Microsoft Program Manager Interview Questions & Answers
Below is a list of our Microsoft interview questions. Click on any interview question to view our answer advice and answer examples. You may view 5 answer examples before our paywall loads. Afterwards, you'll be asked to upgrade to view the rest of our answers.
Behavioral
1. What are some methods you would use to build relationships as program manager at Microsoft?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Relationship-building skills are essential to the success of a program manager. Interviewers ask this question to understand how a candidate would approach building relationships within Microsoft or with external clients.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe more than one strategy when discussing how you would build relationships with stakeholders. Program managers at Microsoft directly rely on the efforts of various internal and external groups in order to be successful, and it is expected that a variety of techniques would need to be deployed in order to be effective.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"When starting at Microsoft I would first reach out to my peers and management to understand how things work internally. I would use these discussions to determine a strategy for internal group outreach as well as customer outreach.
I would then use a mix of formal and informal check-in meetings to discuss the current state of what is working well and what needs to be improved. I would ask if there are specific actions I could take to ensure a positive working relationship going forward. I would also engage in end-user shadowing where possible. I find that spending time with end-users goes a long way towards building trust and establishing a valuable information stream.
Finally, I like to engage with clients or co-workers in a social setting where appropriate. I enjoy coordinating team-building activities and client meals or events to get to know the people I work with better. Taking the time to learn something personal about a co-worker or client quickly adds value and helps to build a solid communication foundation."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Behavioral
2. Describe a time when you were required to pivot on the fly.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft is a large enterprise, but they lean on agility and lean practices to produce the products their customers rely on. Interviewers ask this question to ensure that a program manager candidate has experience responding to internal or external changes in direction as necessary.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to offer an example that is in alignment with the scale expected of a program manager. For example, a change in budget availability due to an unexpected external event might cause a program manager to rescope an entire program of work whereas a change in user need might cause a project manager to rescope a small group of features. These two scenarios describe a significantly different scale of impact. Candidates that can demonstrate the ability to quickly respond to larger-scale changes are valued.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"My current program manager role is within a large media and entertainment company. We are responsible for the assets that are delivered to a number of platforms including streaming services and live on-air events. We were in the middle of a major company initiative that was meant to provide a greater level of integration across all of our products when the pandemic hit.
The business units my portfolio of solutions served were hit hard in a number of ways. Some areas had to scale back operations and reduce staff because the live events they relied on were canceled. Some areas had to learn to operate in quarantine to keep live events going. Some areas were flooded because more people were at home and wanted fresh content to stream. At the same time, the technical teams I led were suddenly working fully remote and learning how to thrive in a new environment.
I met with the senior management in each of my customer areas. I worked with them to review the current technology roadmap and discuss their new needs. We focused on a short-term strategy and developed a three-month projection for each group. I then developed a plan to shift resources around within my teams accordingly. I worked with our technical leads, architects, senior analysts, and project managers to get everyone up to speed on their new assignments as quickly as possible.
I also worked with the leads on all of my teams to establish remote work plans to ensure that everyone stayed in sync while they were getting used to all of the changes. We held town hall meetings with our small group to review the new roadmaps and discuss the strategic shifts we needed to accommodate. I felt it was important to be transparent and open the door for feedback. All ideas were welcome, and the creative ideas individuals contributed added a ton of value.
We also used the meetings to air out concerns, vent together, boost each other up, play games, and just hang out online. It was important to me to make sure we maintained the strong culture we were known for. I made it a point to lead by example and show empathy for the struggles people were facing. My teams were really impressive, and they rolled with every change our business leaders asked of us. They maintained their high level of performance and met the needs of our customers until we were able to get back to normal planning and execution."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Communication
3. How would you explain the cloud to your grandmother?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers at Microsoft often act as a bridge between various groups. They are required to explain concepts and foster the understanding necessary to create alignment and move their programs forward. This question is asked to test a candidate's ability to explain a complex technical concept to a technology novice.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to use a relatable metaphor within your answer. Figurative language is a powerful way to convey complex concepts quickly.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I like to use figurative language when explaining complex concepts to others. I find this is very successful when teaching others about technical concepts that a person has little to no frame of reference for.
In this instance, I would explain to my grandmother that the cloud allows individuals and companies to take advantage of centralized storage and processing. I would then ask her to imagine that she stores all of her money in her mattress, and she does not have a bank account. It would be difficult to pay her bills in today's world. However, if she deposits her money with a bank, she has access to checks, a check card, and other services that make it easy to connect with others and pay for goods and services.
