Scalable Project Discipline

Should we classify projects by size and scale project discipline using size (cost / effort) as the meter for project discipline? I've seen that more often, since investment size (cost / effort) at risk warrants discipline to improve likelihood of success.

But how about situations when various size projects (including small ones) are critical to business success and either time or quality of the deliverable is the key business driver. Business critical projects are worthy of a disciplined method of delivery.

Or, should we ignore size, etc. and achieve a level of PMO maturity that operates at such an efficient level of productivity and project volume throughput that the project management discipline is optimal across the full portfolio?

What do you think? ...

... "there must be a dividing line between projects that are complex and critical enough to require a full, rigorous methodology, and those projects that are simple and routine enough to be managed with minimal project overhead. The question is: Where is that line? " ...

Via TechRepublic: Project size classification determines rigor

Agile Expertise Shared

PMO director and senior project manager share their experiences with agile project management methods. ...

PMO Organize for Transformation

The program management office is seen as an organizational model for transformation. In this situation, four operating teams are under the leadership of the PMO - delivery, process, visibility, and communications. This office will provide oversight of the various project teams deployed to achieve the transformation. ...

... "Higher Education Ministry has set up the programme management office (PMO) in line with its recent launch of the National Higher Education Strategic Plan ... " ...

Via The Malaysia Star: Transformation

PMO Success: A Matter of Integration

There's a great article on Projects@Work about Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's (HPHC) PMO, examining the elements that have made it succesful. It's rare you hear about a successful PMO these days, and when you do, it's usually a result of the factors listed here.

Key lessons (all of which I've long endorsed):

1) Look outward to the overall business and the customer, not just IT.

2) Keep it simple. A PMO doesn't have to be complex; it just needs to support project managers, and engage them in continuously improving the overall process.

3) Keep it integrated. An enterprise PMO, outside of IT, is a vital part of ensuring integration. An additional IT PMO is fine, as long as it's integrated with the whole.

This is in line with my statements that a PMO should really be called an IMO (Integration Management Office).

Here's an excerpt that explains the way the Enterprise PMO and an IT PMO work together at HPHC :

HPHC has two formal PMOs; one at the enterprise level, the other within the IT Division, managed by outside vendor Perot Systems. The two units have co-existed since 1999 and have no trouble defining their roles and relationships in support of business plan delivery. According to Ron Hill, Perot Systems Client Executive to HPHC, the pathway for success is “born from the teamwork of the EPMO and the IT PMO.” Hill believes the strength of the relationship between the two units is visible through the communication between the EPMO, the IT PMO, and the business users. “Everyone must use the same methodology, vernacular, and project tools to reduce the risk of miscommunication.”

And here's the full article...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/239007.cfm

PMO: Center of Project Excellence ?

Is a project management office a center of excellence?

Subject matter experts = project managers; Central repository for materials = project portfolio, schedules, business case forms, scope documents, etc.; Clearinghouse of standards = project methodology; Source of educational opportunities = project training, mentoring; Development and monitoring of metrics = project dashboard, roi and hurdle rates;

The answer is yes (I was hoping this was the case), using criteria discussed in reference post. ...

... "The fact is, Centers of Excellence are most often unique to the organization or business unit that creates them. However, here are some common elements ... " ...

Via Think For A Change: Centers of Innovation Excellence...

Chaos and Order: The Ingredients for Project Success

In my upcoming book, Managing the Gray Areas, there's a chapter on the need for both structure and flexibility----order and disorder. I've been exchanging some emails on the subject with Garry Booker of Project Frontier, who I'm happy to say is our newest PMThink blogger.

As it happens, Garry has been on the same path lately, and has been writing on the idea of managing outcomes (which require order) and actions (which by nature are chaotic) with the goal of achieving a chaordic organization.

A chaord (a term coined by leadership guru and former Visa CEO Dee Hock, made up from the words "chaos" and "order") refers to a state where systems and life "thrive on the edge of chaos with just enough order to give them pattern, but not so much to slow their adaptation and learning." In a chaordic organization, neither hierarchy or anarchy rule.

This is food for thought for project managers, PMO leaders, and executives.

More to come. Meanwhile, here are some links to definitions, and more about Dee Hock.

http://www.chaordic.org/definitions.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Hock

Project Methodologies: Keep 'Em Flexible

Time and time again, I've seen organizations spend months devising the perfect project management methodology, sometimes even building it into their EPM tools, only to find people complain that it slows them down and doesn't add much value.

In many cases, they're right. The problem is that not all projects require every step, and in many cases there are easier ways to accomplish what certain steps are meant to do. Another mistake many people make is forcing task dependencies into the project template, such that design cannot happen until planning is completed, and construction cannot occur until the design is approved, and so on.

While this may be true of some projects, on many others, work does not occur in a linear fashion. For instance, certain segments of a project can udergo development while other segments are still being planned. On agile IT projects, the feedback from prototypes and iterations will often dictate the design, and rightfully so.

When it comes to methodologies, frameworks, and templates, the most effective organizations use one or more of following approaches:

- A methodology and project schedule template that allows project managers the discretion of which steps to apply to their project.

- Multiple methodologies and templates for various types of work, with streamlined versions for smaller or more flexible efforts.

- A methodology that identifies which items are mandatory for all projects versus those that are at the project manager's discretion.

In project management, as in pretty much any field, one size does not fit all.

Project Lessons from Napoleon at National Summit on Project Excellence

For those interested, I'll be delivering the keynote on day two (July 26th) at this year's National Summit on Project Excellence for Government, hosted by The Performance Institute, a private, nonpartisan think tank for excellence in government.

The topic will be Criteria for Successful Project Management---A Look at Napoleon, based on my book, Napoleon on Project Management.

There are quite a few interesting presentations and learning opportunities at the event, which is July 25-27 in Arlington, Virginia. It looks especially valuable for anyone managing PMOs or large programs. Here's the info (which also contains a downloadable PDF brochure).

The Performance Institute - Transferring Knowledge to Transform Goverment

PMO Success Metrics: Proceed With Caution

Based on Benjamin Disraeli's well-known statement about the three types of lies, "lies, damned lies, and statistics," Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin wrote an interesting article in Developer.com about the many faulty assumptions people make based on so-called statistics about PMOs.

Cabanis-Brewin is editor-in-chief for PM Solutions' Center for Business Practices, so she's seen her share of statistics. Some key points:

- There are many interpretations on what constitutes a PMO, so many statistics on PMOs are skewed from the start.

- Some reports indicated high project failure rates in organizations with PMOs. That's likely due to the fact that organizations without PMOs don't tend to measure project success. Without measures, there are no failures.

- Many surveys are poorly designed and miss crucial clarifying questions.

