Disciplined Program Management

General Dynamics CIO shares his key principles, one of which is delivering through disciplined processes of program management ...

... "Discipline flows from putting formal structures in place to initiate, monitor, and evaluate programs. It can be as simple as having frequent, scheduled meetings ... " ...

Via ExecutiveBiz Blog: CIO Woody Hall

Accountability System

New CIO institutes early-warning triggers for project management, that could stop project investment if circuit breaker trips. ...

... "He's put in place the Program Management Accountability System that will require program managers to deliver systems and applications incrementally rather than all at once ... " ...

Via FierceGovernmentIT: New VA CIO

Misleading IT project costs

Program, project, phase one, two, or three. Communication about the costs of the current scope and the overall project can be challenging. ...

... "Jeffrey defended the declaration of the GBP2.3bn price, saying that the answer given only related to approved costs. " ...

Via Computing: MoD may have misled parliament

Project Job Search

Here's a twist ... managing the job search as a project. Can we extrapolate that to managing your career as portfolio of programs? Interesting parallels. ...

... "And he knows that those same skills that produce corporate results are also personal assets. The discipline that brings in a major IT project on time can also guide personal projects such as the search for a new job. " ...

Via Network World: Dream job

Portfolio of One

How would you like to explain your portfolio balance for the next three years with a $1B must-do technology investment? ...

... "FEMA's enterprise IT project is a multiyear program expected to cost at least $1 billion, according to Input Inc. " ...

Via Washington Tech: $1B overhaul

Multi-Disciplinary Programs

Advice to position yourself for success in 2008. ...

... "Or, if you can, get assigned to a boundary-spanning role, and seek some relief from daily operational duties so you can focus on the big picture. " ...

Via PC World: Career Tips

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 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

Project Controller: The Project Manager's Best Friend

Halleluyah! Finally, there's an article saying what I've been saying for years. With projects becoming more and more complex, and leadership and stakeholder management requiring more attention than project managers have time for, there's a need for another role to manage the "control" aspects of the project.

This article by Robert Wourms on Projects@Work details how organizations such as State Farm have had success doing just that. Bring on the Project Controller. As a member of the leadership team for PMI's new standards for program management and portfolio management, I witnessed first hand how valuable this role was, as it freed the program manager up to actually lead the program.

The article shows how the project controller's role can include tasks such as:

1) Educating the team on processes
2) Facilitating Planning and Control sessions
3) Developing the project schedule
4) Controlling progress
5) Tracking and analyzing costs
6) Managing Issues, Risks, and Changes
7) Documenting and delivering status information

So what's left for the project manager to do? Plenty. Supporting this, the article offers a valuable table outlining the role of the project manager vs. the program controller. Read on...

http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/221443.cfm

Portfolio Management, Program Management, and Governance: A Rational Approach

There's an informative article by Michael Hanford on IBM's website about "Portfolio Management Governance." While it's aligned with IBM's Rational methodology, it provides useful information in general on the topic.

Many people confuse portfolio management, program management, and the relationship of governance to the both domains.

While there's no "right answer" per se, the generally accepted view is that portfolio management focuses on alignment with organizational strategy; setting priorities vs. resource and/or financial constraints; and insuring the right mix of initiatives to meet organizational goals. This is not unlike the management of a financial portfolio.

Program management on the other hand, deals more with execution of a group of related projects, insuring that the interrelationships are managed across them, and leveraging economies of scale (i.e. shared administration, management of benefits, etc.).

More importantly, portfolio management is ongoing and cyclical, while program management is temporary. Of course, some organizations refer to certain "channels" of work as programs, or even refer to mega-projects as programs, but the PMI Standard for Program Management considers these areas in the domain of functional/operational management or project management, respectively.

As for governance, it can work on multiple levels. There can be portfolio management governance, which makes decisions and sets policies at the portfolio level, or program management governance, which acts at the program level. Ideally the two work hand-in hand. For example, an executive council (and sub-councils if need be) can make decisions at the portfolio level (including authorization or termination of programs and projects), while a program oversight committee can govern a specific program, in alignment with the portfolio needs.

For more, here's the IBM article...

Establishing portfolio management governance: Key components

ITGovernance ITIL EnterpriseArchitecture Drive Benefits

Service management successes discussed at recent conference.

... "CIO of the state of Illinois saved over $130 million annually by implementing a strong enterprise architecture and IT governance program in conjunction with ITIL. " ...

Via Public CIO: Government IT Services

Influencing People: The Project Manager's Secret Weapon

I recently attended a presentation on self-awareness and influence by Dr. Charles Dwyer, Academic Director of the Aresty Institute’s Leading and Managing People program in the Wharton School. I was so impressed with the presentation that I bought his book, The Shifting Sources of Power and Influence.

This book was a real eye-opener, and a jewel for anyone in project management. In the book, Dwyer states three major challenges we all face:

• Dissonant Value Systems (i.e. people’s conflicting value systems, made even more visible by the advent of the media, internet, etc.)
• Diffused Power (i.e. power being spread around in a matrix fashion, with more and more decentralization and special interest groups, etc.)
• Limited Resources (We all face a limited set of resources, made even more challenging by our lack of a mindset geared towards accepting tradeoffs, or a good mechanism to guide operational priorities)

Sound like any projects you know?

Dwyer goes on to caution that public statements, such as vision, mission, organizational values, etc. may be useful for articulating the values of the leadership or giving people a sense of structure, but do not in themselves change anyone’s value systems. Many leaders assume they can use these statements to change people’s value systems to match organizational values, but this is a myth.

What is needed instead is the ability to influence others by getting them to change their behavior to match your values. To do this, have a clear picture of what you want the unit to look like; set specific, measurable objectives; and insure that people have a way of achieving those objectives.

According to Dwyer, some tried and true methods include asking people for help, offering or implying something in return, or influencing indirectly (i.e. working through someone else who’s in a better position to influence).

Dwyer points out five guidelines for influencing people (I’ve paraphrased them):

1. Insure they have adequate capability (Do they know what to do, have the competence and self-confidence to carry it out?)
2. Address their perception of “Potential Value Satisfaction” (WIIFM or “what’s in it for me”)
3. Address their perception of the probability of value satisfaction (i.e. Do they trust you? You must build trust through visible examples.)
4. Address their perception of cost (Do this by giving them alternatives or a sense of options, and helping them understand the costs and implications.)
5. Address their perception of risk (Try to assume or distribute some of the risk. Don’t ignore it.)