I would then explain that the cloud works similarly. Companies are able to store and process massive amounts of information and assets easily using shared services as opposed to having to buy their own 'bank' and manage all of those services on their own. They are able to learn on expertise and the best practices that would cost them a lot of money to build internally."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
4. What do you enjoy the most about working as a program manager?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Interviewers ask this question to determine what motivates a candidate. Program managers at Microsoft manage mission-critical technology programs and essential customer relationships. It is important that the role would offer a candidate the opportunity to enjoy the potentially fast-paced and stressful work of a Microsoft program manager.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe the value that the aspect you select creates in your life. For example, if you explain that you love most the opportunity to leverage your strategic planning skills, you might include an explanation of how strategic planning has helped you move forward professionally and personally.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"The thing I enjoy the most about being a program manager is the opportunity to work to facilitate the delivery of technical solutions while bridging them together with business strategy. I genuinely appreciate working with my customers to help them fully understand their options to improve their operations. Likewise, I love that I have the opportunity to stay close to the solutions and changing technology. I find that leaders sometimes lose their direct connection with technology solutions as they progress in their career and the program manager role affords me the ability to directly participate in the two professional aspects in which I thrive."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
5. Describe a time when you implemented an extensible solution.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft relies heavily on the concept of extensibility for the vast majority of the products they develop. Their solutions scale to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses, and enterprises in many cases. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has experience implementing solutions with the level of flexible design that Microsoft requires.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe how the solution was designed and then extended with minimal impact on the infrastructure of the solution. Extensibility can only be demonstrated over the course of multiple implementations.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I worked as an IT business consultant prior to my current role as a program manager. In that role, I was assigned to work with a team that managed the sales and contract information for a large operations organization. They used a number of systems to view and manage the information their sales, legal, and contracts teams relied upon. I was asked to develop a strategy to redesign their contract management system in such a way that it would also meet the informational needs of their sales and operations groups.
I worked with the architects and tech leads of the current systems to reimagine the new solution. We had a solid data structure that met the current and future needs of our client, so we focused on integrating the solutions into a seamless user experience. We developed a portal solution that allowed users to add widgets to view and manage the information they needed. We worked with a user experience expert to ensure we got the design right, and we rolled out various widgets incrementally.
The widgets were flexible, and we were able to use the same technology for a wide array of use cases. For example, the search functions within the widgets met the needs of the sales managers when they needed to search for customer data, and they met the needs of contract managers searching for expiring contracts.
Our users loved the new solution. It felt fresh, and they loved how we were able to incrementally deliver new functions on a regular basis. It was a huge departure from what they were used to and bringing all of the features together in one place saved them a lot of time operationally."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
6. What level of budgetary responsibility do you have in your current role?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft program managers are responsible for the successful delivery of initiatives with large budgets in many cases. Interviewers ask this question to assess whether or not a candidate has experience working with the appropriate scale of projects for the role they intend to fill.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to briefly mention any significant budgets you were responsible for prior to your current role if they are recent and the dollar amount exceeds your current responsibilities. Also, be sure to discuss your responses to questions like this with any references you plan to provide. Budgetary information is often selected as a point of validation in a reference check discussion.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I am currently responsible for an annual $4 million dollar operating and capital budget. I also oversee multi-million dollar equipment and vendor software purchases. The specific dollar amount for those purchases varies depending on the needs of the client.
Prior to my current role, I worked as a project manager for a company that sold SaaS solutions. The largest project I managed there was a multi-phased $6 million dollar project."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
7. Please describe your experience leading project managers.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Some Microsoft program managers are responsible for assigning work, providing guidance, and the assessing performance of resources working in project management roles. This question is asked to determine if a candidate has experience leading or managing within this domain.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to discuss your leadership of scrum masters or product owners if your project management leadership experience is limited. It is important to note that you understand these roles are not project management experts, but you provided guidance for project management-related tasks while working with these resources.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I am currently a program manager, and I am responsible for setting the work direction of two project managers. Additionally, I am responsible for the project-related feedback on their annual performance reviews.
We work together to develop high-level strategies and meet regularly to discuss resource needs, customer issues, and challenges. The PMs I manage came to me for the escalation of any project-related issues, and I meet with their executive stakeholders regularly to ensure we collectively provided excellent customer service."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
8. Are you comfortable with travel to client sites?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Some program manager positions at Microsoft require travel to client sites. This question often serves as a method to narrow large pools of candidates. It is important to determine a candidate's comfort level with travel scenarios upfront and this question may be included in a phone screen interview.
Interviewers expect answers such as 'occasional,' or 'up to (X percent) of the time.' Microsoft positions that require travel to various client sites and will include the job requirement details within the job description of a specific role.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to determine your comfort with both domestic and international travel prior to your interview. Answers that indicate that you are unsure about your travel comfort level may result in exclusion from additional interviews.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I have experience visiting various travel sites domestically and internationally for discovery, sales, and implementation efforts. I am comfortable with occasional travel."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
9. Describe your executive or senior management presentation experience.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers at Microsoft work directly with senior stakeholders. Interviewers ask this question to ensure that candidates can present the right level of detail in a way that is easily understood by this important audience.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to communicate that you are confident presenting information to this level of an audience while simultaneously demonstrating humility. Executives and senior leaders at Microsoft represent a wide range of informational needs and it is expected that a program manager will need to learn the preferences of their audience.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"In my last role, I was responsible for developing and maintaining implementation roadmaps. I regularly presented these to senior executives within client organizations who were responsible for budget approval. During these meetings, I communicated the vision for the entire solution, the investment needs, and the projected ROI information.