Cabanis-Brewin recommends going to the source and digging into the supporting details to draw your own conclusions. She also reminds us that surveys usually do not contain the definitive answer, but rather serve as a starting point for more research. Finally, she cautions us to beware of the Hawthorne Effect, which states that the act of observing often changes the observed.

I would add that it's also important to be careful what you ask for. Many organizations want to begin using metrics, but are surprised to see success rates so low. They pressure project managers too soon and expect success rates to instantly soar to above 90%. It's vital to give the organization time to address problem areas and develop maturity.

Yes, it's important to capture metrics, but it's equally important to create a blameless reporting environment, by which people will report accurate data without fear of retribution. It's also critical to think about how you measure success. True success doesn't always correspond to on-time and on-budget. But that's another story.

Here's the article...

Lies, Statistics, and the PMO

PMO Setups: Which is the Right One?

I recently came across an article from William Casey and Wendy Peck that originally appeared in PM Network in 2001. It's a valuable article about PMO setups, and the issues still hold true today.

The premise is that there are three primary functions a PMO can serve (or any combination therein):

- Weather Stations, which merely monitor project activies without directly influencing them, through status reporting, metrics tracking, benefits tracking, and so on.

- Control Towers, which attempt to reduce variability on project effectiveness through training and mentoring, change control mechanisms, risk management, communication standards, lessons learned, and tools and processes that can be adapted appropriately to the project.

- Resource Pools , which maintain a selection of skilled project managers from which the organization can pull from, at least for major projects or programs.

The article offers benefits and warning signs for each, along with the suggestion that PMOs adopt a mix of roles, potentially based on certain project size thresholds. In fact, the authors caution against taking on projects that are too small to warrant the PMO disciplines required.

Read on...

Choosing the Right PMO Setup

PMO Increases Project Success Rate

The project management office adds value through consistent methods and discipline to increase the success rate of the project portfolio. ...

... "Board executives often approve IT projects without fully understanding them which is why organizations need to establish a Project Management Office (PMO) ... " ...

Via Computerworld Australia: Project Transparency

Project Management Costs

Getting started with your PMO ... training is key to jump-starting the organization. ...

... "For an IT project, approximately 5 percent to 15 percent of the budget should be dedicated to PM functions required to carry it out. " ...

Low Cost

Project Operations: Lost in the Shuffle

Yesterday, I posted a review of the book, Hard Facts, Dangerous Half Truths, & Total Nonsense: Profiting From Evidence-Based Management, by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton.

As I pointed out in the review, the authors caution that too much focus on strategy often happens at the expense of effective operational execution. The same is true in project management, especially with PMOs.

While it's rewarding to implement portfolio management and strategic alignment of initiatives, it's equally important to tidy up the operational aspects of project management, such as better estimating, effective work breakdown structures, up-front problem analysis, better scope management, and so on.

If these fundamentals aren't correct, you can end up doing all the right work the wrong way.
Also, getting these fundamentals right doesn't happen overnight. It's an evolution. Often, senior management doesn't recognize this and they expect too much too soon from PMOs. The PMO graveyards are full of PMOs that weren't given an opportunity to grow.

Talking to Sponsors

A common question asked of a consultant is 'what do other organisations do?'. The accurate answer - 'it all depends...' - isn't enough. It's useful to have a framework for helping the client organisation to understand why context is so important. It also helps your engagement with the organisation by helping to surface strategic implementation concerns.
Putting the question in terms of Critical Success Factors catches the attention and starts the conversation about what do we have to do to be successful. Over the next few posts, we're going to have a look at a number of CSFs. In particular at:
- Methodology and Processes
- Project Management Expertise
- Technology Infrastructure
- Cultural Change Management
- Executive Support
It's important to understand that this list is not a menu (pick any two). They are all required to some extent. The extent will vary from organisation to organisation and depends on the level of maturity, the volume of project management activity, the goals of management, the degree of centralisation of the organisation and a host of other factors.

Soldiers and Heroes: The Right Mix is Key

Derry Simmel, who runs a compelling blog site called About PMOs (and is on the board of PMI's PMO SIG), has an interesting post about heroes and soldiers.

Soldiers, Simmel says, color within the lines and can be expected to be reliable, dedicated, and even anal at times. Heroes break the rules and tend to go their own way---they're about getting it done and getting it done fast. Damn the torpedoes.

But, as Simmell points out, an organization needs both to thrive. True, a team of all heroes can be chaotic, but a team of all soldiers will probably not bring about dramatic change.

It's all about synergy, and putting the right people in the right roles. It's also about the fine balance between exactitude, speed and flexibility (ironically three of Napoleon's six winning principles).

Building a team that capitalizes on the complementary personalities and skills of heroes and soldiers is a good recipe for success.

Here's the blog post...

All about Project Management Offices: Soldiers

PMO of the Year: Do You Qualify?

As reported in PM Forum, the Center for Business Practices (CBP) is sponsoring a "PMO of the Year" award. The deadline for entries is September 30, 2006.

If your PMO has succesfully implemented new ideas, methods, and processes that led to measurable improvements and tangible results, you just might be a winner.

The winner will get extensive industry press coverage, an all-expense paid trip to the CBP Summit in Las Vegas, and more. Here's the PM Forum article...

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management PMFORUM Breaking News: New PMO Award Announced by Center for Business Practices

PMOs and Resource Management: A New Role?

There's another interesting article at Projects@Work on PMO design.

This one, written by Terry Doerscher of Planview, endorses taking what I'd call a "whole systems" approach to PMO design---i.e. looking at the PMO in the context of the overall "technology services organization."

This means expanding beyond just the project management realm---in particular, facilitating the planning and prioritization of activities across projects and other work that compete for the same resources. In effect, the PMO becomes a facilitator for managing the supply and demand of all IT work.

I'd add that, while this is a worthy role for the PMO, there is some heavy change leadership that needs to happen in order to make this successful. All too often, organizations overlook this and throw the fledgling PMO to the wolves.

As for project management practices, Doerscher suggests taking a more realistic, iterative approach to planning---something I couldn't agree more with.

Here's the article, well worth a read...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/232633.cfm

The Distributed PMO: Lessons From Strange Places

I've read two pieces of information lately that couldn't be more different, and yet they both got me thinking about the benefits of what I call a "distributed PMO."

First, as I mentioned last week, I had read about Ken Kizer's magnificent transformation of the formerly abysmal Veteran's Health Administration (a poorly run group of hospitals mired in government hierarchy and bureaucracy). He established an network of regional "hubs" (what he called Virtual Integrated Services Networks, or VISNs - pronounced "visions"). Each VISN was itself a network of partnerships, associations, alliances, hospitals, etc. that worked together for the good of the customer.

The VISNs had the benefits of standardized quality with local presence. Decision-making was moved from Washington HQ to the VISNs, who were closer to the action than Washington HQ could ever be.