These are the five things everyone weighs in their mind when someone attempts to influence them. In essence, the five elements (four of which are perceptions) make up an equation for behavior. We can influence people’s behavior by addressing this equation (I’ve paraphrased for simplicity):

Behavior=Capability + (Perceived Value * Trust factor) – (Perceived cost and risk)

These are just some of the gems of wisdom in Dwyer's book. He offers reams of memorable examples, often with a humorous style. With 90% of a project manager's job being communication (including influence), I highly recommend Dwyer’s book for project managers, or anyone in a leadership position for that matter.

PMI Project of the Year: From Wasteland to Wildlife

I was recently in Seattle for a PMI leadership meeting as part of the core team for the Program and Portfolio Management Standards program. First, I was impressed by the beauty and cleanliness of the city, and the friendliness of the people. And of course I had to grab a coffee at the first Starbucks and see the guys at the famous Pike Place Fish Market throwing fish to each other. But I digress.

What really floored me was being at the PMI Awards presentation and seeing the short film on the project of the year---the Rocky Flats Closure project. This was a former nuclear weapons facility (and wasteland) that had to undergo an immense cleanup, including nuclear deactivation and material removal. Except the result wasn't a mere cleanup---the site was turned into a beautiful wildlife refuge, and will soon have a public space for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

It demonstrates what can be achieved when you blend passionate leadership and sound project management. The project's website is below...

Welcome Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (Main)

Growth Business Process: Program Management

Must-read HBR article is an interview of Jeffrey Immelt on GE's growth as a business process. Includes a well-developed process wheel, personalized to GE, but applicable to most enterprises. ... Link (PDF). Way at end of the article (pg 10), note that Jeff Immelt admits GE's weaknesses and identifies program management as a skill needing development --- the ability to manage significant high-profile investments.

PMI Announces Program Management Certification: Bring On the PgMP

PMI has finally announced the certification for program managers ---- the Program Management Professional or PgMP (the "sm" after the designation in the press release is for the service mark). It'll be available in early 2007.

The title is probably a good choice and has good synergy with the existing PMP designation. Of course, it's the same designation as the Program Management Plan (PgMP) from the Army Core of Engineers, so hopefully that won't cause confusion in those circles.

As I've mentioned before, the rigor of the PgMP requirements should give organizations a pretty good feeling about taking on program managers with this certification. It's based heavily on experience in the real world and feedback on results as opposed to pure knowledge.

Also, one needn't have a PMP certification to apply for PgMP certification. Here's the press release...

PMI to launch credential for program management practitioners

Project Management System: Stakeholder Visibility

Transportation industry project management system enables visibility through the project lifecycle to stakeholders. NJIT research team collaborates with users in Houston to customize the system to its needs. A number of installations have been completed across the country. ...

... "The Houston program provides detailed and easily accessible information on transportation projects in the region for TIPs and regional transportation plans. With TELUS, the process is open to citizens and stakeholder groups, not only for project selection, but for tracking project schedules, funding commitments, and related issues. " ...

Via NJIT: NJIT Researchers Help Texans Employ Transportation Technology ...

PMPort Announced; PMI's News Aggregator

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has just announced PMPort, an news aggregator that pulls to gether project management related news feeds on a daily basis.

I think they might need to flesh out the search criteria, but looks like it could be another interesting source of information.

PMport - Keeping stakeholders in touch with project, program and portfolio management around the globe - every day

Project Management Winds Are Changing

There's an excellent article by Betsy Morris in the current issue of Fortune Magazine about how the Jack Welch way of winning is---dare we say---a thing of the past.

How is this relevant to the project management field? Well, for one, it means recognizing the winds of change in the industry, and how projects are selected, promoted, and managed. Above all, this impacts program and portfolio management. Particularly, note four trends in management thinking:

Innovation:

Let's take Welch's old rule of being number 1 or 2 in your market (or else fixing, selling, or closing the business). The new rule is to find a niche and create something new. The article uses CocaCola as an example of a company that was basking in their glory as number 1, but eventually realized (although it took a while) that energy drinks and bottled water were about to pass them. As the article points out, energy drinks "are now expected to outearn every other category of soft drink within three years." Parhaps marketing guru Harry Beckwith said it best in Selling the Invisible when he said that it's fine to do something 10% better until someone else comes along and does it 110% different.

Customer-Centric Management:

Welch started a whole movement of focus on the shareholder, which led many organizations to ignore the future amid pressure to appease shareholders and "make the numbers." Now, organizations realize that the customer is king. The article references several companies that have made this realization, and the trend is heading in that direction. After all, statistics show that even a minor improvement in customer retention leads to a major increase in profitability. The days of short-term thinking may be finally coming to an end.

Reinvention vs. Incremental Change:

Since it seemed Jack Welch could do no wrong, everyone imitated whatever Jack did---and Six Sigma was no exception. The problem is that, according to the article, of the 58 large companies that announced Six Sigma programs, 91% have trailed the S&P 500 since. As the article points out, that's mostly because Six Sigma is intended to "fix an existing process," whereas innovative companies that developed new and unique products (or reinvented their business) took the lead.

Stop Ranking Your Players; Inspire Passion:

Once of Welch's most controversial systems was to constantly rank his employees and regularly weed out the "C" players. But companies have had difficulty getting productivity and innovation out of "increasingly disenfranchised employees." In the article, Christopher Bartlett of Harvard Business School put it best:

"People don't come to work to be No. 1 or No. 2 or to get a 20% net return on assets. They want a sense of purpose. They come to work to get meaning from their lives."

Side editorial: For the "enlightened" approach of finding the hidden strength in everyone (something Peter Drucker always suggested), read Marcus Buckingham's Now Discover Your Strengths (or any of his books for that matter). Or read Dennis Littky's The Big Picture: Education is Everyone's Business. I assure you, you'll never be the same.

Meanwhile, I highly recommend the article (the link is below) for those looking for the latest trends in management thinking, and who want to remain one step ahead.