I appreciated the direct communication style of the executives I worked with. I learned to customize my presentation style to match the style of their company. I found that these presentations were a perfect time to set the expectations around the support our team would need in partnering with them to onboard their company successfully."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
10. Describe your experience partnering with internal teams involved in the enterprise delivery process such as security, DevOps, cloud, database, operations, and support.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers are expected to understand the end-to-end processes involved in technology implementation. This often requires coordinating efforts between several IT groups within Microsoft. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has the facilitation experience necessary to drive a successful enterprise-level implementation.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe how similar tasks were addressed in your previous roles even if they were not within an enterprise setting. Interviewers prefer experience that matches the scale the candidate will be working with at Microsoft, but they may accept the conceptual application of the same duties at a smaller company.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I worked on a custom solution development team within a large enterprise for 11 years. I served as an engineer and then as a project manager. In my time there, I coordinated discovery, design, testing, and delivery efforts with several groups. This included working with architecture, database administration, release management, quality assurance, network administration, and support groups."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
11. What automated technology delivery tools or continuous deployment platforms do you have experience with?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Some program manager positions at Microsoft require extensive technical experience. Interviewers ask this question to identify technical program managers who have experience managing solution deployments.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to indicate your level of understanding of the concept of continuous deployment platforms even if you have not directly used these solutions in the past. Interviewers may accept working knowledge in lieu of hands-on experience for the role of program manager.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"The development teams I worked on as an engineer focused on continuous delivery standards. As a part of that process, we used a number of continuous deployment tools over the years. I have experience deploying code with GitLab. We were early adopters of that solution. I have also used Octopus Deploy. I was not directly responsible for deployments in my last role as a project manager, but the teams I worked with used AWS Code Deploy."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
12. Describe the roles you typically interact with the most as a program manager.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
The program manager title can represent a wide scale of experience and responsibility within the IT industry. Some program manager positions at Microsoft are more technical than others. Some are responsible for larger budgets than others. Some manage mission-critical solutions, while others support entertainment. Interviewers ask this question to gain insight into the scale of a candidate's interaction with senior leadership, peers, and team members.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to provide a brief description of the responsibility of the roles you mention. This will ensure the interviewer has an accurate understanding of your background in partnering with the various product development roles.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"As a program manager, I interact frequently with several roles. First, I interact regularly with my stakeholders. My closest stakeholder contacts are usually directors or senior managers that represent the business units I am partnering with to deliver a program of work. In my current role, these managers represent operations, finance, and legal business units. We work together on program strategy and ensure that the resource and budgetary needs are met throughout the various projects we partner on.
Second, I interact regularly with the project managers that manage the projects within our program. I monitor project progress and help them resolve conflicts or problems that arise. I also ensure they are following our PMO established best practices.
Third, I meet regularly with the product owners, architects, tech leads, and scrum masters for our teams. We work together to translate the OKRs for the initiatives we are working on into development and release plans. We review interdependencies and determine how we can best align each workstream. We also partner with our support and infrastructure teams to ensure the needs of the program are met from that perspective as well.
Finally, I work frequently with my management within our PMO. I report to a program director who is responsible for all of the programs related to our operations groups."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
13. What strategic planning methods do you have experience with?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Strategic analysis is a key skillset for a program manager. Microsoft specifically mentions this skillset within the job descriptions for these types of positions. Interviewers ask this question to determine the scale of a candidate's experience in this area.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to include an example of your ability to identify 'thematic business problems' within your response. You should be able to then clearly demonstrate how you are able to transform those problems into strategic plans for resolution. Also, Microsoft relies heavily on the OKR model. Be sure to mention it within your response if you have experience managing programs that were driven and measured by OKRs.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I have experience working with business stakeholders to facilitate SWOT analysis sessions. In these sessions, we develop lists of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and then determine their impact on the business. I have also worked with the OKR model to develop objectives and key results. This model is useful for helping me develop the key performance indicators for the products I am responsible for.
My background as an analyst helps me to understand how to analyze large data sets and look for trends or data points that indicate various operational problems exist within an organization. From there, I have extensive experience partnering with various subject matter experts to drive out strategic plans for a resolution that specifically aims to resolve the issue and contribute to the business goals that are in alignment with the strategic improvements for the initiative.
From an agile methodology perspective, I have experience facilitating user story mapping sessions, driving out product development epics, and coordinating release plans across the teams within my program."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
14. How would you design a dishwasher? What features would you include?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft interview candidates commonly report being asked this style of question in an interview. The goal is to observe a candidate's ability to step through the product design process and learn how a candidate pairs creativity with business strategy.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to include a feature that would distinguish your dishwasher from the competition in some way. Also, be sure to describe the audience you plan to target with your product. For example, a quality dishwasher that is also budget-friendly could be marketed to middle-class families.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I would begin by determining the target customer segment for the dishwasher. Understanding the personas of the customers who will potentially buy the product is essential. I would research their budgets, their needs, and the types of features that would excite them. From there, I would be able to define a target pricing and revenue model.
For example, let's say that my company already had mid-tier and top-tier dishwasher products, and it was decided that my product would be built for customers with lower budgets. I would first include all of the must-have features for my dishwasher to be functional. this would include features such as water intake, cleaning jets, dishwasher detergent distributors, and a control panel.
