This will be a start up PMO from concept throughout.....any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated. Saving Changes...
Sort By:
adam ashbyproject manager| Nokia Siemens NetworksEmersons Green, Bristol, United Kingdom
1) Determine what you want from the PMO and then define a "lite" process around it
2) Select a modular tool suite that has simple functionality to meet your "lite" process requirements which is easily deployable and with optional and incremental functionality available.
3) Encourage web-based content (not web-linked MS Office documents) wherever possible - there are few things in life more depressing that a web site full of links to Office docs
4) Always remember the PMO should serve the PMs - not the other way round. Saving Changes...
Kristina Frazier-HenryDigital Practice Leader| Fusion AllianceFishers, In, United States
What Kind of PMO Will You Be?
* Some house all project manager types
* Some are just "auditors" of Pm's and projects
* Some are a bureaucratic layer for the executive types
Keep It Simple
* The more complex you make the PMO, the less likely that you'll have buy-in from those who are required to interact with it.
Make the Basics - Basics
* If I had a nickle for everytime someone re-invented things like Charters and Communication Plans - I'd be filthy rich, living on an exotic island, and sipping some tropical drink.
Conduct a Voice of the Customer/Voice of the Business
* Understanding the top needs of those you will interact with, will assist a great deal with the buy-in process.
Be the Solution and Not the Problem
* Many people see a PMO as bureaucracy. Set yourself up to be an aid to those around you - this can be in the form of offering education or something like providing possible mitigation options to risks.
Make Project Aids Accessible
* Whether this is education, templates, tools - whatever - they need to be easily accessible and easy to interact with.
The Tools Do Not Make You A PMO
* I've seen lots of organizations get caught up in this - where implementing a cool tool is their one and only goal in life. Like the tool will magically solve world hunger.
Staff Your PMO with Varying Levels of Personnel
* There is a tendency to staff PMO's with professor types. While those are nice to have, you need a mixture of all sorts - including those who are brand new recruits into the profession. Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Another good resource for tips and ideas in starting a PMO is The PMO Podcast:
Love can sweep you off your feet and carry you along in a way you've never known before. But the ride always ends, and you end up feeling lonely and bitter. Wait. It's not love I'm describing. I'm thinking of a monorail.
