I’ve mentioned briefly in the past about the importance of having a PMO in your organization, so your projects can be successful. In my career, I’ve met many Project Managers, but three or four of them really stand out, and I am happy to announce that one of them wrote a guest post for this blog. Without much further ado, here it is Alec Satin‘s.
7 Marks of a Best PMO
Guest post by Alec Satin
Bad project management offices (PMO)s are easy to describe. You may have had to work with one at some point. Notice the words, had to work with one. People will do anything possible to minimize their interactions with a bad PMO. Poor PMOs don’t care. They have little contact with the people in the organization actually doing the work. Their focus is on compliance by force. Communication flows one way – from them to you.
Great PMOs are Good for Executives, Project Managers and You
It’s been said that all happy couples look the same. All of the best PMOs share certain characteristics which endear them to management and the project managers they support.
1. Projects Align with Organizational Goals
At some level, every project is conceived to provide some benefit to the organization. The business case, charter and scope ideally describe this in an understandable way. A good PMO ensures that all projects worked in an organization have benefits that truly align to the most important needs and objectives of the business. If the nature of the business environment changes significantly, a good PMO will decide what impact if any this will have on the active projects. Sometimes projects need to be redefined, shelved or even cancelled. If a project’s benefits are no longer benefits, it makes no sense to continue working the project.
2. Project Success Rates Increase
A good PMO ensures that all needed resources are available and allocated before the start of the project. The PMO monitors the project plan and budget throughout the lifecycle to ensure that the project remains on track, and that resources are available as needed. As large risks present themselves, the PMO may help in brokering solutions which are best for everyone involved. These activities increase the number of projects completed on time, on budget and in scope.
3. Project Management Competence Increases
Organizations with good project management offices find that the skill and competence of project management activities improve over time. PMP Certification is common. As important is the establishment of formal or informal mentoring programs for all project managers. Mentoring increases networking relationships, provides practical guidance for newer project managers, and contributes to a team culture in the organization.
4. Standards and Templates are Developed and Improved
A good PMO provides useful, practical and helpful project templates. These templates are revised as often as necessary to ensure that the right type of documentation is being created. Clear guidance is provided to ensure that the minimum number of documents are created for any particular project.
5. PMO Tone is Inviting
The PMO is considered a partner and resource rather than a bully. The compliance aspect is deemphasised. Learning and Improvement are embraced.
6. Training is Available
A good PMO offers more than one class a year. Free training is available in multiple formats and in various ways. There may be online sessions. Classroom training may be provided. An open door policy may be in effect for a few hours every day. There may be a constantly monitored IM (instant messaging) or chat account available to any PM with a question at any time.
7. Learning is Embraced
The PMO members seek out feedback and incorporate it into project management office policies and activities. Lessons learned are included in projects and in the PMO itself. The PMO looks for ways to continually increase its value up (to management) and down (to project managers).
Do you have a World Class PMO?
(Image by ideologie)
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I found these comments very helpful. I am a great advocate of performance measurement. From a HR perspective, each of these tips lead to measurable components – 1) good organizational goals are clear and have measurable benchmarks, PMO success will reflect these. 2) PMO’s develop performance indices over time, unitized measures should increase. This reflects continual improvement efforts. 3) As processes ant tools like standards and templates (4) improve, so do competencies. All of this reflects learning (6, 7) and establishes an open, inviting environment.
Dan, thanks for your comments.
I have my concerns about performance measurements, especially when it relates to soft skills. For example, how to measure Project Management Competence?
Thanks a lot for your HR perspective. IT helps to look at PMOs not only from the productivity and effectiveness points of view, but also how it helps to develop other PMs and others in the organization.
Dan,
Glad you found the comments helpful. The PMO your organization has created was in my mind when I wrote the post.
If you cared to elaborate, would be very interested in hearing about any particular performance measurements you find accurate and useful. As Andres points out, qualitative skills are often less easy to measure.
Wish you well.
Alec
Andres, Thanks again for asking me to write a guest post for your blog.
Alec Satin´s last blog post..21 Days Without Complaining?
An excellent post for those who believe that a PMO is useless (yes, there are people who actually believe that) .
PM Hut´s last blog post..Be a Realistic Project Manager
The company I currently work for wouldnt know a project if it walked up to them and bit them on butt! Any time I suggest the need for any form of project management the answer I get back is ‘cant you do it yourself?’ which would be a valid response if I were indeed a project manager!
Marcus, this is a common problem for smaller organizations or the ones that focus too much on the technical aspect of projects, instead of making sure they put more effort into getting better requirements and improving quality.
When I was faced with a similar situation, I found out that I had to start doing PM work on my own. You can use free online tools to help you create project plans, for example. Give that a try, it may help you to grow more into it and at the same time provide more value to the organization.
Good luck, and kudos for your website, I like the info you have in there.
Regards,
Andres.