14. June 2010 by Sasha Lomas.

It is one thing to set standards. It is anther thing to achieve compliance. Setting standards means choosing the right processes and templates for the organization and making them a standard for the workforce to use. Achieving compliance is getting the team to follow the process and use the templates. This brings a whole new meaning to the PMO as the bridge between the people and the process and templates. 

In previous discussions we talked about if and how to get started with Project Management Office, the benefits that can be realized and what needs to happen to get started. The primary focus was on “Setting Standards”.

Once the standards are set, it is fair to assume that………

1. You have completed the assessment, selected or created standard templates for projects from initiation to closure. The templates are easily accessible to all project managers and team leads. Next step is to make sure that they are used.
2. You have defined the success criteria for the PMO as compliance to project management methodology and correct use of standard templates. 

Now the fun starts. You need to get the team to buy in, follow the process, use the templates, achieve compliance.

The first step we recommend is COMMUNICATION. It is important to make sure that everyone who interacts with the PMO and uses the standards and templates, has read and understands the …………..

• company’s Project Management Methodology
• Role of PMO
• where to find the templates
• how to use the templates
• what is the process and turn around time to review the documents for compliance before they are submitted for approval
• the tracking and reporting that the PMO does to acheive compliance

The PMO should provide a single online repository for the Project Management Methodology and templates with guidelines on how to use them.  Regular lunch and learn meetings should be held to provide an opportunity to address any questions, provide training and collect feedback from the trenches.

We invite you to share with us your experience on setting up your standards and achieving compliance. Questions, comments, discussions are welcome as they will benefit all.

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7. April 2010 by Sasha Lomas.

Anyone who wants to…..

- achieve predictable results

- have quick access to project information

- reduce project costs caused by scope creeps

- manage and meet customer expectations

- position themselves for growth

- give confidence to customers in ability to deliver

What about YOU? Do you have a PMO or are you in the process of setting one up or are you thinking about it?

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11. December 2009 by Carol Glover.

Further to last week’s posting, I’d like to build on the process of starting your PMO. I suggest that you focus on quick wins and plan for a gradual and orderly progression in project and PMO maturity.  How do you do this?  First, be sure to find people you trust to help you work through the initiating process.  You will need to take a cold, hard look at the way you do projects. If possible, review past projects for the following information:

• Were they completed on time? On budget?
• Were there many changes (formal or informal)?
• Did the team perform well together? Were there painful gaps in communication?
• Do you create processes and templates at the start of each project?
• Do you have a formal documentation process or is it adhoc? Is there similarity between projects even if not formalized?
• Was there a review of the project after completion? If so, were any lessons learned documented? 

For each of the questions above, look a little deeper at the answers you give; go beyond yes and no.  Ask yourself if there were any specific pain points that could have been avoided.  Don’t worry if you can’t answer all of these questions.  You have already taken a big step just in starting to examine the possibility of implementing a Project Management Office.   With the information you have gathered from the exercise above, you can start to identify your quick wins.  Some examples of quick wins could be:

• Create Templates for your project charter, requirements documents, work breakdown structure, meeting agendas and minutes as well as any other documents that you normally produce for each project. Don’t underestimate the power of the template.   Once you become familiar with the elements of the template, you will find that you begin to organize your thoughts well in advance of filling in the document.  Familiar templates also promote consistent flow of communication within the team because everyone knows what to expect and when.
• If your projects follow a common flow, create checklists to ensure that you don’t miss details along the way. The checklist should include communication, documentation and decision waypoints.   

You will likely find at least 3 quick wins in your current project processes. You can either implement them all at once or in stages.  You are best advised to look at the culture of your work group and use your judgment on this.  Forcing too much at once will likely create resistance to these small steps and any future progress. Once you have had the chance to take a close look at your current project environment you will likely start developing ideas about what you want your PMO to achieve (see last post).   

Coming up in the next blog – Where do you go from here?

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30. November 2009 by Carol Glover.

You have a desire to implement a PMO in your organization.  Being a responsible executive, you decide to do some research.  There are many articles and even more solutions to be found.  It is easy to be overcome by information and options.  You will find many tools on the market, free and not-so-free that claim to be “the” solution. Suddenly you don’t know what to do anymore – information overload. 

Let’s get back to basics.   Think about what you want your PMO to achieve. 

• Provision of templates for project charter, financial analysis, procurement documents etc.
• Central archive for project documents
• Documented project methodology
• Provide project guidance and training
• Provide specialized resources to projects
• Align projects with business goals and strategies
• All of the above, some of the above or something completely different. 

The next step is to consider your current project maturity. Do you already have efficient templates and successful & consistent project practices or are you starting from square one? Square one can be defined as inconsistent application of project management processes, lack of templates and discipline.  The answer to this question will guide you in determining the complexity you are able to tolerate in your new PMO.   

Here are some more questions you must ask yourself before deciding on a PMO solution:

1. Can you afford the full time resources that are typical of a PMO?
2. How many projects typically run concurrently?
3. How complex are our projects – do they span days, weeks or months? How many business units are involved in each project?
4. What is the corporate culture and appetite for structure? 

Once you assess your needs closely and as objectively as possible, you can get back to researching the solutions.  Ask your Project Managers for guidance or approach a professional to guide you through the process.  Aim small to start; focus on quick wins and plan for a gradual and orderly progression in project and PMO maturity.  

The next blog(s) will build on this process. Bookmark this site and come back often for help with building your PMO. Feel free to leave comments / questions if you have specific questions about choosing your PMO structure.

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24. November 2009 by Carol Glover.

Yesterday I was reading about Project Management Maturity Models. While there are many versions of the maturity model, they generally show a progression from unstructured project work > standardizing language and process > managing and measuring processes > sustaining and optimizing the project framework. 

As I read I began to wonder how a Project Management Office contributes to the maturity model and vice versa.  I decided to ask my associate, Sasha Lomas for some clarification on this since she has extensive experience in this area. The biggest question on my mind: what comes first, the PMO or maturity? Sasha guided me toward the following answers.   

One of the main reasons for establishing a PMO is to guide the maturity process.  Once the business has a fair understanding of how they currently manage projects and has a genuine desire to improve project performance, the PMO can be introduced.  There is no prerequisite for a company to have existing standard processes, only the desire to have them is required.  

The PMO becomes the catalyst for standardizing project processes and administration. During the setup phase, the PMO group works closely with management and other business levels to devise the processes and templates.  From there the PMO guides the execution of projects and enhances the system with the goal of optimizing project performance.   

Sasha sums it up best. “PM Maturity starts by standardizing the project management processes and then monitoring, tracking and ensuring compliance to the defined processes. Supporting PMO would be the first step towards achieving PM Maturity since someone needs to ensure that the processes are followed, that people understand what they are and how to apply them in a timely fashion.”   

Establishing a PMO provides a centralized location for project related data. This then leads to informed decision making for upper management. It raises the awareness of project health and monitors the effectiveness of established processes.  Consistently applied processes and controlled change management increase project success rates and directly impact customer satisfaction.    

The establishment of a PMO can accelerate the maturation of project methodologies but the desire to improve your project framework must come first.    

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