Insuring Success: PMOs Bring IT Together

PMO Implementation: A Case Study
Note: Just like in that old cop show, the facts of this case are real, but the names have been changed "to protect the innocent." 

The Company & Situation
The Grant Insurance Company (GIC), headquartered in a large Texas city, manages billions of dollars worth of assets. The company provides financial services in the form of life insurance, annuities and loans to consumers. GIC grew over the years through acquisition and never wanted to completely integrate all of its parts. Instead, the company is managed as a loose federation of seven subsidiary companies without strict governance from the top. 

In the mid-1990s the company recognized the need to address potential Year 2000 problems related to the change in the century and, within each subsidiary, launched a series of projects to address the potential problems across the entire corporation. Each subsidiary took a different approach. Some relied heavily on outside consultants. Others built a strong in house capability. Each company was free to use whatever methods it wanted to address the technical aspects of the work. Top management at the corporate level found this acceptable and in keeping with the normal way of managing the company and the organization’s culture.

Each of the separate companies within GIC had a sense of pride in the way they where …