The role of headquarters became one of support, guiding principles, consulting advise, information services, and change leadership. Headquarters drives behaviors that benefit the overall structure.

Forms and approvals were reduced to a bare minimum. A relentless focus on the customer/patient (one of my battle cries, as most of you know) now guides all decisions and research.

If this isn't a good model for a PMO, I don't know what is. If project managers and functional experts (each who rely on one another for success) operated in various "regions" and/or functions (close to the action), and the PMO's role were to provide (and I repeat from above) support, guiding principles, consulting advise, information services, and change leadership, more PMOs would become a valued and integrated part of their organization.

And if the focus were on reducing forms and bureaucracy, helping project teams be successful, and improving the customer experience (as opposed to an internal focus on merely schedule and budget metrics), PMOs might find themselves more popular as well.

Incidentally, this also happens to mirror the Toyota organizational model.

The idea of a distributed, integrated network isn't unique to business. It even happens in nature (here's where the strange part comes in). I was reading about a giant sea creature, larger than a blue whale, called a Giant Siphonophore (Praya sp.). The creature (yes, this is true, folks) runs 130 feet long and is actually made up of many other life forms, each having its own specialized role that works to service the whole entity, yet is unable to exist on its own. In other words, the Giant Siphonophore is a "colonial life form." As I read this, I was again reminded of the concept of a virtual, yet integrated network.

Yes, I actually make these odd connections, but ideas can come from anywhere. By the way, the creature can be seen in the IMAX film, The Living Sea (available on DVD). Here's more info on the colonial nature of the Giant Siphonophore and it mutually dependent parts. Food for thought.

PMO Process Primer

Last month, I mentioned a four-part series on Projects@Work about establishing PMOs. The first installment was on defining the role of your PMO up front.

Not sure what took so long for the second installment, but it's finally here and worth the wait (maybe it's a monthly series). This installment talks about the types of processes your PMO might undertake, and offers some food for thought with each process area. According to the article, a PMO might consider:

Project Processes (including demand management, approval, portfolio management, project/application lifecycle, and risk mitigation)

Analysis Processes (including business analysis, business case development, and process redesign)

Planning Processes (including planning and tracking, and capital planning and budgeting)

Administration Processes (including methodology management, training, tool development/ownership, and knowledge management)

To date, this series is an excellent primer on PMO startups. It's insightful and obviously written by someone who has had some varied experience in PMO implementation. I'm looking forward to the remaining two parts and will be sure to post the links here.

Kudos to the author, Ted Stephens, an associate principal at Intellilink.

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/231627.cfm

PMO Success Story: A.G. Edwards Case Study

There's an excellent article in CIO Magazine this month showing how A.G. Edwards reinvented its PMO to bring their projects to an 88% success rate (from about 50% originally).

Some key lessons:

• They created a 25-step project management high-level framework of just the high level activities common to all projects. They didn't inflict a detailed application development methodology and left the "how" flexible, as long as the "what" was satisfied. At a more detailed level, they used Primavera for project tracking and dashboard metrics.
  
• They provided leadership training to boost the confidence of their PMs
  
• They moved the project managers from the PMO to the functional areas to encourage collaboration and better align the PMs with the business.
  
• They offered project planning services to assist the distributed project managers with using the new framework effectively (allowing them to use the planning tool of their choice, be it Excel, MS/Word, or a whiteboard). The 25 framework touchpoints, however, are common to all projects for cross-project comparison purposes (I assume enabled in Primavera).
  
• They redefined "success" as "projects that deliver business value." This gives customer satisfaction and business value even greater priority than being on-time and on-budget (note: they still improved their schedule and budget statistics anyway).
  
  This is the essence of the new model and bears repeating. The customer defines success. Under this model, it's quite possible to have a project that is late and over-budget and seen as a raving sucess.
  
• They tirelessly met with stakeholders in individual and group settings to offer the benefits and ask for their support. They used a subtle soft-sell approach with the "bad actors."
  
• They first involved the PMs receptive to new ideas as part of a pilot and them used them to "spread the gospel"
  
• They measured success rates and publicized them in quarterly reports to senior management.

These are all powerful and valid ways to make a PMO successful, and are philosophically aligned with the Service Oriented-Project Management (SOPM) model I've been developing. In this case, these changes collectively served to boost IT's credibility at A.G Edwards significantly.

Here's the full article. Don't miss the sidebar "8 Steps for Improving Project Management."

When Failure Is Not an Option - Editorial - CIO

The Many Roles of a PMO

There's a great new series in Projects@Work about establishing PMOs. The first installment talks about the importance of defining the role of the PMO right up front.

Here's an excerpt...

"The scope of a PMO's activities can range from a set of limited support roles all the way to decision-making about project priorities, financing, and other governance functions. Defining those roles is the necessary first step in the creation of a PMO that will carry out its mission smoothly and deliver its full value to the business."

It seems so obvious, but many organizations begin implementing a PMO before fully defining, and obtaining organizational buy-in, for the role that the PMO will serve. I'd also add that many organizations begin with too broad a scope and in doing so, form a wall between the PMO and the est of the organization. It's OK to have a multi-tiered vision, with an initial state for the PMO and a longer-term, broader vision.

Here's the full article (the next installment is on PMO processes)...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/231325.cfm:

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 Management Office PMO: Collaborative Environment ...

An interesting view of the PMO: an environment for IT and business collaboration where contribution is proven. ...

... "The project management office (PMO) was used in a number of cases to provide a collaborative environment for IT staff and business representatives. This environment provided contribution proof, mainly along the lines of time, cost and quality. " ...

Project Management Office PMO: Collaborative Environment: Via ITworld: Keeping score ...

PMO Charters

Jerry's post about PMO success and failure experiences reinforces the point that it's essential to have a clear plan for what a PMO is intended to achieve. With that goes the requirement for all the usual requirements for a successful project - one to set up the PMO. What is it for, how will it be funded (from 5 to 15% of an enterprise project resources), where it will fit in the organisation. The charter for a PMO needs to be comprehensive.
The templates at the CVR-IT link below include a link to a PowerPoint presentation outlining PMO charter considerations.
Index of Project Templates

Study Shows No Consensus on PMOs

Having trouble getting consensus in your organization on the value and structure of your PMO? If so, you're not alone.

As reported in PMForum, the research team that has been studying how PMOs are used has released its interim findings.

The findings, based on the 500 companies studied, show that there is wide variation in the perceived value of PMOs, the structure of PMO's, and in the functions PMOs deliver.

In addition, there appears no be no pattern whatsoever in one industry or region versus another. At the least, it'll make it difficult to come up with any kind of "standard PMO design."

It only makes sense that a PMO's charter could vary based on the culture of the organization, the project management maturity of the employees, the committment of senior management, what the organization is trying to get out of the PMO, and a host of other variables.

