swiftly. We also adjusted our project timeline and set new realistic deadlines.
• Monitoring: Throughout the process, I set up daily stand-ups to monitor progress and ensured transparent communication with all stakeholders.

Result: The team successfully resolved the bug within the revised timeline, and we launched the product with high quality. The stakeholders appreciated the proactive communication and the team's ability to adapt effectively to the situation.

By taking these steps, I ensured that the delay was managed efficiently, minimizing its impact on the overall project and maintaining stakeholder confidence.