From a project management perspective, the handwriting is clearly on the wall. The traditional "execute to a set of deliverables" approach won't cut it. Today's project manager needs to be thinking about things like innovation, customer focus, business transformation, business acumen, change leadership, and team passion. Those focused on merely schedule, budget, and scope will soon be dinosaurs.

Fortune: The new rules - Jul. 11, 2006

Is the Role of the Project Manager in Jeopardy? - An Editorial

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about the new Program Management credential from PMI. In it, I referenced PMI's definition of a program manager vs. project manager in their FAQ page.

A project manager, according to PMI, has the following responsibilities (I've put some of the key points that jumped out at me in bold):

• Perform their duties under general supervision and are responsible for all aspects of the project for the life of the project
• Lead and direct cross-functional teams to deliver projects within the constraints of schedule, budget and resources
• Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and experience to appropriately apply a methodology to projects that have reasonably well-defined project requirements and deliverables.

A program manager, according to PMI, has the following responsibilities (again, I've bolded the key points):

Under minimal supervision, program managers are responsible and accountable for the coordinated management of multiple related projects directed toward strategic business and other organizational objectives. These programs contain complex activities that may span functions, organizations, geographic regions, and cultures. Program managers build credibility, establish rapport, and maintain communication with stakeholders at multiple levels, including those external to the organization.

Clearly, a program manager must be closely tied to the strategic goals and benefits, monitor the program accordingly, and have a strong connection to senior management. And I also feel that the new credential seems on the surface to set the bar appropriately high.

But I can't help but feel that, in contrast, the PMP credential is losing steam. First, there are myriad organizations virtually guaranteeing an "instant-PMP" after a crash course and some tweaking of one's background experience (although PMI is now doing audits of work experience).

Second, a project manager must, in many cases, go beyond the PMP/tactical focus and possess the same traits and skills that PMI has designated as requirements of a program manager, especially in the case of an enterprise and/or global project, such as a business transformation effort. I realize PMI's role definitions are a way to differentiate and justify the new certification and I suppose one could organize their effort into a "program" to qualify for that certtification, but in these changing times (and with greater challenges for project managers), I think PMI needs to evaluate and revamp the PMP certification as well.

When I do presentations on principle-based leadership training, I have a slide where I present what I call "The PM Challenge." I present it as a boxing match. In one corner, we have a project manager, armed with MS/Project and the PMBOK, but lacking:

• Business Acumen
• Leadership Skills
• Conflict Management Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Communication Skills
• Strategic Intuition

In the other corner, we have the "challenger," represented by "the project," with the following characteristics:

• Global, virtual team
• Complex technology
• Complex change
• Multiple vendors
• Offshore resources
• Conflicting Stakeholders
• Scrutinizing Executives

Such a project manager, without the appropriate leadership and soft skills, doesn't stand a chance. Wouldn't a person with the skills PMI describes as a "program manager" be more apt to have success?

In the latest PM Network magazine from PMI, there are not one, but TWO articles that illustrate this point. One is titled "Project Management 2.0: Project Management is at a Crossroads," by Peter Fretty. The other is titled "No Limits," by Marcia Jedd, and talks about what project managers must do to crash through the glass ceiling and elevate it from the tactical trenches.

Perhaps a start would be to take a new view of project management beyond just "executing to a set of requirements to deliver on-time and on-budget." The current tactical focus might explain the consistent failure rates of projects. One problem is that PMI has traditionally "followed common good practices in the field," which of course is what a standard is supposed to do. The problem is that common practices have brought common results, which aren't all that good. Time for an upheaval. Perhaps they need a section, apart from the "standard" itself, for "new frontiers in project management," which could outline those who are breaking the mold with good results.

I'd be interested in others' thoughts on this topic. Who knows---It just might help drive requirements for the next version of the PMBOK and/or PMP credential.

Elusive IT Project Value: Book Tells How To Achieve It

I've just finished reading an excellent book on achieving value from IT projects, The Information Paradox: Realizing the Business Benefits of Information Technology, by John Thorp and the Fujitsu Consulting's Center for Strategic Leadership.

Thorp and company claim that today's IT projects are evolving more and more from simple automation efforts to complex "information" initiatives, and even further---to complete business transformation initiatives. This calls for a different approach and requires IT and Business collaboration.

As the book points out, the classic "let's buy a product and assume it comes with automatic benefits" approach doesn't work in today's more complex arena (and in fact it probably never did). In a complex business transformation initiative, trying to assume that an IT project in isolation will deliver value is wishful thinking.

The book also points out the four critical dimensions of complexity, which it says are blind spots in traditional thinking:

1) Linkage - to other related initiatives and to business strategy
2) Reach - those areas of organizational structure or supply chain processes that may be impacted by the change, or that need revisiting in order to bring about the benefits
3) People- those affected by the change and/or that need to be engaged (i.e. proactive change leadership and stakeholder analysis)
4) Time - the time it takes to manage the overall initiative, including the above dimensions, to fully realize the benefits (most companies grossly underestimate this)

Unfortunately, many IT projects just focus on on-time and on-budget delivery (resulting in a situation that the book describes as, "the operation was successful but the patient died"). Thorp and company refer to this as "investment myopia."

Instead, a committment to business value, ongoing process improvements, frequent iterations of delivery, and better project selection techniques are key. Most of all, we need to be aware of the blind spots mentioned above.

The book goes on to describe how a system of program management, portfolio management, and governance, with a focus on benefits realization, can bring about results. It also cautions about the dangers of treating selections as a one-time annual event, making selections in isolation (instead of in the context of investment programs), and not looking at all aspects of value (i.e. going beyond simple financial measures).

I highly recommend the book for those struggling with determining the value of IT, or trying to bring about collaborative change in their organizations. If you look at any major successful transformation, it was brought about by a marriage of technology, business process, and organizational change, and with full backing from senior management. This book can go a long way toward helping make this happen.

Project Management Lessons from Mars

Brian Muirhead, the project manager for the Mars Pathfinder program, had some good tips to share with Projects@Work this week.