Maybe the lack of agreement, and the resulting organizational maelstrom caused when many PMOs are launched, is the reason why two-thirds of PMOs fail. Studies have shown that the PMOs that begin by insuring the success of project teams and providing portfolio management services---and then progress to becoming a center of excellence---seem to have longer-lasting success than those that try to do too much too soon.

Meanwhile, it should be interesting seeing the final results of this particular study. The PMForum report is below...

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management PMFORUM Breaking News: REALITY OF PMO'S STUDY: INTERIM RESULTS RELEASED

PMO Startups; Help from the Blogosphere

There's a new addition to the blogosphere, and it's a good one for anyone implementing a PMO.

All About Project Management Offices is a fairly new blog from Derry Simmel, who happens to be a PMO Director and is also on the board of PMI's PMO SIG.

Already there's some excellent content on there that should prove valuable to PMO Directors or anyone in the process of implementing a PMO. For instance, there are posts on selling your PMO, demonstrating value, building a PMO, recommended books on PMOs, and more.

Check it out...

All about Project Management Offices

PMOs; Where's the Value?

A contributor to eProject's eLounge mentioned this excellent article from Chief Project Officer. It's written by Tom Westcott, founder of Project Solutions Group. Several years ago, I saw him speak on scheduling techniques at the PMI Delaware Valley Chapter's Annual Workshop, and was very impressed with his dynamic style and pragmatic approach.

In the article, Westcott talks about how PMOs must demonstrate value if they are to survive, and offers some good tips on how to do just that. Specifically, he says they must create strategic alignment, deliver real value, and communicate frequently.

Here's an excerpt on what he has to say about delivering value:

PMOs must deliver value to survive. Value is not templates, tools, methodology, processes, training; these are means to driving value. Value is gaining efficiencies, achieving cost savings, increasing customer satisfaction, reducing time-to-market, increasing revenue and profit, reducing deficits, or increasing competitive advantage. Too many PMOs wrap their whole mission and existence around the services they provide instead of their impact on the business. Executives buy value.

Too many PMO directors are former project managers who see their role as project management evangelists. This
leads to a myopic view, and often they are ill-prepared or unable to work strategically with executive management. PMO directors need to speak and think in business terms, financial and organizational. Nix the "project-management speak." How does this project benefit the organization and support our strategy? And how can we get it done as quickly and inexpensively as possible? That's what they care about.

For the full article, read on...

Chief Project Officer: PMO or Bust?

eProject Launches eLounge

There's another project management community on the internet, and this one's from eProject, the leading web-based "on demand" project management tool.

eLounge is eProject's online community, open to anyone with an interest in project management.

This is from their press release:

"We've created the premier destination site for portfolio, program and project managers who want to interact with industry peers, share knowledge, learn best practices, find out what's new, or just get up to speed quickly on the topics and issues most important to them," said Christian Smith, eProject vice president of sales and marketing. "eLounge is unmatched in the industry in terms of original content, downloads and the stature, knowledge and experience of our guest bloggers," continued Smith.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to be part of their expert panel of contributors, so I occasionally post there (so far, my posts have been a variation of my PMThink posts or similar material---my way of spreading good ideas more broadly). Are they competition? Someone once told me that on the internet, there is no competition, only cooperation. We're all in this together.

Dave Blumhorst, ex PMO Director for PeopleSoft and now CEO of Effective IT Group, is a regular contributor, and I must say I completely agree with his philosophies on PMOs. See his blog "Do PMs Really Hate PMOs" and "Common PMO Mistakes" in their Project Management Trendwatch section.

Here's the link to the eLounge home page...

eProject eLounge - Project Management User Community

State of the PMO Study Launched

Interthink Consulting and Projects@Work are conducting a comprehensive research study on current PMO practices.

All those participating in the study, which consists of 55 questions, will receive a detailed copy of the research findings on May 31st, 2006. The study covers the following areas:

• PMO services and offerings
• PMO implementation approaches
• PMO size, scope and complexity
• Challenges and critical factors for PMO success
• Perceived value and impact of the PMO

To learn more about the study, to participate, or to see the results of the last study they did in 2002, read on...

Interthink Research

Project Management Office: PMO Approach to Basel II ...

Just like SOX compliance, banks are wise to implement the PMO, or project management office, approach to Basel II compliance. Article explores Basel II and the approach to risk management projects ...

... "Once an approach has been chosen, the bank will need to put in place a project management office (PMO) to address the approach-specific requirements of Basel II. " ...

Project Management Office: PMO Approach to Basel II: Compliance with Basel II: Via Express Computer

PMO as a panacea?

It seems that everywhere you turn, someone is recommending a Project Management Office as the solution to an organisation's project management woes. This 2003 article from CIO magazine makes a familiar point and provides some statistics that still have validity. Office Discipline: Why You Need a Project Management Office
The reason for bringing up the topic again now is that I recently came across a situation where a client was planning to implement project management tools - and to leave the project managers to use them as they saw fit.
McHardy's conjecture states that 'for business processes, whatever is not deliberately held together will fly apart'. In project management process terms this applies when artifacts - tools, procedures, templates, guidelines, etc. - are made available without any mechanism for coordinating their use. This is the 'discipline' referred to in the article. Without the requirement to apply procedures consistently, individuals will tend to develop their own solutions and approaches that are reasonably tailored to their own circumstances. Sometimes this will be based on tool preferences, local reporting habits, work profiles or requirement to conform to alternative procedures.
PMOs can take various forms but one common requirement is for the PMO to provide the glue to hold the processes and their use together. Even if there is no formal PMO there needs to be some cohesive mechanism to make sure the expensively acquired assets areused.

Process vs. Freedom; Finding the Right Balance

There's a great article in Computerworld about finding the balance between having well-defined, repeatable processes and allowing businesses (and project managers) the freedom to innovate. A flexible approach is key.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Studies have shown that the consistent use of processes increases repeatability, productivity and quality while decreasing project delivery time. But these same processes can appear as a wall to the business people who are pressured to get
their ideas to market. The project team ends up on the battle line between the program management office (PMO) enforcing the procedures and the business people seeking to retain their freedom.

The article goes on to suggest ways to minimize conflict and satisfy both audiences. Read on...

Surviving Process Without Going Berserk - Computerworld

PMO Project Office: Whirlpool Maytag Integration ...

Whirlpool makes leadership moves to support the integration of the planned Maytag acquisition in a controlled and disciplined manner through a project management office, or PMO. Appointed execs bring strong credentials to their new leadership roles. ...

