Marcel ABI NASSIFProgram Manager| Amerab Business Solutions (ABS)Beirut, Lebanon
Hello, hope everything is going fine, especially during these harsh times.
I was wondering if you could help me in something: I was asked to create from scratch a PMO in an existing IT company. They are a hybrid company, as they have their operational departments (finance, HR, procurement...) separated from their projects, and their project managers are "fairly" performing, knowing that they lack proper documentation in terms of hierarchy, workflow and tasks, roles and responsibilities...
Can you please advise me on where to start, and if there's a PMO course, PMO certification, white paper, proper framework... that might help me in navigating in a straightforward way this project? I might use several resources to actually construct what might work for me.
Any help is appreciated.
Best,
Marcel Saving Changes...
I find it good to follow the basic change process (which is highly iterative and not necessarily sequential), summarized: 1) Determine what you think the "future state" of what PM needs to look like 2) Start to create the items (documents, procedures, templates, etc.) which will be needed in this future state 3) Communicate with all affected areas / departments (including management and the "worker bees") to ensure that what you are envisioning will work in the most efficient & effective way, as well as to get buy-in for the future state 4) Plan the implementation process (all at once? Phased-in?) 5) Implement the change(s): Unfreeze (old process) - Implement changes - Refreeze in the "new state" 6) Continuously monitor the new processes for areas of continuous improvement, including communication with project team members and management to ensure things are going smoothly and being accepted 7) Iteratively evaluate and implement revisions & changes over time as acceptance grows and further aspects can be (or need to be) implemented
I believe you will fail if you just walk into the company next month and say "Okay here is how everything will go from now on and compliance is mandatory", even if your plan is perfect. People aren't computers, you can't just load a new program and reboot.
Hi Marcel, I believe you’ll have been able to glean a lot from earlier contributors. Right now, I’m in the middle of building a PMO for a financial institution in Nigeria. Like one of the earlier contributors mentioned, identify your goals& objectives so that you are able to get the buy-in of key stakeholders. Then assess your current state (as-is) then determine the new state or how you want the PMO operate (to-be) and then come up with a plan. Team work is key. For us, we’re currently in CMMI level 2 and desiring level 3 so that’s our goal in setting up our PMO. I hope this helps. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Marcel,
not a unusual question. There is lots of materials and concepts out there. I found that the first book (1998) on PMOs by Davidson Frame is still relevant, despite bulkloads of papers and books and methods.
I build my first PMO in 1995 for an insurance company (and ran it for 5 years), and my last one 2 years ago for a manufacturing organization. For this, we presented how we did it here
https://www.slideshare.net/walenta/buildin...rogram-64492923
Maybe a good idea would be to get a mentor to help you reflect your thinking.
Thomas Saving Changes...
Bill DowPMO Director| University of WARenton, Wa, United States
Dec 29, 2020 7:20 AM
Replying to John McIntyre
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Hi Marcel,
When creating a new PMO, a good place to start is understanding what problem you are trying to solve. The majority of PMOs are cost centers - no company would want to introduce one unless they were sure there would be a benefit to the organization... So what is that benefit? It sounds simple, but too often I see people starting a PMO by rolling out templates, with scant consideration for what the organizations actually need. PMOs with a mandate to accelerate delivery can look very different to PMOs with a mandate to reduce risk/ improve compliance. Personally, I try to view the PMO as a business catalyst - putting processes in place help deliver the right things, faster. More on that here: https://www.hotpmo.com/blog/pmo-as-a-catalyst/ Certification-wise, you could look at PPSO, P3O, and AIPMO. If you want a book, you could try Bill Dow's book: The PMO Lifecycle: Building, Running, and Shutting Down. All if these will help you, but remember to keep your eyes on the prize and ensure you build PMO services that solve the actual problems that the organization needs to fix.
Best of luck with your new adventure!
Thanks John, I appreciate the call out on the book. It is literally the guide for building PMOs from scratch.
Marcel, I think everyone has given you great advice, I would just a couple things for sure.
Yes, the PMO is core part of your business, and should be treated that way. I think that people roll out tools and processes because they are trying to solve the project problems which is what I have seen as major reasons PMO get started. But you do have to look at the PMO as a core component of the business as you would HR, Finance...etc.
If you would like I am happy to setup a call with you and talk through some of your issues or concerns. I am managing my 10 PMO now, I have lots of hands on experience. :) Let me know! Saving Changes...