Some key learnings, extrapolated from the interview:

• Innovation and bold ideas are often necessary to meet what often seems like an impossible challenge. The trick is to balance the cost and time savings with the risks.
• A diverse team is key. It's better to have people that are different, with complementary skills, than have a bunch of people who think and act the same way.
• A small core team that can share issues, problems, and resolutions, with one person at the helm, is an effective way to run a project.
• Trust, honesty, and personal committment are traits that need to be prevalent throughout the team.
• Test, test, and then test again. Don't rely on luck. If you can't test using the exact situation, then simulate it as best you can, testing as much as is possible.
• A team is only as good as it's weakest link. It's up to the project leader to identify those people that aren't up to the task and remove them or find an area that suits them better.
• Ensure team members have opportunities to make personal connections and grow.
• A project manager must simultaneously provide the glue (keeping the team cohesive and focused) and the grease (removing barriers).
  
  Here's the full interview...
  
  http://www.projectsatwork.com/content/Articles/232113.cfm

Move Over PMP: PMI Announces Program Manager Credential

As reported in PM Forum, PMI has announced their new Program Manager credential, which looks to be like a PMP on steroids.

Earning the new credential will be like passing the seven trials of Hercules, with education reviews by PMI staff, reviews of experience by a panel of program managers, a multiple-choice scenario-based exam, and an assessment by a team of raters selected by the candidate to rate them during on-the-job program management performance.

Any guesses as to what the new credential will be called? How about PME (Program Manager Extraordinaire) or KOAPM (King of All Program Managers - oops, that wouldn't work for female program managers). Maybe SPM (Supreme Program Manager)? Hey, we get enough jokes about the PMP acronym, why don't they continue the trend and use PMS (Program Management Specialist)?

I better quit while I'm behind.

In all seriousness, it's good that the credential will require such a rigorous application process. With so many organizations virtually guaranteeing "instant PMPs," this one should have quite a bit of prestige.

While the PMP certification assures a solid foundation of project management knowledge, this one should give organizations the confidence that the certified program manager is indeed worthy of managing large programs (although nothing is foolproof).

Here's the full article on PM Forum, where they list PMI's stated qualifications for certified program managers. One might argue that a senior project manager should have the same qualifications (although PMI's FAQ page attempts to distinguish the project manager role from that of the program manager).

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management PMFORUM Breaking News: PMI INTRODUCES PROGRAM MANAGER CREDENTIAL

Test Your Project Management Savvy

Riddle Me This, Project Managers!!

For those who like puzzles, they're running a program on AllPM this month based on Napoleon on Project Management by yours truly. Each week or so (through June and into July), I've been asked to pose some challenging scenarios to be discussed on the AllPM forum.

After each puzzler runs for a week or so, I then respond with what Napoleon might have done (at least, as far as I know, since he's unavailable for comment).

Check out puzzler#1 for an example (it generated some good discussion in the forum). Then take a shot at discussing your thoughts on puzzler #2.

Best of all, the folks at AllPM are having some fun with this and will be offering some free French wine to at least one "winner," to be announced on Bastille Day, July 14th. Join the fun! Here's the link...

ALLPM Project Management :: Project Manager - Project Management - Information - Forum Manager- PM Tools - Articles -PMI

The Making of a PMI Standard; Behind the Scenes

For those who wondered what goes on behind the scenes of creating a PMI global standard, there's a nice writeup in the latest PMI Community Post, which gets sent to all certified PMPs.

In the article, titled Evolution of a PMI Global Standard, PMI reveals the standards creation process, from the project approval and charter through the team selection, standard development, and exposure draft process.

Having served on the leadership team for PMI's new Standard for Program Management and Standard for Portfolio Management, I can say that volunteering on a standards creation project is very rewarding.

It's an opportunity to work with the best in the business and get involved in a large virtual project with people from all over the world. I definitely recommend the experience. Plus you get to earn PDUs if you're a certified PMP.

For those interested in volunteering, here's PMI's Volunteer Opportunity website, which has a link to the Opportunity Page. Tell ' em PMThink sent you.

Project Failure Case Study; Maine's Medicaid System

Talk about a project disaster. As reported in an excellent article in CIO Magazine, the Maine Medicaid Claims System project is a case study of a project gone awry.

The project was undertaken to switch from their legacy systems to a new web-based system to process Medicaid claims and facilitate HIPAA compliance (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). As a result of the failed project, Maine is now the only state in the union not in compliance with HIPAA.

System problems led to many claims ending up in limbo, leading to hundreds of calls from health care practitioners, nearly 300,000 patients being turned away, several dentists and therapists going out of business, and destroying Maine’s finances and credit rating.

So what went wrong?

Mistakes included the following:

• Deciding to develop an entire system from scratch using unproven technology, while other states built a front-end onto their legacy systems
• Caving to pressure from management to meet tight deadlines with inadequate resources instead of pushing for a realistic plan to begin with
• Failing to notice why other bidders either didn’t bid or came in way higher (a sign that the schedule was unrealistic)
• Hiring a vendor with no experience in developing Medicaid claims systems because they were the lowest bidder
• Not having a Medicaid expert on the team, leading to errors in judgment
• Underestimating the time needed to meet with subject matter experts
• Competing with another major initiative (a department merger) for executives’ attention and resources
• Skipping project management basics (including piloting, adequate end-to-end testing, staff and user training, etc.) due to looming deadline pressures
• Failing to stop, regroup, and analyze the risks
• Taking a “big bang” approach to cutover with no contingency or backup should something go wrong

Management’s response, of course, was to switch program managers, and issue stronger demands to have a smooth system, but none of the changes or demands made much of a difference. Consultants were brought in to prioritize the many problems, but still, the complexities proved too much. It wasn’t until a Medicaid expert was brought in that things began to gel.

Like many project failures, it’s easy to point to the project management (and certainly there are many shortcomings there in this case), but the organization must share the blame as well if it insists on unrealistic deadlines and leads by fear (fear of shareholders, fear of competition, fear of management, etc.). None of these variables can make an unrealistic schedule more realistic.

It's really very simple. Either adequate resources must be committed, the expectations lowered, or a more piecemeal approach taken (or all three, if applicable). In any case, the schedule must be realistic and risks need to be managed.

Here's the full article. It's well worth reading, as are the reader comments.