... "Whirlpool Corporation announced the appointment of Ted Dosch, currently corporate vice president and controller, to corporate vice president, finance, Project Management Office, which manages the planning and integration of the anticipated Maytag acquisition. Larry Venturelli, currently vice president, Investor Relations, will succeed Dosch as vice president and controller. These moves are effective immediately. ... In his new role, Dosch will lead the planning and integration of all financial processes and internal controls associated with the anticipated Maytag acquisition. Venturelli will assume the controller responsibilities and continue to provide leadership to the Investor Relations activities on an interim basis. A successor to Venturelli will be named at a later date. Both Dosch and Venturelli will continue reporting to Templin. " ...

PMO Project Office: Whirlpool Maytag Integration: Via Whirlpool: Whirlpool Names Dosch and Venturelli to New Leadership Roles ...



Whirlpool Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $13 billion, 68,000 employees, and nearly 50 manufacturing and technology research centers around the globe. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Brastemp, Bauknecht, Consul and other major brand names to consumers in more than 170 countries.

Project Management Continuous Improvement ...

Project management offices (PMO) perform, at a minimum, an assessment or debriefing of projects during close-out. Those lessons-learned need to be incorporated into a continuous improvement program to drive project management maturity and quality higher. Recent government report demonstrates that lessons-learned from government IT projects are not really learned from until root causes are identified and/or process defects are eliminated. ...

Via IT Week: Project breakdowns avoidable, says MPs report ...

... "Major government IT project failures over the past decade could have been avoided by learning from past mistakes, according to MPs. " ...

Via Committee of Public Accounts, UK Parliament: SEVENTEENTH REPORT: ACHIEVING VALUE FOR MONEY IN THE DELIVERY OF PUBLIC SERVICES ...

... "The Committee has identified seven key areas which departments need to focus on if improvements in the delivery of public services and their efficiency are to be achieved: planning carefully prior to implementation; strengthening project management; " ...

PMO Lessons From Toyota; Support Project Managers First!

More great lessons from Toyota. This report from F.R. Parth of Project Auditors shows how Toyota Financial Services learned from previous false starts at Toyota in creating a PMO and finally figured out the right way to do it. Some key lessons are:

1) A PMO must begin by supporting project managers first, and management second (this is consistent with the philosophy of my colleague on the PMI Program and Portfolio Management Standards leadership team, Claude Emond, who has made the same statement quite often).

2) Like anything of lasting value, a PMO is not created overnight. Full maturity can take up to 3 years, and full benefits can take up to 5.

3) Organizational resistance can be expected to be high. First solve project managers' pain points and develop basic project management processes (with their input). Gain support and credibility at the operational levels, and then evolve to auditing projects and supporting executives with strategic portfolio management and metrics.

By starting with a traffic cop or cost control mentality, you might as well pack it up now because the PMO won't get past the initial resistance.

Here's the full report, which not only outlines how this PMO is achieving success, but also shows why the earlier ones failed...

Frank Parth Publications / project management articles / white paper

PMI Reviewing New Exam Questions; Clarification of Rumors

Rita Mulcahy at RMC Project Management (and creator of an excellent PMO Exam Study course) posted a clarification on her site of PMI's recent announcement regarding the review and possible revision of new exam questions.

PMI's normal process is to review the performance of questions after new exam is released, and as such they are doing it with this exam. They may remove or rewrite certain exam questions as needed, and would adjust the score of those who have taken the exam accordingly.

Apparently, rumors have gotten out of hand, and Rita clarifies them below...

Clarification of PMI Announcement Regarding PMP Exam: Are the Rumors True?

PMO Team Building: Olympic Events

With the holidays closing in on us, some project management office teams may need to do team building. Here are instructional videos to build your PMO team morale and heart rates. ...

PMO Team Building: Olympic Events: Via Office Olympics: Humor Office Videos: Trash Can Videos ...

... "Video #1 of the first season of office olympics, two office olympians make long jumps over rounded up office trash cans. " ...

Project Management e-Learning; Praxis Announces Virtual Campus

Praxis Learning Networks recently announced the Praxis Virtual Campus for project management, an online catalog of e-Learning solutions for PMP study, general project management topics, and MS/Project-specific activities.

Prices range from $20 to $845, so it's a cost-effective way to learn. Best of all, if you have a PMO certification, you can earn PDUs.

Welcome to Praxis Learning Networks' e-Learning Campus

How to Implement a Project Management Office

"Why do only half of all IT Project Management Office (PMO) implementations improve project success rates? A primary reason PMO implementations fail is that they are not planned and managed like a project...

...Depending on the organization and their business goals, the definition of PMO success can vary. There isn't a common recipe or a one-size-fits-all approach to implementing a successful PMO. In order for a PMO to be successful, it must be planned, managed and implemented like a project, or initiative, by experienced professionals."

I couldn't agree more.

For more insight http://www.chiefprojectofficer.com/article/164

More PMO Advice: Focus on Principles, Not Rules

Here's another good presentation (PDF format) on how to improve PMO success-- this one states the need for a "Next Generation PMO."

The presentation, from Projectize.com, talks about the need for PMOs to be less rigid; less focused on rules and internal processes; and instead focused on being agile, flexible and innovative in order to satisfy the business need.

Instead of rules, it suggests focusing on principles for success, providing people with a compass to steer them in the right direction, rather than a dense playbook to follow.

Good advice indeed.

http://www.pmiglc.org/pd/docs/0411_din_mtg.pdf

PMO Dilemma: Two-Thirds of PMOs Fail! Here's Why

Although this article is from several years ago, recent studies show that the figures haven't changed. The sad fact is that two-thirds of IT PMOs fail.

And the key reason, according to this article, is that most of them start out as a controlling/tracking organization and not a services/support organization. I've seen this happen quite a few times myself. It's like the Chinese finger-trap, the harder you pull, the tighter the trap gets. Better to start lightly by gaining credibility and showing value. And for a PMO, that needs to begin with offering assistance to the needy.

Typically, that is done by offering processes, tools, and services---not all at once---but little by little, to the rest of the IT organization. If a PMO starts out assuming it can be the hero, taking on all projects, whipping project managers into submission, and policing work in the organization, it's fighting an uphill battle for acceptance. Better to start by providing services and removing barriers (instead of creating them), and then evolve to becoming a project management center of excellence.

For more on this, read on...

ITworld.com - Opinion: There's a reason IT PMOs fail

Also, here's a white paper from Premis Consulting that provides even more evidence and comes to the same conclusions. It offers 2 key bits of advice:

An effective PMO should work for the project teams first and management second if they want to achieve any real results.

Effective PMOs provide the project team with the right tools and practices to hit the ground running, making a difference right away.

Implement Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Cheaper with a Hosted Solution

There's no doubt about it. The IT industry is headed toward hosted solutions, with their undeniable ROI due to infrastructure savings. And Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is no exception.

One of the best on the market is ProjectArena, as evident by the awards it has received, including the CIO Decisions Magazine/Nucleus Research ROI Award for 2005. I've already been impressed with ProjectArena's white papers (available free on their site) and their PPM Today Weblog.

