Are PMOs Too Complex For Their Own Good?

There's an excellent editorial on PM Forum about the increasing view of PMOs as "unnecessary bureaucracy" by many senior managers. Unfortunately, many PMOs have created this situation for themselves.

The trick is to focus on streamlining schedules and reducing overhead costs, but in reality the "lets' make our process fit the most complex project we can imagine" approach often results in the reverse---according to the article---as people on normal size projects don't know which items are optional and which are mandatory.

If done right, a PMO can be an excellent way to institute repeatable lean processes, upskill the organization, and remove barriers for project teams. If done wrong, it can appear as a bureacratic burden on the organization.

This editorial is well worth reading for those starting a PMO and looking to avoid being a statistic ...

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management - Editorials

FBI Launches New Case File System Project; For the Second Time

As reported in Computerworld, the FBI has hired Lockheed Martin to lead an effort to create a $425 million case management system called "Sentinel." Their current case management processes are antiquated and mostly manual.

The catch is that they tried this before and failed. The prior attempt was abandoned last year after four years of effort and $170 million spent. The problem? High turnover of key managers and inadequate staffing of the project.

Here's a quote from the article...

"According to a 91-page report released last week by the U.S. Department of Justice's inspector general, the Virtual Case File effort failed partly because the FBI's IT project management office seemed to have a revolving door. Virtual Case File had "15 different key IT managers over the course of its life," the report said. "

Apparently, some of the hardware and networking from the prior attempt will be used, so it wasn't a total loss. And with this new attempt, they'll be using a more open architecture. However, they still haven't fully staffed their PMO (a concern raised in the inspector general's report). Hopefully history won't repeat itself.

Here's the full article...

FBI Shifts Into High Gear on $425M Case File System

Project: Innovative Sustainable Construction ...

Construction project recognized for its sustainable practices. ...

... "The Bronze award winner, the Green Energy Benny Farm project, is a model of urban architecture and landscaping. It comprises the sustainable construction and renovation of 187 housing units on four properties, each linked to a common green infrastructure. " ...

Project: Innovative Sustainable Construction: Via St. Lawrence Cement: Green Energy Benny Farm Project Takes Prize at Global Holcim Awards ...

Business Transformation Project: Information Technology Component ...

Financial services company embraces the cultural and organizational change necessary to drive $50MM business transformation in customer service and align information technology project(s) as a component of that initiative. ...

... "Explaining that the banking group is currently in 16 countries and 12 jurisdictions in the Caribbean, Ramano emphasised that the initiative is not an IT project, but rather a business transformation initiative of which the information technology is a major component. " ...

Business Transformation Project: Information Technology Component: Via Advocate: RBTT recast initiative: Putting customer service at the helm ...

May Podcast from Jerry Manas

In this month's podcast, I discuss the importance of Flexibility (the 3rd of Napoleon's Six Winning Principles), and how to insure that your teams are adaptable, empowered, and unified.

Public-Sector Projects: AFP Shares Responsibiliy ...

Canadian government gets creative with infrastructure projects through its AFP approach. Project responsibilities are shared between public and private sectors, seeking to leverage strengths. ...

... "With AFP projects, there is a clear division of responsibility to deliver projects on time and on budget. The private sector is responsible for construction, management, operation and financing. The public sector is responsible for establishing the scope and purpose of the project and paying for it with a long-term stream of payments, a bit like paying a mortgage. " ...

Via Government of Ontario: PIRNetNews Vol.1No7: Alternative Financing and Procurement explained ...

Are Software Projects Really That Different?

Here's a great commentary by Max Wideman regarding James Bullock's article, "The Top 10 Ways Software Projects Are Different."

It's not that Wideman disagrees with Bullock on his 10 points, but Wideman astutely points out that many other types of projects share the same challenges, whether caused by conflicting stakeholders (i.e. trying to build a road amid protesting citizens) or great uncertainty (like most research and development projects, or even filming a movie where success isn't known until the test audience and final audience see it).

The point is that software projects aren't that unique in themselves. No doubt, many of them have quite a bit of uncertainty, and that requires some approaches that are different than projects with less uncertainty (i.e. rolling wave scheduling, iterative prototypes, pilot tests, etc.). However, the basics of project management should be the same for any type of project.

Like anything, we have many project management tools at our disposal, and we need to use them correctly, whether it's a software project, construction project, or any other type of project.

Here's Max Wideman's article in PDF format...

New IT Security Courses for Project Managers

Alan Calder and IT Governance Limited are now offering two courses for those saddled with trying to bring their organization up to the new ISO 27001 security standard.

One is a one-day introductory course for IT managers, project managers, and business managers. The fact that it's priced at about $720 and explains how to implement the standard in-house without expensive consultants makes it very appealing.

The other is a three-day intensive class that covers the whole implementation process and framework.

Both courses are in London in June.

For those that are managing IT security initiatives, these courses look well worthwhile.

ITIL Shared Services: Achievement Recognized ...

Infra is recognized by the Helpdesk Institute for its implementation of ITIL-enabled service desk process for shared service functions at LexisNexis Butterworths. ...

... "The Helpdesk and IT Support Excellence Awards recognise outstanding achievement within the IT Service Management industry at the largest event of its kind in Europe. Winning finalist Infra demonstrated how implementing the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) ready infraEnterprise allowed LexisNexis Butterworths to create a single point of contact for staff with the IT department that reaches across the business and includes support teams from other departments, including Finance and HR. " ...

ITIL Shared Services: Achievement Recognized: Via Infra: Infra wins prestigious Helpdesk Institute Excellence Award 2006 ...

Project Management vs. Leadership: Is there Really a Difference?

Occasionally, I'm asked the question, "What is the difference between project management and leadership?" My answer is always the same, "Nothing, if they're both done right."

At their core, both project management and leadership are about leading people to achieve objectives.

Formal project management offers some tools for effective scope management, planning, scheduling, monitoring, and risk management, that increases the likelihood that the objectives will actually be met.

Likewise, general leadership is about setting strategy, communicating a vision, and inspiring people to do their best.

In other words, a project management approach can help leaders achieve their vision, and leadership skills can help project managers insure the success of their projects.

Neither one is fully effective without the other. Good leadership requires a deliberate approach, and good project management requires strong leadership. I'd venture to say that if one is failing, it's probably lacking the other.

Just some food for thought. It may seem like common sense, but there are those who think that the two are mutually exclusive.

Learn How to Manage Change

The HP Change Artists Web series, produced by HP and broadcast by CIO Magazine and CNN, is a great way to learn from the best how to manage change.

The series premieres tomorrow, May 9th, at 11:00am EDT, with Fedex CEO Fred Smith and CIO Rob Carter sharing their best practices in change leadership.

If you're managing a project that introduces fundamental organizational change, you can't afford to miss this series. Here's the URL to register...

Change Artists: A CEO / CIO Conversation with FedEx. Live on May 9

IT Resource Management: Departmental Priorities ...

Sometimes, departmental priorities can affect the availability of resources for organizational initiatives. Should the portfolio score drive the priority of the work? Should resources be controlled centrally? Resource management is a challenge for the IT organization. CIO explores the team culture and effective techniques for building teamwork. ...

... "Each manager sets his or her own priorities for resources, and one manager's highest priority may very well be another's lowest priority. That, alone, is enough to kill teamwork. " ...

IT Resource Management: Departmental Priorities: Team-Building and Teamwork: Via CIO