Then, I would strive to develop a product with a flexible layout so that users could configure the machine to adapt to their needs. I may not be able to use best-in-class materials, but the product could have similar flexibility as our higher-tier products. Also, the finishes for this line may be of lesser quality than other tiers. For example, the inside of the dishwasher would likely be plastic as opposed to stainless steel and the outside may be painted.
Next, I would work with our engineers to find ways to reduce the water and energy usage of the product as much as possible. Customers with a limited budget would appreciate a product that would be able to deliver long-term cost savings. They may be able to spend slightly more for the product initially if they knew it had the ability to reduce water costs and energy costs long-term. These same features would also entice eco-conscious customers.
Finally, I would seek to add kid-friendly features to the product. For example, I might place a child lock on the product to keep a small child from pulling the unit open during operation. Many of the families who would need a budget-friendly option might have small children and appreciate these added safety features."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
15. Please describe your experience managing agile projects.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Many technical projects at Microsoft are managed using various agile methodologies. Many teams have taken best practices from several agile methodologies and blended them into hybrid models that are customized to support the efficient development of Microsoft products. Candidates are asked this question to determine their relative level of experience managing agile projects and programs.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to provide a sense of scale for the agile efforts you were responsible for. Microsoft group program managers have responsibility for several projects at a time, and interviewers value candidates that have experience coordinating complex initiatives in a scaled agile environment.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"My agile leadership experience began when I was a senior engineer and served as a scrum master for my team. We were a relatively small team that consisted of a scrum master, a product owner, four engineers, and a tester. I worked directly with a program manager and regularly reported our team's progress to the PMO. I managed our team's burndown charts, removed roadblocks, and gave guidance as needed. I ensured we were working in the right way, and I partnered closely with our product owner to ensure we were focused on the right work.
That role inspired me to transition into technical program management. I was promoted into a role in which I was responsible for several scrum teams and kanban teams at once. We built data integration solutions for medical scheduling and billing SaaS solutions. The solution development teams used scrum, and our support and maintenance teams followed kanban.
I bridged these teams together and held regular meetings to coordinate work, discuss progress, handle conflicts and develop release strategies. We were not a SAFe organization, but I served in a capacity similar to a release train engineer in a scaled agile framework environment."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
16. Describe your preferred project or program kickoff process.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers are often responsible for coordinating large project and program level kickoff activities. This question may be asked in a Microsoft interview to assess a candidate's process for managing these important activities and related ceremonies.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe the activities that typically occur prior to program kickoff as well as the discovery deliverables you lean on to drive kickoff presentations. Also, be sure to describe the various groups or attendees for any meetings you include within your response.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"Program kickoff events are incredibly valuable for setting the tone of the initiative and establishing teams that are aligned and ready to begin work. I like to begin by reviewing all of the discovery deliverables that are available. This includes individual project charters, roadmaps, and technical architecture documents. I use these to compile a presentation that communicates high-level information from each of these areas.
Next, I request presentation time and support from the leaders across all of the areas involved in the program. This might include IT, PMO, finance, operations, legal, marketing, product management, and support groups. I prefer to have the leaders of each group speak about their business needs that will be met by the program as well as how their team will contribute to the success.
I invite whatever group of attendees makes the most sense for the kickoff. This depends on the scale of the program. If possible, I like to invite everyone who will be actively working to develop the solutions involved. I find that offering everyone the opportunity to hear the business goals, strategic plan, and the technical architecture changes that will support the plan helps to establish buy-in and alignment. It is also a valuable networking opportunity amongst project and business leads. It doesn't always make sense to include everyone, so I try to record these meetings as well to allow project managers to share them with all of their team members.
At the end of a kickoff, I like to close with a clear set of next steps. I prefer that everyone has the same expectation of what will happen next and how program communication will work. Additionally, I include time for questions. After that, the teams get to work on their individual tasks, and I work to communicate updates to the entire group as we go along. I assist in whatever way I can during this period because it is critical to morale and is usually the time in which we identify issues that need senior-level assistance."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
17. What attributes and behaviors does a program manager need to be successful?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate's vision for the ideal qualities of a program manager is in alignment with the standards of Microsoft. Also, this question is asked to determine if a candidate is a fit for the specific teams and products they will be working on.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to include a mix of technical, business, and soft skills in your response. Program managers at Microsoft are hybrids who blend these areas together to be successful in the role. Also, it adds value to expand your answer to include specific skill sets if the position you are applying for is related to a specified Microsoft product. For example, a program manager applying for an Xbox related role might describe a love of gaming as an attribute that would contribute to success.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"Generally speaking, program managers need a mix of technical and business expertise paired with excellent soft and organizational skills. Program managers often serve as a bridge between worlds, and it is imperative they understand how things operate on all sides.
On the technical side, I feel a solid understanding of system analysis and design is important. These skills obviously contribute to an understanding of technology and how it works, but they also help to establish an understanding of business needs, user needs, user experience, and customer service. Additionally, experience in engineering is a huge plus. This takes the technical skills to another level.