If you're starting a PMO or looking to implement a PPM solution, check out ProjectArena's hosted solution below. And while you're at it, explore their white papers...

Project Arena - Hosted Project Portfolio Management

IT Balanced Scorecard BSC: On IT Governance Roadmap ...

Measuring the performance of IT governance, the project management office (PMO), and individual projects is critical to understanding your current capability and to chart a future course of action. Shashwat Singhal explores the IT governance roadmap and the use of an IT balanced scorecard (BSC) to ensure that decisions are made in the interests of shareholders. ...

IT Balanced Scorecard BSC: On IT Governance Roadmap: Via Express Computer: Implementing IT governance ...

... "The IT balanced scorecard is an important mechanism for managing and aligning IT. Therefore, step 11 of the implementation road map refers to the establishment of an IT balanced scorecard. " ...

IT Governance: Enterprise Architecture Common Language ...

The role of IT governance is to establish an enabling framework of decision-making for information technology investments. Those involved in the orchestration of the governance process need to support a balanced view of the program management and enterprise architecture spaces. This can be accomplished through a clear view into the information technology portfolio, which should highlight the major strategic programs, but be clear about the architecture investments necessary to build or sustain the targted business and technology capabilities. George Paras, VP Troux Technologies, explores enterprise architecture and program management disciplines in the public sector and discusses bridging the barriers between the PMO and the enterprise architects. ...

IT Governance: Enterprise Architecture Common Language: Via Federal Times: Enterprise architecture: Seeing the big picture

... "Develop a common language on IT governance, portfolio management and enterprise architecture. An important focus of this common language will be to educate executives about the relationships between the program management and enterprise architecture groups. " ...

PMThink! resources on Enterprise Architecture:

• Centralized IT Governance: Enterprise Architecture Modeling Tool


• Does Architecture Visualization Enable ITGovernance?


• Enterprise Architecture PMO: Common Framework For Investments


• Information Technology Architecture: Operational Excellence Projects ...


• IT Governance Role: Architecture

Business Strategy: Align Objectives and Execute

IBM launches new software that enables workers and managers throughout an organization to align their personal and departmental objectives with business strategy and drive execution of their workplace activities ...

Business Strategy: Align Objectives and Execute: Via IBM: IBM Software Helps Employees at All Levels Align Their Objectives With Company Strategy ...

... "According to feedback from IBM's customers and partners, more companies are recognizing that while they have lots of data and a sound business strategy, the execution of the strategy needs improvement. IBM Workplace for Business Strategy Execution helps employees understand their company's strategy in concrete terms, focus on what is important, and remain current on status and risks. A department leader can use IBM Workplace for Business Strategy Execution to clearly communicate team objectives and how they fit into the company's strategy; link to and monitor internal and external dependencies that could affect the ability to reach objectives; track progress toward the objectives though intuitive scorecards and dashboards; and initiate actions to correct gaps in performance. " ...

PMThink references on strategy and alignment:

• Achieve Strategy Execution: Accelerate Plan Funding Support


• Business Continuity Project: Key Part of IT Strategy ...


• Business IT Alignment: Business-Relevant Metrics


• Business IT Strategy: Successful Alignment


• Governance Alignment: Project Portfolio Management (PPM)


• IT Alignment: Cost Benefit Analysis ...


• IT Governance: SAP ESA Strategy


• IT Strategy: Motorola Exec Podcast ...


• ITIL: IT Service Catalog: Alignment Focal Point ...


• Microsoft Framework: Business IT Alignment


• PMO Role: Align Business and IT ...


• Project Failure: A Success Strategy


• Project Management Strategy Integration Conference December2005


• PublicSector CIO: Enterprise View IT Strategy


• Software Aligns Project Management With Enterprise Strategy: Enhanced Portfolio Analytics ...


• Strategic Alignment: Project Portfolio


• Strategy: Visualize the Design ...

Program (Programme) Management Definition(s)

If you ask 9 different people, "what is a PMO" you will get at least 10 different answers. However, the definition of program (or programme) management seems to be much more straightforward.

"Programme management involves pulling together a number of different projects into a single initiative reflecting a broad business goal. Launching a new product, for example, may involve a research and development effort, a training project for sales staff and a marketing communications campaign, all of which may be separate projects with a common goal (a programme)."

This definition is quite close to the Project Management Institute's version but PMI adds an important clarification. There should be benefits to managing the projects together under a program that would not be gained by managing the projects separately.

This article explains at least one version of what a PMO could be, and more about Programme Management, however you spell it...

PMO: What is it and do you need one? - silicon.com

Project Management: Connect Team With Big Picture

Post explores the challenge of project and program management to balance the natural tensions between the individuals and the larger transformation of an organization. Good tips for the project management office, PMO.

Project Management: Connect Team With Big Picture: Via Brave New World of Project Management: A Philosophy of Whole Systems

... "The best project managers are those who can relate and keep both their team's needs and the larger management team's needs met. Otherwise the project becomes the task without purpose, which in turn will end up undermining team's morale. " ...

Project Management Maturity; Easy Does It

So many organizations decide to institute disciplined project management processes, often as part of a PMO implementation, and try to go from zero to 60 in a few weeks. The fact is project management maturity doesn't happen overnight.

The best place to start is with a good set of principles, possibly in combination with a light set of processes (i.e. defining a good scope statement, a simple change control process, an issues and milestones list, etc.). Then---and only then---after the project managers have begun to grasp the principles, it's OK to begin introducing new disciplines, such as Earned Value Reporting, Project Accounting, Resource Leveling, etc.

The key is to introduce each item gradually and measure its use and effectiveness.Otherwise, the project managers can get so overwhelmed with details that it distracts them from the real issues of the project. And issue tracking, risk awareness, leadership and communication are the real value-add items that a project manager brings. The rest can be processized and learned over time.

What's the problem?

Browsing some Request for Information Postings the other day, I came across one asking for an estimate and references for setting up a Project Management Office. Seems reasonable, doesn't it? Some organisation has decided it needs a PMO and then goes and finds a consulting organisation to help them do it. There are lots of example out there - and they're not only about setting up PMOs.
But to provide useful and compelling information in response to the Request you need to know more about the context. What is the background that has led to the conclusion that a PMO is the solution? Any project, including setting up a PMO, will have goals and objectives. Just creating the product is not enough. There must be a purpose.
So please, all you posters of RFIs, to make sure the responses you get are as useful as they can be, include something about why you want to carry out this project. Tell us - 'What is the problem you need to solve?'

How NOT to build a Project Management Office

If set up "properly" (which I believe is different for each organization) and if led by the right person with the right attitude, a PMO can support a culture of empowerment, entrepreneurship and accountability.