Maine's Medicaid Mistakes - Editorial - CIO

Software Projects Doomed From the Start; Blame the Stakeholders

OK, maybe this doesn't top the skateboarding dog (see yesterday's post), but here's an extremely compelling article from the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) on why most software projects are doomed to failure.

Thanks to PMForum for posting this in their news section.

The article states that most software projects come nowhere near their original baselines (although they may come closer to approved revised baselines). It says that stakeholders and the organizational environment, more so than lack of project management skills, bear much of the blame. Here's a quote:

"No amount of training in the technical skills of program management will overcome the simple truth that, as a PM, you cannot make people do what you need them to do. This is the root cause of many software-intensive program failures. Stakeholders often cannot agree on priorities, refuse to standardize business practices, take off on their own proprietary solutions, or simply refuse to participate in the program."

The article also says that the original plans are usually unrealistic to begin with, and underestimate the organizational challenges. It says we make matters worse by holding project managers accountable without giving them the necessary support to be successful.

"... Most expectations of contemporary programs are unrealistic. The cruel reality is that we train PMs and drop them in an organizational 'shark tank' that opposes many of the principles they have just absorbed in their training. Program managers often find themselves in a superfluous role, accountable, yet powerless. "

The article proposes a system of observing stakeholder behavior and rewarding and discouraging behavior as appropriate. Of course, an organization must recognize the problem and commit to doing something about it.

Senior leadership must be actively involved in fostering the changed behaviors. Otherwise, software projects will continue to be underestimated and mired in conflict, despite the best training, the best EPM tools, and the best processes.

I highly recommend reading the full article, "Irreducible Truths of Software-Intensive Program Management", by David Cottengim.

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management PMFORUM Breaking News: MOST SOFTWARE PROJECTS ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE ACCORDING TO PENTAGON PAPER

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

PMI to Introduce Program Manager Credential in 2006

As reported in PMForum last week, Iain Fraser, PMI's Chair, discussed PMI's key initiatives for 2006 at their Asia Pacific Global Congress.

Most importantly, he announced that PMI will be introducing a new certification for program management to go along with the current PMP and CAPM certifications.

The new standards for program and portfolio management will be released at PMI's European Global Congress in Madrid in May.

For more about Iain Fraser's comments, read on...

PMFORUM, Connecting the World of Project Management PMFORUM Breaking News: PMI CHAIR IAIN FRASER ANNOUNCES PRIORITIES FOR 2006

Project Management: Microsoft Office Live Beta Now Available ...

Office Live Beta is now available to support collaborative project management in a software-as-a-service model ...

... "the Microsoft Office Live Collaboration service offers small businesses password-protected online workspaces (intranets and extranets). Capabilities include customer management, project management, sales and marketing management, employee management, and company administration, as well as password-protected internal shared sites to facilitate collaboration among employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners. " ...

Project Management: Microsoft Office Live Beta Now Available: Via Microsoft: Microsoft Launches Beta Program for Microsoft Office Live Services: Internet-based services include free Web site, domain name and e-mail accounts ...

Open Source Project Management; Simple and Free

While organizations are spending more and more money on sophisticated project, program, and portfolio management software, let's not forget that there are some pretty nifty software products available for free.

Here's just one example, GanttProject 2.0, which has a decent user interface for Gantt-based schedules and resource management. There are many more such products at Sourceforge.net.

So, if you're looking for simple, but effective, ways to begin building project management capabilities but don't want to spend a fortune (or anything), check out the many Open Source products on the market.

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

IT Governance Educational Experience ...

The Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG) announces launch of the OCEG IT Forum, which integrates multiple events and publications to create an annual experience where leaders collaborate on best practices and confront their governance challenges together. ...

... "The 2006 OCEG IT Forum program will include a Spring conference on May 9th and 10th at the Harvard Club in Boston, MA; a dedicated issue of GRC 360°, August’s edition of OCEG’s magazine distributed to over 40,000 subscribers and, lastly, a closing conference on November 14th & 15th at the Marine Club in San Francisco, CA. These three components of the IT Forum are integrated to provide a year-long educational experience where participants will investigate, benchmark and validate a broad range of IT governance and compliance practices. " ...

Via OCEG: OCEG ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF OCEG IT FORUM: Annual Program Will Focus on IT Best Practices, Technologies and Architectures Required to Automate and Sustain Governance, Risk and Compliance Management Operations ...

Dave Davis Touts Duct Tape for Project Managers

Dave Davis, the chair of PMI's E-Business SIG, and a long time program manager in the telecommunications industry is working on a book with a premise of "Duct Tape for Program/Project Management."

Over the last several years, I had enjoyed reading Dave's humorous newsletter articles for PMI's E-Business SIG, so I have no doubt that if he's writing a book, it'll be an entertaining one.

Meanwhile, check out Dave's blog that he set up while he gathers info for the book. There's some funny project management cartoons, and a good entry called "10 Things To Ponder When Implementing An Integrated Portfolio Management Application."

Duct Tape Program / Project Management

Project Manager Certification: PM3 Level

Alcatel advocates PM3 level and beyond for project manager certification for complex project engagements. Alcatel plans to sustain project management training and to certify 30 project directors per year and 200 project managers. The company is committed to develop project management as a core competency. ...

... "During an official award ceremony at Alcatel's headquarters in Paris recently, the 2005 certified top project directors of Alcatel have been welcomed by the board of directors. Two years ago, Alcatel launched an innovative accreditation program for its project managers. This program, which includes the Project Management Institute (PMI) certification, enables the project managers of the Group to continuously improve their skills in complex project management. At the end of the program, the candidate receives Alcatel's accreditation.

Beyond the PMI certification, Alcatel proposes the PM3 and PM4 levels. Four levels of competence along a career path are clearly defined: project leader (PM1), project manager (PM2 or PMI equivalent), project director (PM3) and executive project directors (PM4). The PM3 accreditation allows Alcatel to identify a key competence and to ensure that all the project directors within the Group have the same language and share the same strategy. In front of the customer, the business skills of the project managers are today a key criteria in the selection process of a vendor. The PM3 accreditation permits the customer to assess the competences of the project director, which will be its interface in a complex project. " ...

Project Manager Certification: PM3 Level: Via Alcatel: Alcatel launches an accreditation program for its employees awarding the management of complex projects ...

