Martin Parlett, Head of the PMO for the government of Montserrat, a Caribbean island, recently shared his ‘Lessons in Focus’ for project management offices (PMOs), highlighting that, wherever they may be based, and whatever they may be trying to achieve, the challenges for PMOs across the globe are common.
The world of the project management office (PMO) has changed dramatically, shifting away from the PMO having an administrative or support role only towards adding real business value. This evolution has been similarly reflected in the career opportunities available within the PMO space.
Up until 2019, PPO approached project portfolio management (PPM) software implementations in a typically waterfall approach. We would spend full days with our clients meticulously taking down requirements and then carefully crafting the best solution to meet those requirements – and it worked well – so why did we change our ways? Well, let’s think of the typical issues PPM software implementations face using a waterfall approach.
Unexpected project delays have always been a source of concern for project environments. There are lots of reasons for these delays, ineffective project planning and scheduling, late procurement of materials, poor design, design changes and the list goes on. But the one cause that is understated and within the project management office’s (PMO) mandate to address, is the delay in approving project and product deliverables. I’m sure you can recall more than one occasion where a key deliverable wasn’t approved on time.
It is good practice for organisations to regularly think strategically about where they want to be, what they want the organisation to look like, and how they need to go about getting there. Traditionally, this process happened on an annual basis and was largely integrated with the annual financial planning process.
Around the world, healthcare is a business vertical like any other. Hospitals exist and operate within the healthcare arena with the ethical purpose of providing the best possible healthcare to the patients, while at the same time being able to generate profits in order to pay salaries, satisfy shareholders, and continue with the maintenance and improvement of standards and medical procedures.
Project portfolio management (PPM) solution provider, Project Portfolio Office, offers a PPM maturity assessment service, aimed at benchmarking an organisation’s current project management competency, and then providing a practical roadmap that will allow both the business and its Project Management Office (PMO) to deliver on strategic objectives, reduce costs, and increase success rates.
An organisation’s Project Management Office (PMO) should play a vital role in delivering on the business’ strategy. However, gaining an understanding of this action plan – and the company’s maturity to execute its declared strategy – is a necessary first step in unlocking a PMO’s value. A clear view of stakeholders’ needs and expectations is also key to this process.
In a rapidly changing business world, the ability to adapt and apply new information is fast becoming more important than any other skill. It shouldn’t come as any surprise then, to hear that Project Management Offices (PMOs) have come under growing pressure from their organisations over the past few years to become more agile, strategic and value-adding; a point that has become further highlighted recently against the backdrop of the COVID-19 outbreak.