Project management experience is key, and it is important to understand various methodologies and the concepts behind them. As a program manager, I like to follow a particular methodology, but use best practices from other methods as it makes sense. Program managers are experts in scope management, budget management, resource management, and implementation management. Additionally, they have experience leading cross-functional teams.
In addition to the basics of technology and project management knowledge, an ideal candidate should have facilitation experience, strategic analysis skills, presentation skills, and experience working with business partners such as marketing, legal, finance, etc. They should have experience in contract negotiation. They should be able to navigate stressful scenarios and bridge teams together to create alignment and execution against shared objectives.
Successful program managers have the ability to lead through influence, set a strong page, serve others, remove roadblocks, and resolve conflicts. They understand how to mentor and have the ability to empathize and connect with others. They are great problem solvers and have a tenacious spirit.
Finally, program managers are organized. They know how to manage their work and be accountable for the end-to-end success of their portfolio. They know how to properly look ahead and develop sound strategies and ensure they are executed properly on a day-to-day basis. They know how to make sure everyone is focused on the right things at the right time for the right reasons."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
18. Please describe your experience leading initiatives that utilize Azure.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Azure represents a significant solution space at Microsoft. Many of Microsoft's enterprise-level clients use a portion of the solutions Azure has to offer to manage their business within the cloud. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has experience leading initiatives that rely on the software as a service, platform as a service, or infrastructure as a service tool of Azure to manage important business functions.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe the specific tool or service the teams you led implemented. Azure represents an extensive set of solutions and offering this level of detail within your response demonstrates your awareness of the scale of Azure.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I currently work for a retail company that sells food products online. Our architects and engineers use Azure computer services to manage our company's website, host virtual machines, handle web-based job processing, and manage secure sign-on. I have led several website upgrade projects in which the engineers regularly lean on these solutions.
The biggest Azure program I have had responsibility for was the implementation of Azure data management tools. The previous state was a series of disparate data sources that were held together manually. A reporting team developed custom reports on the fly any time an operational leader or executive needed information. The team always had a backlog of reporting requests which meant important business decisions were often made without the analytical support they truly needed. Also, the quality of the information relied on the expertise of the report developer assigned to the request. I was asked to take a look at the situation, and the analysts on my team quickly identified several inconsistencies that resulted in marketing campaign issues, inventory shortages and overages, and product launch failures.
We partnered with the Azure team to develop a data warehouse to provide reliability and consistency within our data views. The easy-to-use and powerful query tools and power BI solutions made a huge difference in the data quality over the first several months after implementation. We are currently in the process of implementing Azure Synapse Analytics to give us a more holistic view of our data and run real-time analytics any time we need information. Our business partners are very happy with the progress to date. They appreciate the ability to rely on the information they receive without having to spend so much time checking the data for quality issues before they make decisions."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
19. How would you improve Microsoft Edge?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers at Microsoft have a mix of technical, design, and product management experience in many cases. Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate's ability to blend these areas of expertise to identify new feature opportunities for a major product.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to explain the value you would expect to see from the improvement you suggest. Additionally, remember to provide a description of the stakeholders that would be affected the most by the change(s) described in your answer.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I find the Edge browser to be a useful tool, and I appreciate how well it integrates with all of the Microsoft apps. However, I would simplify the layout of Edge and the information that is presented to the user by default. While I realize that there are user personas who understand all of the features that are presented, I initially found it to be a bit busy when I switched back to Edge after using Chrome for a period of time.
Also, I recently reintroduced my mother who is in her sixties to Edge. She was overwhelmed by the number of features on the page and immediately asked me to download Chrome. I spent some time customizing her view for her to make things look more simplistic, but it took me some time to convince her that Edge was a better choice for her needs.
