Patrick DiceyManager, Customer Project Management| CentralSquare TechnologiesOrlando, Fl, United States
As a part of a PMO with ~30 project managers with thousands of open projects, new projects coming in daily, I wanted to hear some tips/tricks/tools any of you have experience with for analyzing current PM workload and assignment of new projects as they come in based on PM capacity. Saving Changes...
Ola AbimbolaProject Manager| Trimble Oil and GasCalgary, Alberta, Canada
The PMO structure provides PMs with lessons learned from various projects which are directly or indirectly related to their projects but domiciled in the PMO knowledge repositories. Sometimes you hear about highly effective team members from other PM and then you can categorize them as part of useful resources for your own project too.
Some PMOs have uniformed templates while others have bespoke to customer needs. The good side of this is that as a PM you can harness as much resource as possible to see how you can continuously improve on your own project. For me, one of the most interesting parts of working in a PMO is knowing that you are not alone and the team working around you speak your technical language, compared to working in a functional office where the functional manager practically knows little or nothing about how projects are structured.
I have a lot more to say, but I am also willing to learn from others Saving Changes...
We are in the process of developing a tool to help assess the required project team size based on a 400 plus question questionnaire. We also have a proprietary software tool that optimizing project scheduling in our investment plan to maximize our budget(s) over the next the twenty years. It is actually quite impressive, but of course, I cannot share any additional details, but just to let you know what is being done within the art of the possible.
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1 reply by Patrick Dicey
Dec 12, 2019 6:35 PM
Patrick Dicey
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Thanks for sharing Steve... when you say "Project Team Size" it sounds like you're talking about the total staffing of a Project Team, not just the PMs/PMO. That would be outside my scope, we have services managers,development managers, etc who are responsible for the delivery staffing. Sounds like a cool project though, I imagine for a 400 question questionaire you're working on projects int he $100M+ range. My gut is the solution I need as well will also end up being proprietary.
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
It is hard to answer how many time project manager has to spend on project management activties because it depends on factors like project management style or organizational maturity in project management. But what worked for me is project management activities demands 15%-25% or total project duration.
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1 reply by Patrick Dicey
Dec 12, 2019 6:37 PM
Patrick Dicey
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Exactly! It varies greatly by project. We have $2,000 ad hoc projects, $50M implementations, and everything in between. The tool/process/solution needs to take into account that not every project is the same size. Some PMs may be able to work 100 small projects while a larger project may require 3-4PMs.
You'll need a profiling questionnaire to be able to objective understand the complexity of a project. That will be one of the key determinants into the PM effort expected. You'd also want to have a good handle on the expected accountabilities of a PM and the governance model within which projects are being executed. For example, with a heavy, bureaucratic governance model, a PM who doesn't have the benefit of a PC/PA to help them out might not be able to manage as many projects as one who works in an environment with lean or right-sized governance.
Kiron
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1 reply by Patrick Dicey
Dec 12, 2019 6:40 PM
Patrick Dicey
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Thanks for the input... My thoughts are some sort of questionnaire would factor into current workload. I've seen this done in other organizations who call it a "Span of Control" assessment. This also takes into account that not all PM capabilities are equal related to workload.
Most of these projects complexity will be similar (with higher $$$ = higher complexity) and the processes needed to manage them will be roughly standardized by the PMO. So, I think some sort of calculation/algorithm may be possible but may be proprietary.
Saving Changes...
Patrick DiceyManager, Customer Project Management| CentralSquare TechnologiesOrlando, Fl, United States
Dec 12, 2019 3:36 PM
Replying to Steve Ratkaj
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We are in the process of developing a tool to help assess the required project team size based on a 400 plus question questionnaire. We also have a proprietary software tool that optimizing project scheduling in our investment plan to maximize our budget(s) over the next the twenty years. It is actually quite impressive, but of course, I cannot share any additional details, but just to let you know what is being done within the art of the possible.
Thanks for sharing Steve... when you say "Project Team Size" it sounds like you're talking about the total staffing of a Project Team, not just the PMs/PMO. That would be outside my scope, we have services managers,development managers, etc who are responsible for the delivery staffing. Sounds like a cool project though, I imagine for a 400 question questionaire you're working on projects int he $100M+ range. My gut is the solution I need as well will also end up being proprietary.
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1 reply by Steve Ratkaj
Dec 17, 2019 8:39 AM
Steve Ratkaj
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Yes, this is meant for actual project team sizes. We do have a PMO with about 30 staff. Our major projects are typically in excess of $100M, and anything less than $10M is considered a minor project, and is typically staffed with less than 10 persons. We currently have projects that have been identified with an associated cost in excess of $100B.
Saving Changes...
Patrick DiceyManager, Customer Project Management| CentralSquare TechnologiesOrlando, Fl, United States
Dec 12, 2019 4:20 PM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
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It is hard to answer how many time project manager has to spend on project management activties because it depends on factors like project management style or organizational maturity in project management. But what worked for me is project management activities demands 15%-25% or total project duration.
Exactly! It varies greatly by project. We have $2,000 ad hoc projects, $50M implementations, and everything in between. The tool/process/solution needs to take into account that not every project is the same size. Some PMs may be able to work 100 small projects while a larger project may require 3-4PMs. Saving Changes...
Patrick DiceyManager, Customer Project Management| CentralSquare TechnologiesOrlando, Fl, United States
Dec 12, 2019 5:23 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Patrick -
You'll need a profiling questionnaire to be able to objective understand the complexity of a project. That will be one of the key determinants into the PM effort expected. You'd also want to have a good handle on the expected accountabilities of a PM and the governance model within which projects are being executed. For example, with a heavy, bureaucratic governance model, a PM who doesn't have the benefit of a PC/PA to help them out might not be able to manage as many projects as one who works in an environment with lean or right-sized governance.
Kiron
Thanks for the input... My thoughts are some sort of questionnaire would factor into current workload. I've seen this done in other organizations who call it a "Span of Control" assessment. This also takes into account that not all PM capabilities are equal related to workload.
Most of these projects complexity will be similar (with higher $$$ = higher complexity) and the processes needed to manage them will be roughly standardized by the PMO. So, I think some sort of calculation/algorithm may be possible but may be proprietary. Saving Changes...
Sofian Bin YusofProject Coordinator| MechMar Cochran Boilers (M) Sdn. Bhd.Jenjarom, Selangor, Malaysia
The long-lives for the executing project management of activity it is relies on the process your wear during initiating the flow of chart or diagram based on the scheduleto sustain and retain your momentum with highly enthusiasm and amongst team of members for harness with your peers attitudinal, skills, experiences and etc. Based on the raising for the demanding of Mega project chiefly on the middle east of region, that circumstances it could be enhance your chances to penetrate on the highly demand of market conversely it can be emerging one good collaboration and cooperation between two sides sharing the expertise on the respectively of fields alongside. Such as for the huge project that contributing of the revenue around = (USD of Millions to Billions) for assumptions and according on that situations the across staff and workers standby for obtainable commanding and instructions by the Project Manager to planning how to deliver the project without major of matters it will be prevailing during period of assembling of product and to know abou the quantify of workers/employee for accomplish the stage of the initiating process and overseeing the slated of schedule it is up to date already for evade any unforeseen tragedy will be occurs soon. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Patrick
Interesting your question
Thanks for sharing
I think it depends on the maturity of the project manager, the work team and the supporting technology used in project management. Saving Changes...
