Technical Program Managers (TPMs) are a recent phenomenon, particularly in larger organizations that use a lot of IT to achieve value. They combine the technical role and a leadership role in one function to enhance technical value. However, today’s literature on how to excel as a TPM is relatively sparse. Johnathan Stephen Sexton adds his experiences as a Walmart TPM to the mix in this book of homespun wisdom.
As a very experience-driven account, he describes the challenges a TPM will face. He has a lot of quotes from John Maxwell, Sam Walton, and Nick Saban. This short account provides practical insight into what thinking like a TPM looks like, all the way from starting out as a newcomer towards dealing with the executive level.
However, with its brevity, the book has some significant shortcomings. I’d like to see more people quoted and more research performed to inform the book. It seems more like an in-house account of what it means to be a TPM at Walmart than a generalizable perspective on what TPMs across the world can and should do. I’d rather he offer either a first-hand account of his career (almost a professional memoir) or a more-researched account with deeper insights, but in trying to relate insight solely through his experiences, he achieves neither.
Regardless, with scant literature available about the roles of TPMs in today’s organizations, this book cannot be missed as a contributing voice. Those who aspire to excel as a TPM need all the advice they can receive, and Sexton certainly offers a quick set of adages helpful to achieve excellence.
Beyond Delivery: How Technical Program Managers Lead Change and Grow with Impact
By Johnathan Stephen Sexton
Copyright (c) 2025
Independently Published
ISBN13 9798218793289
Page Count: 110
Genre: Program Management
www.amazon.com