The Elusive PMO How to Set Up and

Outline § These presentation will give a high level overview of: § What exactly

What is a PMO § Project, Program or Portfolio Management Office § EPMO? PSO?

“Centre of Project Management Excellence” § Should reflect the resources, constraints, maturity, capability, aspirations,

What is a PMO § Many people believe they know what a PMO is

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§ PMO survival depends on a lot of factors § Benefits outweigh costs §

§ Insert org chart showing PMO at top level (and CPO? ) © Crystal

How we are going to get there Decide on best PMO Get top level

Real World § PMO’s are often seen as an unnecessary overhead. § The last

The PMO The research is very clear that organisations with PMO’s before better than

Possible PMO Functions 1. Portfolio Management 2. Program Management 3. Project Governance 4. Project

Types of PMO § Supportive - The Supportive PMO generally provides support in the

Types of PMO § Controlling -In organisations where there is a desire to "rein

Types of PMO § Directive - This type goes beyond control and actually "takes

How to set up a PMO 1. Treat the development of a PMO as

How to set up a PMO § Begin with an assessment of the level

How to set up a PMO § Take an immediate snapshot of project management

How to set up a PMO § Keep senior stakeholders and supporters engaged –

How to set up a PMO § Get ready for improvement – audit the

Community of Practice § If your organisation is not quite ready for a PMO

What is it? § The stealth PMO is the PMO you have when you

Why? § Organizations with any form of PMO perform better than organizations without a

Benefits of a Stealth PMO 1. Self–organizing and practitioner lead. 2. Reflects current levels

Recapping. . . § An appropriate PMO will assist the delivery of successful projects.

Thank You If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

About Crystal § We know about organizational and practitioner project management capability and we

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Outline § These presentation will give a high level overview of: § What exactly a PMO is § How to decide which PMO is right for you right now § How to design and implement a successful PMO Given the time constraints we can’t go too much in depth into the topic so please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

“Centre of Project Management Excellence” § Should reflect the resources, constraints, maturity, capability, aspirations, strategic goals, political support § It changes as these elements change © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

What is a PMO § Many people believe they know what a PMO is and they take this belief with them from one organisation to the next § This is wrong § PMO is like the elephant being examined by blindfolded people – everyone insists they know what a PMO is based on their experience and viewpoint © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Real World § PMO’s are often seen as an unnecessary overhead. § The last three years has seen a decrease in PMO’s despite clear evidence showing those organisations with PMO out performing organisations without a PMO. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

The PMO The research is very clear that organisations with PMO’s before better than those without, and the longer a PMO has been in place the better the organisation performs. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Possible PMO Functions 1. Portfolio Management 2. Program Management 3. Project Governance 4. Project Sponsorship 5. Change Control Board 6. Project Reporting 7. Project Selection 8. Workspace where all project managers reside 9. Recruitment of project managers 10. Training of project managers 11. Developing, improving and administering the methodology 12. Project Audits © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Types of PMO § Supportive - The Supportive PMO generally provides support in the form of on-demand expertise, templates, best practices, access to information and expertise on other projects, and the like. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Types of PMO § Controlling -In organisations where there is a desire to "rein in" the activities, processes, procedures, documentation, and more - a controlling PMO can accomplish that. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Types of PMO § Directive - This type goes beyond control and actually "takes over" the projects by providing the project management experience and resources to manage the project. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

How to set up a PMO 1. Treat the development of a PMO as a project: I. III. IV. V. VII. Begin with a business case to justify it and get formal approval; Secure financial and political support; Appoint the project manager/champion; Appoint resources; Break the establishment process down into manageable pieces. Track progress Deliver the agreed PMO and monitor the expected benefits © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

How to set up a PMO § Begin with an assessment of the level of existing organizational AND practitioner capability and maturity. Then assess the optimal/desired level of existing organizational AND practitioner capability and maturity – You want your PMO to help bridge the gap. § Decide on the style and function of your particular PMO § Figure out what elements you already have – take an inventory of processes, templates and intellectual property. Don’t reinvent the wheel © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

How to set up a PMO § Take an immediate snapshot of project management in the organization using several different metrics such as success, profit, customer satisfaction etc before you implement the PMO – You will need to measure the benefits of your PMO. § Track the PMO’s success and share the results. Don’t treat the PMO as a top-secret mission. Share the mission and its successes, failures and benefits with the entire organization. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

How to set up a PMO § Keep senior stakeholders and supporters engaged – if you loose their support you will loose the PMO next time someone's suggest cutting costs § Good project managers don’t necessarily make good heads of PMO – you need an influencing, respected leader not a technician. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

How to set up a PMO § Get ready for improvement – audit the PMO and find ways to make it better. PMO’s change every two years on average to keep pace with the organizations needs. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Community of Practice § If your organisation is not quite ready for a PMO of any sort then perhaps consider a community of practice (or stealth PMO!). § Organise your project management practitioners to attend regular forums with defined topics for sharing ideas and experience. § Make sure you point out the benefits to senior management to get their buy-in and support © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

What is it? § The stealth PMO is the PMO you have when you aren’t allowed a PMO. § It’s the community of practice and center of professional excellence for practitioners. § It’s an agreement between practitioners to meet regularly and develop a forum for improving organizational and practitioner project management competency. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Why? § Organizations with any form of PMO perform better than organizations without a PMO. § Regardless of whether or not your organization permits a PMO of any sort, practitioners need support and development. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Benefits of a Stealth PMO 1. Self–organizing and practitioner lead. 2. Reflects current levels of organizational project management competency and contributes to improving this. 3. Only exists if it delivers benefits. 4. Can lead to justifying a non-stealth PMO and provide a head start. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Recapping. . . § An appropriate PMO will assist the delivery of successful projects. § Treat the implementation of you PMO like a project. § Keep top level support. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

Thank You If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always happy to chat. Please email me if you want a copy of this presentation. Sean Whitaker sean@crystal. consulting www. crystal. consulting © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved

About Crystal § We know about organizational and practitioner project management capability and we want to help you be better at both. § You will not find sales people, marketing strategies and extensive social media engagement strategies trying to sell you something you already know or don’t need. § You will find passionate technical experts with years of experience in actually doing projects and providing valuable advice to others. § We have worked with organizations of different sizes, different industries and differing levels of maturity all around the world. § Our primary focus is upon providing the following: § § § Organizational project management capability assessment, review and development PMO development, improvement and audit Project review, health check and rescue Practitioner capability and competency assessment Project management methodology development, improvement and audit Seminars, workshops and webinars for practitioners of all levels § We also offer a range of project management consulting services all designed to help you be more efficient and more successful at delivering portfolios, programs, and projects. § Contact us to discuss your needs and find out how we can help. © Crystal Consulting All Rights Reserved