I think a simple design is the intent of the focused layout feature, but I think it could be taken one step further by initially asking the user what style they prefer. The system could show an example of a minimalistic search bar with a few main links and then compare it to a portal-style layout offering a much richer experience. That way, users who are not savvy, or do not prefer to integrate their news into their default browser window will immediately know that Microsoft has a solution for them."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
20. What is your least favorite aspect of program management?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Interviewers ask this question to identify the potential challenges a program manager might face in their role at Microsoft. Interviewers expect that candidates will show more or less favor to various tasks. Understanding a candidate's dislikes helps to identify candidates that are an ideal match for the teams they will be assigned to work with at Microsoft.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to include an explanation for why you dislike the aspect of program management you select in your answer. Also, be sure to demonstrate a strategy for managing your dislike in the area you select.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"The thing I enjoy the least about my work as a program manager is the administrative tasks. I enjoy the mentally challenging and collaborative work of strategic planning, analysis, and design. Sitting at my desk updating budgets or other reports is not as exciting for me. However, I understand the business value and the necessity of these tasks. I made it a habit early in my career to dedicate time to these types of tasks every week, or more frequently when needed. That ensures I do not fall behind, and that this aspect of the work represents a small portion of what I need to do each week."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Discovery
21. What excites you the most about the opportunity to work as a program manager at Microsoft?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft seeks talented individuals who are passionate about the work they do for their company, their teams, and their customers. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate's expectation for the role is in alignment with the culture of the various groups they will work with.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to select an exciting aspect that is specific to the job opening you are applying for. Answers that are in direct alignment with the mission of the teams you will be working with are more impactful than generalized answers. For example, a program manager who will be leading programs for the Customer Experience and Success group at Microsoft might describe their excitement about the ability to leverage their background in delivering excellent customer experiences.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"The most exciting thing about the opportunity to work as a program manager within the Commerce and Ecosystem group at Microsoft is that the role will afford me the opportunity to leverage one of the strengths I have enjoyed using throughout my career. I have a proven track record for designing scalable and extensible technology solutions, and I enjoy working with teams focused on this area. I am able to provide a strong blend of business and technical experience, and I look forward to solving the problem of how to make solutions work for a wide array of customers with complex and often conflicting requirements and business needs."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
General
22. How do you measure the success of the programs you are responsible for?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft program managers are directly responsible for ensuring the success of the initiatives within their assigned program. They also lead project managers who monitor the success of the individual projects within the program. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate can clearly articulate how they know when their programs are successful.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to specify your work with the OKR (objectives and key results) model if you have used it to measure success in the past. Microsoft relies heavily on this model and values program manager candidates who have experience tracking success in this way. In the event you have not used OKR, it is important to research case studies so that you can compare what you have experience with to the preferred model at Microsoft.
Also, remember to describe a method for tracking success at a team level. This may include activities such as holding reflection meetings, or one-on-ones to gauge morale. Successful product launches and delivery on business goals are important, but it can be equally as important to maintain a program environment where team members feel supported and satisfied.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"There are three main aspects to measuring success for the programs I am responsible for. First, I measure how the work of the teams within my program preform against the defined goals of the initiative. I prefer to use the objectives and key results model for measuring this aspect of the work. I appreciate that each of the objectives has a distinct list of key results that are directly measurable. There should be little room for ambiguity and the results should be written in a way that teams can easily align their work with the results they need to deliver. These objectives usually include measurements of delivery time, budget performance, revenue generation, operational efficiencies, and customer satisfaction.
Secondly, I work with the project managers, product managers, and technical leads within my program to develop a clear strategy to achieve our objectives. These activities include release planning, reviewing product launch activities, defining milestones, and reviewing budgets. During these sessions, we discuss the team success metrics that we can use on a regular basis to contribute to the measurement of the OKRs. We end with the creation of team based OKRs that align with the strategic plan.
During execution, I check in regularly with all of my teams to see how well we are performing. We review their progress against the team objectives and map their success back to the program objectives. We discuss any performance issues and develop strategies to get back on track. We also celebrate successes and discuss strategies to fully leverage things that are working better than expected.
Thirdly, I feel it is important to measure the success of a program by the satisfaction of the employees who contribute to it. The measurement methods for this can be a bit ambiguous, but I have used a mix of reflection meetings, one-on-ones, surveys, teambuilding events, and impromptu check-ins in the past. I like to make sure that everyone feels supported and challenged and that team-level conflicts are resolved appropriately. I work with the project managers and engineering leads to make sure they focus on this as well because it is a critical success factor in many cases."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
General
23. What are the major differences between agile and waterfall methodology?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft uses a mix of methodologies, but they mostly lean on iterative development practices. Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate's ability to articulate the differences and the value of these two styles of development.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to compare the phases, budgeting techniques, change management procedures, and team structures for these two models. Also, be sure to mention the business scenarios in which these two styles add value.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"At the highest level, the main difference between waterfall and iterative development is that the phases of waterfall projects happen in succession and iterative methodologies deliver products incrementally.
Waterfall projects typically have a set budget and timeline, and each phase is tightly managed. Members of the project team play a more or less critical role depending on the phase of the project. For example, an analyst would drive the analysis phase and engineers drive development. Resources provide estimates for the entire project of work before detailed analysis is complete and project managers use change management procedures to negotiate scope change requests throughout the project.
The product or products that are developed in waterfall projects are tested and accepted by their users at the very end of the project. This approach causes conflict and sometimes even failure because there can be a disconnect between what customers had in mind and what is actually built. Additionally, waterfall projects are often lengthy, and the needs of the customer sometimes change before the project can be implemented.
Waterfall has its cons, but it can be a great fit in certain scenarios. Waterfall is typically preferred in situations that have tight regulations over the various phases involved. Trying to deliver these types of products iteratively often causes confusion and extraneous overhead that is avoided by approaching the work traditionally.
In contrast, iterative projects deliver valuable and working products on an incremental and continual basis. Teams partner closely with their customers throughout the entire process to define a high-level vision, prioritize the available work, and refine it as the product is developed. There are several methods for establishing budgets and estimating work in these models, but in general, teams give rough estimates and refine them as they get closer to a specific body of work.
One of the major pros of this model is that working assets are delivered sooner and have a chance to be used and reviewed early in the process to allow customer feedback to enhance future development. Also, this style of development is valued in business scenarios where customers expect continual delivery of new features.