Leadership Tips From Jack Welch

I don't think I've seen a better list of tips anywhere than this list of 25 tips from Jack Welch.

Also, as an added bonus, here's a list of values, from Jack Welch's book, Winning. These same values can work on an organizational scale or when rolling out project management processes and methodologies (more on that later).

• Leaner is better
• Eliminate bureaucracy
• Cut waste relentlessly
• Operations should be fast and simple
• Value each other's time
• Invest in infrastructure
• We should know our business best. We don't need consultants to tell us what to do.

Very inspiring. In the project management world, waste can include any processes or forms that don't bring real value. As for infrastructure, that can be broadened to include any tools that will support our efforts to get where we need to get, including EPM (Enterprise Program/Portfolio Management) tools.

Now that we've seen his core values, here's the full list of Jack Welch's 25 tips for successful leadership ...

25 LESSONS from JACK WELCH - Business Leadership and New Management Secrets

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

Multi-Project Management; Toyota's Successful Organizational Structure

Ten years ago, Toyota restructured their organization around better integration and management of multiple projects. In 1998, Michael Cusumano and Kentaro Nobeoka wrote Thinking Beyond Lean, which explored this successful approach in detail.

The essence of the restructure was to create multiple centers that each managed a program of related projects. Each center was self-sustaining with its own functional staff, planning group, etc. Also, at the head of each center was a "heavy" senior project manager with a combination of business and technical experience (and, as we know, these people are few and far between).

Each individual project in the center could be led by a project coordinator (since there are not that many heavy project managers to go around). In other words, the heavy project managers were reserved for managing the centers/programs, and were responsible for assuring alignment between project and functional managers in that center.

Finally, anything that wasn't related to the work in those particular centers was moved to a separate center so as not to dilute the efforts of the primary centers.

This approach has since proven to lead to better overall throughput and quality, better alignment and crosstalk within each center, and better leverage of components within each center.

Below is a PDF report outlining the details of the reorganization...

http://imvp.mit.edu/papers/95/Nobeoka/nobe-3.pdf

Project Management Graphical Innovations

I've posted in the past about the limitations of current project management reporting (are Gantt charts really the best we can do in the 21st century?).

PCF has some intriguing reporting alternatives on their site for project schedule, resource, and earned value tracking, as well as high level program performance.

Check it out...

PCF Ltd - Giving You Complete Control

Microsoft Security: Risk Govern Audit ...

Microsoft is making concerted effort on security management, appealing to technology independent partners with services focused on security policy, governance, compliance, risk assessment, risk management and auditing, while balancing its focus on infrastructure security, the technical perspective. ...

Microsoft Security: Risk Govern Audit: Via ISACA: Microsoft Partner Program Includes ISACA Certification in Restructure of Its Security Solutions Competency ...

... "Having a skilled and innovative security partner ecosystem is central to the company’s approach and, therefore, a large part of the effort has been significant changes to the Microsoft Partner Program, Security Solutions Competency, announced this week in partnership with long-established certification programs from Information Systems Audit and Control Association® (ISACA®) and International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2. " ...

Michael Domingo provides update on Microsoft's updated approach to security, which balances the technical with the strategic security management: risk, govern, audit. ...

Via Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine: Security Competency Gets Revamped

... "Microsoft says it has taken a technology agnostic approach within its Security Solutions competency, splitting it into two specializations that address technical issues and the other that looks at security policy and risk management, governance, and auditing. " ...

With more than 47,000 members who live and work in more than 140 countries, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association® (ISACA®) is a recognized worldwide leader in IT governance, control, security and assurance. Founded in 1969, ISACA sponsors international conferences, publishes the Information Systems Control Journal®, develops international information systems auditing and control standards, and administers the globally respected Certified Information Systems Auditor™ (CISA®) designation, earned by more than 40,000 professionals since inception, and the Certified Information Security Manager® (CISM®) designation, a groundbreaking credential earned by 5,200 professionals.

Project Management and Art; Not so Different

Many people are suprised to hear that I was an art major in college and ended up in the IT and project management fields. But art, writing, music, computer programming, and project management have some surprising similarities.

In all cases, you typically begin with an overall structure, and then fill in details as you progress. They all require organization and planning (with the exception of some modern abstract art, but even that is often planned out). And they all involve creating something that must be accessible to people, whether it's a piece of art, a song, a software program, a project's product, or any type of communication.

Yes, planning, structure, and human interface are key to art, writing, music, computer programming, and project management, so it's not unusual to find someone adept on one area to naturally do well in the others.

Project Management Seminar: Manage Complexity ...

Project Management Seminar: Manage Complexity: Via CoolAvenues: Managing Projects Successfully in a Complex Environment ...

... "Managing Projects Successfully in a Complex Environment, Program Director: Prof. Shyam Shankar Sahay, December 5-9, 2005 at IIM Lucknow ... " ...

Project Management Seminar: High Costs of Turnover ...

Project Management Seminar: High Costs of Turnover: Via Appleton Post-Crescent - Business planner

... "Dec. 13: The Northeast Wisconsin Chapter of the Project Management Institute is holding a seminar led by Thomas Mattus from Successful Strategies International on the High Costs of Turnover Within Projects. The event will be held at Liberty Hall, 800 Eisenhower Drive, Kimberly. A social will be held at 5 p.m. with a dinner and the program to follow. " ...

Project Management Professional Certifications

There are several well-respected Project Management Professional Certifications to note:
1. Association for Project Management (APM)
2. Australian Institute of Project Management
3. IPMA Validated Four-Level Certification Programme
4. Project Management Institute (PMI)

1. Association for Project Management (APM)

APM has a progressive structure of qualifications from the Introductory Certificate in Project Management through to Certificated Project Manager. Your level of experience will give you an indication of which level is appropriate for you; Introductory Certificate is for those with no project management experience. APMP is for professionals with more than two years, Practitioner Qualification is for project managers with at least 3 years experience and Certificated Project Manager is for senior professionals with extensive experience. There are also two Risk Management qualifications.

For more info see: http://www.apm.org.uk/

2. Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM)

This certification system is available in Australia currently, and will shortly be available everywhere else. The AIPM certification is available at three levels - project team member, project manager and program manager.