This article suggests that PMO's can do more harm than good. Don't let that happen to your PMO! Start with the end in mind and design it properly, unlike poor Henry and the CIO that appointed him...

Beneath the Buzz: Project Management Office - Beneath the Buzz - Leadership RC - CIO:

PMO ProjectManagement Office Activities ...

Via ITToolBox: Observations from a Tech Architect: Enterprise Implementation Issues & Solutions: Project Management Office (PMO): Context & Activities

Discussion of PMO activities ...

... "A PMO describes a team of people who fulfil project delivery management responsibilities. A PMO is typically established when providing a consolidated approach to project management creates efficiency and economies of scale. Examples are very large projects or when we are delivering several related projects for the same customer or using the same delivery infrastructure. " ...

PMO Benefits Case; Better Project Management Impacts Bottom Line

Here's a great presentation for anyone looking to make a case for starting a PMO. This one's from Brad Poeckes from Project-Solutions, Inc. Be sure to click on the PDF link at the top for best readibility.

PMO-Model presentation

Enable PMO ProjectManagementOffice Success ...

Enable PMO ProjectManagementOffice Success: Via eProject: Four Ways to Create a More Successful Project Management Office ...

Christian Smith, VP Sales & Marketing, eProject, makes recommendations to ensure the success of the project management office, or PMO, ranging from an emphasis on work process to implementation of simple enabling-tools ...

... "To get an entire enterprise focused on project success, the PMO must be designed, empowered, and equipped to serve the entire enterprise. It must be capable of solving big business problems like selecting the right projects, assigning the right resources to them, and then determining Return on Investment (ROI). It should also provide a collaborative environment for knowledge-sharing, document repository and communication horizontally across project teams and vertically across business line management. " ...

eProject delivers the only on-demand project and portfolio management solution for the extended enterprise. eProject is an intuitive, unified platform that enables users to maximize project ROI by compressing project cycle times, identifying best practices and optimizing resource allocations, with rapid deployment and quick adoption. eProject is used by more than 350 companies worldwide including BASF, BP, Cushman and Wakefield, Dow Chemical, Honeywell and T-Mobile.

PMO Project Management Office: The Rocky Road ...

PMO Project Management Office: The Rocky Road: Via CIO: Beneath the Buzz: Project Management Office ...

It takes awhile to win the hearts and minds of the workforce and to gain the leadership alignment necessary for true success of a PMO, project management office. The path to success is a rocky road, filled with boulders and ditches that mirror the culture of the organization. N. Dean Meyer explores the dark side of the PMO and how scoping its role can avoid the common causes of failure ...

... "Meanwhile, relations between Henry and his peers became strained. The other senior managers in IT resented Henry when hot strategic projects were taken away from them and given to him. They resented his control over their resources. They resented his looking over their shoulder, judging their progress and reporting on them to their boss. " ...

PMO Benefit Target: $1B

Via BNET.com: Real Benefits Through Comprehensive Program Management, from Infosys Technologies ...

Wow! Significant challenge for this PMO... $1B in benefits in 3 years. ...

... "To remove these problems, Infosys was asked to implement a Program Management Office (PMO), which would deliver $1 billion in benefits in 3 years. Infosys delivered a comprehensive solution that enabled the bank to realize the program benefits as well as service its global customers better. " ...

PMO: Setting Balance

PMO: Setting Balance: Via 48 Ideas: Projects, Leadership, Communication: urgent balance

Balanced thoughts on the delicate PMO balancing act. Well put ...

... "I believe that the PMO should set the balance point between chaos and control. That's a hard balance to set since most PMO's were born of management's exasperation at a stream of failed projects, wasted resources and missed opportunities. " ...

PMO Best Practices - Research Results

Although it's from 2003, I suspect that this CIO research report on PMO best practices is still valid today.

As an example, the study reports that key PMO challenges reported were as follows:

52% Unreasonable workloads
43% Lack of PMO authority to carry out objectives
42% Support from business unit management
34% Conflicts over project management ownership
30% Support from senior executives
18% Temporary nature of PMO undermining its effectiveness

The high listing for "unreasonable workloads" suggests that development of demand management and governance processes should be a key initiative for PMO startups. It also suggests that a Critical Chain approach should be considered, as it has been proven to increase project throughput while recognizing constrained resources.

An alternative that some organizations are considering is staff augmentation for project management, as the demand reaches certain peaks. Just be sure it's only for peaks and not the norm. The bottom line is that the key is finding the right balance between supply and demand, just like any organization.

For the full report, check out the link below:

Best Practices for Project Management Offices - Research Reports - CIO - Research - CIO

OnDemand Portfolio Management Solution: SMB Market ...

Via 3 Olive Solutions: on-demand project portfolio management solution ...

... "3 Olive Solutions develops Portfolio Intelligence™, the popular on-demand project portfolio management solution. Portfolio Intelligence™ is the solution of choice for mid-sized and small organizations or departments of larger companies such as the project management office (PMO) due to its affordability, quick implementations and easy-to-use methodology. Portfolio Intelligence™ gives executives and managers oversight for groupings of work efforts with its organization, control and decision support capabilities that result in increased business value from projects, better resource utilizations, and lower costs. " ...

Three Olive Solutions, LLC was founded with the mission of developing software solutions that help executives and managers be more effective leaders within their organizations. 3 Olive’s initial application, Portfolio Intelligence™, is an ondemand project portfolio management solution that is ideal for small and mid-sized organizations or departments within larger companies such as the project management office (PMO). Portfolio Intelligence™ is an affordable and easy-to-implement solution that enables executives and managers to organize, control and make better decisions on their work efforts resulting in higher business value, better resource utilizations, and lower costs.

PMO Project Milestone Reviews ...

PMO Project Milestone Reviews: Via ADTmag.com: Seven Habits of Highly Successful Business/IT Aligners ...

In this article, by Stephen Swoyer, on the Seven Habits of Highly Successful Business / IT Aligners, Dr. Tushar Hazra describes the importance of project milestone reviews by the PMO ...

... "Another practice that's well established in most large companies is that of periodic milestone reviews, particularly with respect to project deliverables. The best practice for the mid-size or large companies is setting up the project management or roadmap management office, and giving somebody a specific responsibility to maintain some of these reviews and inspections, and keeping track of them as you grow ..." ...

Process Definition made EZ using IDEF

Just wanted you to know that IDEF really works. I’ve used it for years. IDEF is an easy, terrific technique to use to get people thinking about process. This has been useful to me in a number of situations, which include but are certainly not limited to:

• A business is entering a new market; they need to define the business process by which they will serve that market
• Project Management Office (PMO) processes need to be defined (i.e., portfolio management process)
• A new IT system needs to be built to support a new business process
• A new IT system needs to be built but the business prefers to reuse key legacy systems

So, without having to read the entire site IDEFO site, here are the basics illustrated by an example that you may not like, but hopefully, you can relate to (although, my husband would remind me that he can relate to it even better than I can these days, but I digress…).