Waterfall and iterative teams usually lean on similar skill sets, but the roles are sometimes different. For example, an agile scrum team may not have a project manager and may elect to spread project management duties across the product owner and scrum master roles."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
General
24. What are the key components of a strategic roadmap document?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft program managers are responsible for the creation, maintenance, and communication of program roadmaps. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate understands the types of information they will be responsible for communicating through these important deliverables.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to demonstrate your understanding that a strategic roadmap for a program of work is different than a roadmap for a product or a project. Program roadmaps synthesize the work of multiple teams and projects together to communicate the big picture.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I have worked with a number of formats for developing strategic roadmaps. They have all been a little different and fully customized to show the information that was the most valuable to the users of the document. However, in each case, I consider the same bodies of work and milestones for consideration when developing a roadmap.
First, I break down my roadmap by workstream. I typically have a mix of technology-driven streams such as infrastructure, cloud, mobile, app, and support. When relevant, I include lanes that represent product activities such as marketing campaigns, launches, live events, or partner events. I visually demonstrate the major bodies of work and the timeframe and progress for each. I also show when major releases are scheduled. This helps to communicate interdependencies between teams.
Finally, I list major milestones. These may be company, competitor, product, or team-related. The goal is to list any significant dates that the various leaders I work with need insight into. It is important for each group to know when major events happen and how their work feeds into the process."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Leadership
25. Describe a time when you served as a coach or mentor to a coworker.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers at Microsoft are often asked to lead through influence and inspiration. Interviewers are curious about a candidate's mentoring style as these experiences speak directly to their ability to influence others.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe any lessons you were able to learn through mentoring others. Coaching and developing resources are valuable learning opportunities. Interviewers appreciate candidates that utilize these sessions to the fullest.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I am formally trained in meeting facilitation tools and techniques. I have extensive experience leading teams and working with them to address conflict and develop strategies to increase performance and satisfaction. A fellow program manager asked if I would be willing to mentor her to help her improve her skills in this area.
We met several times to discuss her current challenges and where she felt like she needed to grow. I asked if it would be ok for me to sit in on a few of her meetings so that I could witness the dynamics first-hand. I was able to offer her several tools and agendas that would help keep things on track during her meetings. I was also able to identify some areas of conflict that needed to be addressed, and we collaborated on a strategy to handle them. Her teams seemed pleased with the changes we implemented, and her management recognized her for her proactive and effective approach.
She shadowed me several times as well. She was able to pick up on some of the participant body language I had missed because the sessions were large and it was hard to catch everything, I learned a lot from her insight, and we partnered on sessions several times after that. We split the facilitation duties into large sessions, and that proved to be an invaluable way to keep a closer eye on things during our sessions. I was able to add an effective method for co-facilitating to my coaching in this space going forward."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Leadership
26. Describe a time when you delegated a significant work effort to someone else on your team or to another team.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers are tasked with making work assignment decisions that best serve the needs of their customers and their teams. Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate's ability to properly assess requirements and align work with the resources best suited to deliver it.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to provide an example that shows a transition of work that led to a significant increase in operational or customer value. Interviewers appreciate candidates that understand how to align work within a value stream.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"One of the business customers I serve in my role as a program manager is an operations group that uses a vendor-developed resource scheduling solution. One of the teams I lead manages the technical aspects of the solution and develops our integration solutions with payroll and billing. Our clients came to our team with a request for a number of new custom reports.
The current reports were handled through customizations to the canned reports available within the vendor application. The new reports would be difficult to build, test, and maintain using the outdated technology available. I consulted with the vendor, and they indicated that many of their clients were moving their reports to Microsoft SSRS solutions. The engineers on my team were familiar with SSRS, but they were by no means experts, so I decided to look to other internal IT groups within our company for help.
I reached out to our HR reporting team, and they had several experts in this space. We worked out a plan to hand off the work to an architect and a few of their engineers to ensure we got the solution right. One of our engineers stayed involved to ensure we gained the knowledge needed to support the new reports and work with the tools available to support future requests. Asking our HR reporting team for help ensured we were able to meet the needs of our customers efficiently and prepare for the future. Our customers were pleased and were able to immediately reduce their time spent compiling disparate reports by 30%"
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Leadership
27. Describe your experience managing large-scale applications and projects across multiple product lines and businesses involving significant scope and complexity.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
This is a general experience question. Interviewers at Microsoft ask this question to determine if a candidate has experience with managing efforts on a scale that aligns with the needs of their organization.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to describe scenarios that can be easily validated by the professional references you provide. The answer a candidate offers for this question is likely to be raised in a professional reference check discussion,
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I served as the delivery manager for a large technology consolidation initiative. Our company was purchased and merged with a number of companies that had similar systems. My teams supported several vendors and custom resource scheduling and assignment management tools. The executive leadership of our new owners determined that there was an opportunity to discover which solutions in this space could be implemented in a standard way that would reduce redundancies. It was decided that some of the solutions my team managed were best-in-class and would be used across several of the groups from the other companies we merged with.
