I'm in the midst of establishing a PMO in an network SI environment. One of the daunting task is to classify different projects for different types/levels of PMs. There are basically various methods, but I need something that is simple to use, and more importantly quantifiable so that execution is easy. I have identified the project cost and technical complexity of the project, but there are probably other factors like customer environment etc.
Does anyone have done this before that can be shared? Saving Changes...
Here's my list: Priority, Cost, Size, and Complexity for starters. All projects should be linked to your strategic IT plan which in turn should be linked to your business unit's business plan. Saving Changes...
In his book, "The Project Manager's Desk Reference", James Lewis presents some tools that try to answer this questions. He qualifies projects along two axis, technical complexity and organizationally complexity. He groups projects into 4 groups (from simple on both scales to complex on both scales). He then has a list of about 50 attributes of project management competency and indicates what at what level a project manager should be able to perform in order to manage a specific project.
For example, to manage a simple project, a project manager should have some understanding of project scheduling practices. To manage a project that is complex both technically and organizationally, a project manager should have multiple experiences scheduling and should be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the concepts.
His presentation of the material is more thorough than I can cover here.
I have begun using his concepts with my group, not only to group projects and classify project managers into skill sets, but to also determine how many project managers of what skill level I need. I can also use to determine what training or experience I need to get to my PMs to push them up into the next category.
I've attached a PMO checklist to help keep you focused. My advise is to use the KISS principle, that is "Keep It Simple Stupid", first focus on establishing a solid and functioning PMO so that you'll have a foundation to build on later. For now, I'm sure you have your hands full doing this PMO implementation and dealing with organizational change.
For a detail discussion on "complexity", I suggest the book "Software Engineering: A Practioner's Approach" by Roger Pressman. He has an entire chapter devoted to metrics used throughout the SDLC.
Email me if I can be of further assistance. Saving Changes...
One more suggestion, I would lump "size" and "complexity" into a single catagory, reflecting team size and level of technology, and number of components, number of processes and interfaces [or links]within each component. At any rate, your PMO implementation MUST fit your company's culture, values, level of maturity and understanding of project management. Saving Changes...
RAJESH K LProject Manager, PMP| Bharat Electronics, Bengaluru, IndiaBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Thanks for sharing Saving Changes...
RAJESH K LProject Manager, PMP| Bharat Electronics, Bengaluru, IndiaBengaluru, Karnataka, India