For more info see: http://www.aipm.com.au

3. International Project Management Association (IPMA) Validated Four-Level Certification Programme

IPMA has been in existence for forty years and is based in the Netherlands. The four certification levels are:
A. Certified Projects Director
B. Certified Senior Project Manager
C. Certified Project Manager
D. Certified Project Management Associate

For more information see: http://www.ipma.ch/
The USA Affiliate of the International Project Management Association is the American Society for the Advancement of Project Management (asapm). See http://www.asapm.org for more.

4. Project Management Institute (PMI)

Here at PMThink! we reference PMI a lot. Some of us are Project Management Professionals (PMP)’s, the highest level certification offered by PMI. There is also the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).

For more about both the PMP and CAPM certifications see: http://www.pmi.org/

Are there others that you believe are well-respected? Tell us!

Earned Value Management: The Performance Baseline ...

NASA provides nice tutorial on the earned value program management technique, EVM. It emphasizes establishing the performance measurement baseline which becomes the reference to which progress is tracked. ...

Earned Value Management: The Performance Baseline: Via NASA: EVM Tutorial - EVM: Earned Value Management

... "Earned value provides an objective measurement of how much work has been accomplished on a project. Using the earned value process, the management team can readily compare how much work has actually been completed against the amount of work planned to be accomplished. All work is planned, budgeted, and scheduled in time-phased planned value increments constituting a Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB). " ...

ITIL Incident Management PostMortem ...

Continuous improvement in ITIL service management can be enabled through a strong post-mortem process. Brian Corrington, Codesic, explores the importance of using post-mortems to improve IT service levels. ...

ITIL Incident Management PostMortem: Via CIOUpdate: Anatomy of a Major Incident Postmortem

... "A well designed postmortem process can be used to develop comprehensive IT action plans and serve as a powerful building block in launching an overall service improvement program, which may also involve implementation of a best practice framework such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library). " ...

Projects and Other Work; The Case for the Projectized Organization

There's a good post in Project Arena's PPM Today blog about the "project concept"; in other words, the concept of projectizing your work.

Like Tom Peters has suggested in several of his recent books, Demian Entrekien's blog makes the case that "other work" should ideally be made part of a program, where practically all work in an organization is part of a project or program. This certainly makes Project Portfolio Management (PPM) the heart of running your organization and is worthy of consideration.

This is also consistent with some of our posts (and those of Garry Booker at Project Frontier), where all operational work is driven by deliverables and viewed as part of the organization's total portfolio.

Here's the full blog entry...

Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Today

Enterprise Architecture: SEC Future State: Troux Metis ...

Troux and ISI partner to drive the enterprise architecture transformation at the SEC over the next few years. ...

Enterprise Architecture: SEC Future State: Troux Metis: Via Troux: SEC Taps Troux Technologies and ISI for Multi-Year Enterprise Architecture Program

... "Troux Technologies, the global leader in IT Governance and Enterprise Architecture (EA) solutions, and Integrated Systems, Inc., a foremost 8(a)-certified systems integrator, announced they have jointly won a multi-year contract from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to implement the SEC's Enterprise Architecture and increase its business value. Under the agreement, Troux and ISI will collaborate to provide the SEC's Office of Information and Technology with consulting expertise in documenting the SEC's current state architecture, and in developing and maintaining future state target architectures. ... Troux's Metis Enterprise is an Enterprise Architecture and planning solution that provides the basis for the transformation from an organization's current state to an optimized future state. It is designed with a highly scalable database that accommodates the volume of enterprise-wide data required for successful organizational transformation. Additionally, Troux's Metis offers a unique analysis capability, leveraging both the current and future EA states. The automated data collection in Metis, from disparate sources across the organization, keeps information timely and relevant. " ...

Integrated Systems, Inc. is dedicated to the development and implementation of high quality technology- and process-based solutions for government and commercial clients. Founded by Indrani Seetharam in 2000, ISI is a Minority Woman-Owned 8(a)-Certified small business, currently providing sophisticated technical solutions to the U.S. Treasury, the Departments of Homeland Security (US VISIT Program), Transportation (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), Energy, Agriculture and Education; the National Archive and Records Administration; the State of Delaware; and the US Navy Space Warfare Center (SPAWAR). ISI's focus areas include Enterprise Architecture, Information Assurance, Information Security, Certification and Accreditation, Independent Validation and Verification and Life-cycle Management. ISI develops practical, affordable, and deliverable solutions of significant value to its clients, on or ahead of schedule.

Troux Technologies (pronounced "true") is a global provider of IT Governance software that accelerates IT and business transformation. Troux's IT Governance solutions enable organizations to strategically plan the enterprise, capture and analyze critical IT and business data and deliver actionable decisions to transform the business. Troux's breakthrough technology provides the enterprise-class information, policies, and analytics critical for IT excellence. With Troux, organizations succeed in breaking the traditional IT silos and effectively aligning IT with core business goals. Based in Austin, Texas, Troux Technologies serves the Global 1000 and government marketplaces.

Program Management: Multi-Year Enterprise Transformation

The project may be complete. The program is underway. But, the transformation has only just begun. James Champy shares his insights on program management and the larger scope of enterprise transformation. ...

Program Management: Multi-Year Enterprise Transformation: Via SearchCIO: Champy's five principles of program management ...

... "Keep in mind that a program is a process of continuous improvement. Almost every industry is going through major change, driven by forces of globalization and technology. That means companies must also be changing, continuously improving their performance. " ...

Earned Value Major Event November 7-9

It's not too late to register for the 17th Annual International Integrated Program Management Conference, scheduled for November 7-9 in Virginia.

Earned Value enthusiasts rejoice! The topic of this year's seminar is: EVM is Everywhere - "Let's do it!"

Presenters will discuss EVM best practices and tools. Here's the info...

PMI College of Performance Management

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

Disciplined Project Management: Competitive Advantage at Exxon Mobil ...

Exxon Mobil cites their disciplined project management system as a competitive advantage in their marketplace: exploring, extracting, and delivering crude to the marketplace through capital investment projects. ...

Disciplined Project Management: Competitive Advantage at Exxon Mobil: Via Exxon Mobil Corp.: Exxon Mobil Corporation Announces Estimated Third Quarter 2005 Results ...