I was asked to lead the consolidation initiative from a program management perspective. I was responsible for facilitating steering committee meetings, driving the discovery process, and working with individual teams to develop strategies for onboarding them onto the technology solutions my team supported. This included working with operations, finance, accounting, HR, and several technology groups."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Operational
28. How do you foster teamwork and collaboration in a remote setting?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Microsoft employees work in various environments including on-site, remote, and hybrid settings. Interviewers ask this question to gain insight into a candidate's ability to foster a healthy team environment regardless of the work setting of each team member.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to include any coaching or mentoring activities you regularly perform to encourage project managers or other team leads within your area of responsibility to improve teamwork. Interviewers value candidates who can influence others to actively contribute to the health of their teams.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"My approach to fostering teamwork and collaboration in a remote setting is multifaceted. First, I hold daily calls with the team leads within our program. It was easier to get a sense of how things were going when everyone was collocated. I was able to walk around and gather most of the information I needed informally. Now, I make sure that we check in regularly so that we address things early and often. Also, I make it clear that they can reach out to me at any time. I am here to serve them and help them be successful in any way that I can, and I make sure to reiterate that often.
Second, I have asked all of our scrum teams to add an additional question to their daily stand-up calls. They answer 'What do you need from anyone on the team today, and when do you need it?' This identifies dependencies and helps everyone organize their work to best support one another. This addition has led to a significant reduction in delays.
Third, I encourage our team leads to lead by example. I ask them to reach out to the members of their teams daily. This is usually a quick Slack chat just to check in and make sure their teammates have everything they need to be successful. I also ask that they schedule monthly team-building activities. They set aside time to eat a meal together, watch a movie, learn a new skill, or whatever. It helps everyone stay connected, and I really enjoy participating in these meetings as much as possible."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Operational
29. Describe your process for learning how to use a new application in the workplace.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Interviewers at Microsoft are interested to know how a candidate thinks and processes information. This question is asked to determine how a candidate would approach learning experiences in the workplace.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to include reaching out to subject matter experts for help in your response. Many office applications are easy to use and self-explanatory to an extent, but Microsoft places great value on collaboration and teamwork. Communicating that you would lean on others for best practices, tips, and tricks demonstrates that you value the guidance your coworkers have to offer.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I would begin by asking if there is any training material available to review. I would read quick reference guides, how-to documents, FAQs, and knowledge base articles. I would also review anything available from external sources if the system was a vendor-provided tool.
In the event there was a test or training version of the system available, I would use it to walk through the workflows that applied to my role. I would also use it to test the functions of other roles that feed data into my relevant workflows.
Finally, I would ask a resident expert for a walkthrough or for any guidance they could offer. This would give me a chance to ask questions and pick up tips that would most likely help to speed my learning process along. I would also ask an expert to review my work in the system the first time I use it to ensure I am able to create the results that are expected."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Situational
30. Describe a time when you had to work with a challenging stakeholder.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Program managers at Microsoft partner with a wide range of stakeholders for the programs they are responsible for. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has the soft skills necessary to connect with a stakeholder that is perceived to be difficult.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Remember To
Remember to focus on the operating or business impact on your program and how you improved your stakeholder relationship in your response. Interviewers are aware that personal conflicts between program managers and stakeholders can occur, but these examples should be excluded from your response as they might be poorly received by the interviewer.
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022
Answer Example
"I was asked to step into a program manager role for a program of work that was perceived as failing. The goals had been defined previously and the program sponsor was convinced that the technology teams were not aligned and would not meet their goals.
My first step was to meet with the technology project managers and the previous program manager to understand the history of the program. It turned out that they were lacking expertise in a major solution area for the program, and they decided to work first on an area that they understood while they picked up the knowledge they needed to take on the rest of the program. Most of that work involved developing the infrastructure for integration with other products that would not be needed until much later in the process. They indicated that the sponsor did not understand why this made sense and that he was mad that it was taking so long to get the working product out.
I then met with the sponsor and his management team to get their perspective. They echoed what the tech teams had shared and said that they were unaware that they would need to invest so much to get so little in return. I let them know I understood why they would feel frustrated and asked if they knew why things were being developed in this way. It turned out that the communication between these groups was poor, so I explained the thinking behind the original plan. They did their best to understand but stood behind their opinion that the program was failing. The sponsor let me know his confidence was lacking, but his team would offer any resources I could use to help us collectively deliver on time.
I scheduled a series of meetings to reevaluate the product backlogs for the technology teams. We held high-level user story mapping sessions to reprioritize the backlogs in a way where the teams could quickly deliver something of use to our customers. I also set up a steering committee meeting series with the project managers, the technical leads, the sponsor, and the managers in his area. I committed to regular communication of progress, transparency of any delays, and facilitation of collaboration across subject matter experts. The sponsor indicated that his team felt heard, and they appreciated having greater insight into the development process.
With the new release plan in mind, we were able to incrementally deliver valuable and working pieces of the product for the sponsor's team to use and test while we worked to get everything else up and running. I made sure we continued to properly communicate and mitigate risks as we continued. We ended up delivering the mobile and web versions on time and the sponsor was very appreciative that the concerns of their team were heard and addressed."
Written by Karrie Day on May 9th, 2022