Describe a time when the data-driven analysis you performed informed an impactful decision.
Program managers at Facebook rely heavily on data to inform important decisions. They are often asked to make quick assessments that affect strategy and define the tactical plans of their teams. Leveraging the information available is a key part of this process. Interviewers ask this question to ensure the candidate they select has the analytical skills necessary to perform this important function of the program manager role.
Remember to describe the problem or original state, what you did to address it, and the impact your analysis had on the situation. Also, scenarios that have more than one area of impact resonate with interviewers.
"In my current role, I am a program manager for a company that implements warehousing and inventory management solutions. I began at the company as a project manager working to upgrade the ERP of a major food retailer. I was told that the client fully understood the needs of their company and that my role would mostly be to coordinate work and ensure everyone stayed on track.
I do not have a formal analyst background, but I have learned to analyze data properly over the years. I prefer to back my assertions up properly before making recommendations that will heavily impact a project. In this case, the stakeholder communicated requirements that would adversely impact operations in several of their warehouses he did not work in directly. I traveled to those sites and met with the stakeholders there and they expressed concerns. I was able to work with them to gather data specific to their locations and prove that meeting the requirements as stated would cause significant issues with their inventory processing.
I worked with my team to propose an alternate solution that would better serve the needs of the entire stakeholder group. I presented my analysis to my senior leaders and the senior stakeholders for the project. I was thanked for uncovering the issue before the previous design was built and implemented. My instinct to reach out to my downstream clients and support their case through data saved their company time and money. It also served to build trust and customer satisfaction points for my company."