Process: “Doing Laundry”, also known as Level 1.

This process step decomposes into Level 2 or the basic steps of the “Doing Laundry” process:

1. Collect
2. Wash
3. Dry
4. Fold
5. Store

A basic rule of thumb is to define no more than 7 process steps at Level 2, otherwise you create a lot more work for yourself if you need decompose each Level 2 step into 2-7 more steps in Level 3 and then each of those into 2-7 more steps in Level 4. As you can see, it can get quite unwieldy if you are too detailed.

In our example, some may argue that “Wear” and “Soil” are additional steps. Do these come after “Store” or before “Collect”? What comes first, the chicken or the egg? These are examples of questions that the group may stumble upon and need to wrestle. This is part of the benefit of the IDEF decomposition discussion – making sure that everything is covered and in the end, everyone agrees on the steps and their order.

Stay tuned for more on IDEF. In Part 2, we'll continue to the next step of decomposing the Laundy process. Hopefully this generic and simple example will help you lead others through process definition using IDEF for your own process!

- FemPM

Confucius on Project Management

Came across this cute article from BOT International (who also happen to offer "Processes on Demand" for those looking to establish a PMO or a project management competancy framework very quickly).

Read what Confucius has to say that's surprisingly aligned with the concept of continuously improved project management processes...

Project Management Processes - Confucius and Processes

Is a PMO Unnecessary Bureaucracy?

This Computerworld article is from May, but worth revisiting.

Overcoming the impression of being a bureacratic waste of time is a common challenge many IT organizations face when starting a PMO. This article offers some good tips for facing the challenge. Read on...

PMOs Viewed as Unneeded Bureaucracy - Computerworld

Project Portfolio Approach: Continuous Improvement ...

Project Portfolio Approach: Continuous Improvement: Via IDD Aerospace Lean Manufacturing Operations: Six Sigma Process Controls Improve Quality and Reduce Manufacturing Lead Times ...

Continuous improvement projects are managed using a portfolio approach to strategic alignment at IDD ...

... "Project Management: At IDD Aerospace, we take a Project Management Office (PMO) approach and methodology for managing our cost reduction and Continuous Improvement efforts. All project candidates, whether they are Six Sigma, Lean Kaizen, Technology advancements, etc. are prioritized, planned, and managed according to our objectives and goals. ... " ...

IDD Aerospace is part of the Aircraft Systems Division of the Zodiac Group. The company is located in Redmond, WA and is a leading provider of illuminated light panels, control panels assemblies and integrated switch panels, bezels and keyboards for aircraft flight decks to customers worldwide.

IT PMO Service Orientation ...

IT PMO Service Orientation: Via Michael Byrne, Director, Computing and Network Services, University of Alberta: Program Management Office ...

Observations on the IT PMO ...

... "The PMO is a variant of the Project Office concept introduced decades ago in the engineering and construction industries as a chartering organization responsible for receiving, reviewing and approving project requests. To be successful in the IT world however, the PMO must be developed as a service-oriented, project management competence center. " ...

Enterprise Architecture PMO: Common Framework For Investments

Enterprise Architecture PMO: Common Framework For Investments: Via OMB: Enabling Citizen Centered Government: 2005-2006 FEA PMO Action Plan ...

Feds leverage an enterprise architecture program management office (PMO) to provide visibility across IT investments ...

... "The FEA Program Management Office (FEA PMO), located in OMB’s Office of E-Gov and IT, equips OMB and Federal agencies with a common language and framework to describe and analyze IT investments, enhance collaboration and ultimately transform the Federal government into a citizen-centered, results-oriented, and market-based organization as set forth in the President’s Management Agenda (PMA). The FEA consists of a set of interrelated reference models designed to facilitate crossagency analysis and the identification of duplicative investments, gaps and opportunities for collaboration within and across agencies. " ...

Best Practice Project Management Framework

I came across an excellent website for project management guidelines, templates, tools, knowledge articles, etc. and it's shared with the public - free! It's from the Tasmanian State Government no less.

Any PMO Director or leader would be wise to examine this best practice example of a project management infrastructure.

Project Management Home Page

PMO Role: Align Business and IT ...

PMO Role: Align Business and IT: Via eyeforpharma: IT Portfolio Management: Managing your investments ...

Helen Oram discusses research report "IT Portfolio Management – Making Technology Investments Pay Off" by AMR Research ...

... "The role of the PMO is to be the central governing body that is made up of representatives from different parts of the company, focusing on making strategic decisions that will better align business and IT priorities. The PMO has the responsibility to ensure that considerations and constraints are viewed as part of the portfolio management process, such as budget constraints, opportunity analysis, risk assessment, resource capacity, and demand management. " ...

A PMO Combined with EPM Tools Can Offer Great Benefits... But Don't Expect Overnight Success

According to this insightful article from INS, Enterprise Project Management (EPM) can be a vital part of organizational success, and a well-run PMO combined with EPM software is the best way to make that happen. But success doesn't come overnight. Read on...

The Project Management Office: Enterprise Project Management is a Vital Tool

Turnkey Processes For PMO Setup: Project Management Office

Project Management Office: Set up your Project Management Office with easy to use, SOX compliant project management office processes ...

... "Set up processes for organizational project management. Processes On Demand can be used for both dedicated PMOs as well as virtual PMOs and helps to ensure rapid adoption and consistent execution of PMO processes and best practices. " ...

BOT International is a leading provider of software solutions for project management processes. BOT International helps project management offices and IT organizations reduce costs, save time, and improve project results. BOT International is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with sales offices in Orlando, Florida; New York, New York; Nashua, New Hampshire; Dallas, Texas; Newport Beach, California; and Singapore.

Upcoming PMO Conference: International PMO Summit

Upcoming PMO Conference: Via PMLG - International PMO Summit

... "Executives, Program and Portfolio Management professionals from around the world will meet again at the International Program Office Summit, this year in historic Charleston, South Carolina. This unique program provides PMO professionals with the opportunity to network and learn from other professionals who have successfully implemented PMO's and portfolio within their own organizations. Location: Planters Inn, Market Street, Charleston, SC; Date: September 25-28, 2005. " ...

Introducing the PMO Executive Council

If you're a senior manager starting or running a PMO, you'll find the PMO Executive Council an invaluable resource. Organizations pay to become a member of the council, enabling them to share and learn best practices in PMO management.

Members can share ideas, templates, metrics, and other elements that increase the success of all involved. Check it out...

The PMO Executive Council

Best Practice - An Online Project Management Framework --

The Washington State Government has an amazing Project Management Framework site (a self-described virtual PMO) that's worthy of emulation by any organization looking to digitize their best practices. Check it out...

-- Project Management Framework --