One of the primary roles of the PMO is to provide a framework for ensuring proper governance over projects. Here we look at some of the obstacles and challenges facing the PMO governance function--and some tips for overcoming them.
Call it application sprawl, application bloat or whatever you like, most companies that rely on applications could use a good old-fashioned spring cleaning to reassess and determine which apps in a company’s portfolio provide unequivocal value and which should make a polite exit.
The PMO must have an easy time of annual planning, right? It's a service function that provides resources based on the overall project portfolio, and the organization determines which projects to approve. Based on those decisions, the PMO knows how it needs to adjust its resource model. But life’s not quite that simple...
Sometimes the corporate priorities change unexpectedly, and the projects that were approved at the start of the year are no longer appropriate for what the organization is trying to achieve. How can an organization cope?
The value of PPM and the priorities people place within it have seen drastic changes to go along with the dynamism of the world over the last five years. Optimal realization of portfolio ROI is now a must just to simply stay alive, whereas before it was often just treated as a nice idea that a company could do to improve its business success.
As 2012 starts to become a distant memory and companies begin implementing their 2013 plans, one CEO has spent some time reflecting on the PPM trends of 2012 and how they will continue, amplify or decrease into the new year.
Project failure is inevitable, and failing to deal with it is inexcusable. Many projects fail to deliver against the plan that the approval of the project was based on. But few projects are ever actually cancelled--projects are delayed, costs are escalated, scope is cut…but ultimately the project is delivered, even if it bears little resemblance to what was originally approved. Stop the insanity!
We've looked at the project selection process from the vantage point of an idea submitter. Now we will look at the process from the perspective of the decision makers--who are often left equally frustrated and confused.
Some managers view PPM as nothing more than high-level project management--a service function rather than a strategic support function. But PPM is more than just project management with bigger numbers.
The common challenge with EPPM is that it can be perceived as a loss of control for executives and for project managers. It can also be perceived as added work for those who need to support the philosophy. This article discusses ideas for communicating value at all levels of the organization to achieve buy in, preparation and adoption of PPM concepts, processes and tools--and the skills to implement them.
If portfolio management is about ensuring strategic alignment and strategic management is about defining organizational direction, where does one stop and the other start? Specifically, what should we expect a good strategic management process to define? And what does portfolio management expect and require as input in order to ensure that the results of portfolio selection are, in fact, “strategically aligned”?
Many organizations find the process of managing their portfolio of projects extremely painful. But does it have to be like that? Perhaps a return to basics is needed. Could it be that the intellectualization of the PPM process has muddied the waters a bit?
How do you decide which PPM tool is right for you, and then make it work? In this article, we identify a few of the things to consider when selecting a tool.
It's inevitable--organizations will change the way that planning cycles are executed. For many organizations, this is a natural extension of the commitments that they are already making--EPMOs, strong and executive supported portfolio management, and results-focused execution. For others, this is a major shift. Here we explore some of the ways that annual planning can be improved.
Adoption of LEED standards is typically framed as a means of reducing operating costs; the greater expense in designing and building sustainable facilities is offset by reduced energy consumption in future years. This becomes a theoretically easy business case that should be readily accepted: an investment in current periods providing future savings in costs. The challenge, however, is two-fold: it requires foresight and a willingness to invest in the long term, and there needs to be confidence that the promised benefits are realistic and attainable.
There are benefits from a matrixed organization that apply both to the individual and to the group. In the world of project management where matrixed organizations are becoming the norm, it is important for practitioners to understand the benefits in order to capitalize on them--and make working on projects more enjoyable for everyone involved.
There are many ways to do the dashboard badly, and a few ways to get it right. Here, we explore some of the important aspects of a dashboard--and perhaps more importantly the controls and processes that need to be in place to support it and ensure that the content is accurate and meaningful.
While working for a small firm, a new PM was asked to go to a major company to help them integrate their IT PMOs...leading to the worst three months of his career. As his two-part article concludes, we find out if if there was truly a light at the end of the tunnel--or just a train coming the other way.
For anyone thinking about or faced with implementing a PPM tool, here are some tips to keep in mind to help you wade through the sometimes problematic process.
Those with solid agile project management experience and knowledge--coupled with an entrepreneurial vision to see the trends and navigate incubating startups to launch--are poised to take great advantage both monetarily and professionally in years to come.
Doing more with less people, less tools and less funding has become the norm--and 2012 doesn’t look to be much different. How can you continue to service a growing backlog of project requests in the face of static or shrinking budgets and a dwindling pool of project professionals? Believe it or not, there are things that can be done and ways to keep progress moving forward. Here are 10 tips you might find useful.
So much for 2011 being the year of recovery. Next year should be much like the last. Some recent developments may impact your success as a CIO. What trends are likely to impact your organization from an IT perspective? What strategies and actions will yield the best outcomes for CIOs and their companies?
What does the future hold for project management? What trends and concepts will shape project management tools, methods and practices in 2012 and beyond? For one writer, the answer seems clear. Here, we look at the environment that will influence projects, and the three takeaways we should be aware of heading into the new year.
In many ways, starting a new Project Portfolio Office is easier than inheriting a PPO that is already in process. However, the risk assessment process is essentially the same. Assessing risk of project delays and failures on the PPO basket of projects, at a minimum, should consider six areas. Find out what they are--and plenty more crucial risk management information--inside.
When something goes rotten in your PMO or project portfolio, all of your projects may be in jeopardy. The best way to handle crisis across multiple projects is to treat it like the train wreck it appears to be. Take a lesson from the medical community and triage the damage before you start trying to treat the wounded.
You may have brilliant marketing and branding methodologies, but it is through the projects you pick, how you deliver them and the strategies you use to deploy them that you are defined.
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"If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time--a tremendous whack." - Winston Churchill |
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