... "ExxonMobil continued its active investment program in the third quarter, spending $4.4 billion on capital and exploration projects, bringing the year-to-date spending to $12.4 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion versus 2004. Our disciplined project management systems remain a competitive advantage, delivering new supplies of crude oil to the global market. " ...

Project Management: Strategic Tool: Agile Enterprise

Business success is increasingly reliant upon executing change and transformation projects. Fostering a project management competency is one way to position the enterprise for the future. As the pace of change accelerates, the need for flexibility and the speed attained through agility become critical factors for success. The folks at PWC explore program and project management performance in support of the agile enterprise ...

Project Management: Strategic Tool: Agile Enterprise: Via PWC: Boosting Business Performance Through Programme and Project Management

... "The successful organization employs project management as a strategic tool to respond to this changing environment and to outperform those that do not adapt. An organization that excels at project management becomes an agile organization that knows how to deal with and drive change. " ...

PMThink references on change:

• Project Portfolio Management: Organizational Change Perspective PPM


• Project Change Management Culture Key ...


• Transformational Change IT Projects; Transformation or Emulation?


• Telecommuting Trend Forces Changes in Project Management


• Project Management Change Control: Benefits SDLC ...


• Process Change or Process Tool First?


• Starbucks Acquires Ethos Water: Who Says Projects Can't Change the World?


• PMP Exam Certification Changes: New Scoring, Eligibility Criteria, Credentialing

IT Governance: New Initiatives Executive Alignment

IT Governance still requires a degree of executive alignment before significant investments can be approved. Any delay can seem bureaucratic, however it is necessary to build an executive support network, or coalition, to align behind a major multi-year investment program. Lawrence M Walsh explores the challenges vendors face when they must align their sales cycles with public sector governance processes.

IT Governance: New Initiatives Executive Alignment: Via CRN: VARs Must Play Politics To Expedite Government Sales

... "Even with centralized IT governance, such as Takai's in Michigan, in which the CIO has budget and oversight of all IT deployments, it still takes time to build consensus for new initiatives. " ...

PMThink references on IT governance:

• CA Niku ITGovernance Growth Engine?


• Centralized IT Governance: Enterprise Architecture Modeling Tool


• COBIT Course: IT Governance Controls Framework ...


• Discussion on Distributed IT: Governance ...


• Does Architecture Visualization Enable ITGovernance?


• EPM Software IT Governance Market Growth ...


• From CIO Magazine - A Cry for Full-Cyle Governance


• Governance Alignment: Project Portfolio Management (PPM)


• Governance Software: OMB A123 Compliance


• IT Governance Common Themes ...


• IT Governance Integrated Application Development: Software Solution


• IT Governance Repeatable Processes ...


• IT Governance Road Map ...


• IT Governance Role: Architecture


• IT Governance Solution: Maturity Acceleration ...


• IT Governance Transformation: New York State CIO


• IT Governance: Application Services Flexibility or Efficiency?


• IT Governance: Board-Level Visibility ...


• IT Governance: Board of Directors ...


• IT Governance: SAP ESA Strategy


• IT Governance: Services Transformation ...


• IT Governance: Service Portfolio Management Applications ...


• IT Governance: Shift Investment to Business Value Opportunities


• IT Governance: The Board ...


• IT Governance: Value and Cost Measurement ...


• IT Governance; Where the Value of IT is Hiding


• IT Savvy: Governance Best Practices: Peter Weill


• Leadership and IT Governance


• Microsoft IT Governance Woes ...


• Process Governance Tool Upcoming ...


• Process Models: ITIL ITGovernance ...


• Project Management and Governance


• ProjectManagement ITGovernanceSoftware Linux Capable ...


• SOA and IT Governance ...


• SOA Governance: Best Practice Strategies Webinar ...


• SOA IT Governance


• Software Supports ITGovernance CorporateGovernance

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. " ...

CIO Value Measurement: European Market Alliance ...

CIO Value Measurement: European Market Alliance: Alinean and Birchman Group Form Joint IT Value Measurement Venture for CIOs: Expands Alinean’s European Presence ...

Alliance in European market will drive CIO value measurement services ...

... "The Birchman Group’s proven service offering, supported by Alinean, allows the company to deliver large and tangible benefits to its clients by quickly and accurately aligning IT with business objectives, often a time-consuming and painstaking task. The Alinean ROI Analyst Enterprise has significantly improved the quality of The Birchman Group’s analysis and the time-to-delivery. The Birchman Group assists customers in gaining maximum benefit from technology investments through strategy development, business case development, program management, benefits tracking, process improvement, change management and other IT Value Management services. " ...

From business strategy to successful IT solutions, The Birchman Group provides completely independent expertise in planning, executing and deriving business value from IT programs. Pioneering the IT Value Management approach in Europe and South America, The Birchman Group can assure that corporate IT spending is balanced between support and innovation, is aligned with business goals, is formulated with reference to corporate peers, is comprehensively program-managed and delivers according to fully risk assessed plans. The outcome ensures that the IT department becomes a stable and consistent business value generator. With global reach The Birchman Group has enabled blue chip organizations to realize strategic intent by building complimentary and cost effect IT strategies; comprehensively assess, plan and manage a suitable and significant portfolio of Return On Investment (ROI) and Total Cost Ownership (TCO) justified programs measured by business outcomes; and deliver these programs utilizing the highest caliber Birchman program and project expertise. Established in 2003, The Birchman Group has grown rapidly to more than a 100 employees in five countries, which reflects the success of IT Value Management as a service offering and the demand from organizations for The Birchman Group’s unique set of services and resources.

Alinean develops software tools to prove and improve the value of IT investments. The company’s founding team pioneered the concept of interactive ROI and TCO software in 1994, developing award-winning solutions for leading IT vendors and consultants. Its research methodologies and software tools are used by analyst firms, vendors and enterprises, and have helped justify billions of dollars in IT spending and derived value.

Student Project Managers: Shell STEP

Student Project Managers: Shell STEP: Via Business Weekly: Students STEP into limelight

Nice writeup on Shell STEP program, which ignites the flame for future project managers ...

... "As part of the programme support process, students learn about the small business sector and have the opportunity to develop many core skills, such as time and project management, which significantly increases their employability. " ...