Category: Life at PPO

PPO’s project management tool enables the Spitfire restoration

After 137 Spitfire MK IX aeroplanes originally arrived in South Africa in the late 1940s to serve in the South African Air Force (SAAF) until 1954, there are now only two of these vintage aircraft left in this country. One of them rests – in a flightless condition - at the Ditsong National Museum of … Continue reading

5 Simple Steps to Project Status Reporting that People will Read

According to 2016 PMI’s Pulse of the Profession, “74% of PMO Directors believe their senior management understand the value of project management” and yet 33% of projects still fail because of a lack of involvement from senior management. In my role as CEO of Project Portfolio Office (PPO), I often perform the role of executive … Continue reading

Three Steps to Stop your PMO become a Statistic (50% close in 3 years!)

Three Steps to Stop your PMO become a Statistic (50% close in 3 years!) I recently read that the Association for Project Management says 50% of PMOs close within three years. It’s a very scary statistic considering the amount of effort organisations are putting into establishing PMOs. It then got me wondering what are we … Continue reading

3 ways to get your CEO to value your PMO

Even though I’ve spent the last 15 years in the project portfolio management (PPM) space, I started my career as an accountant and have always loved numbers and analysis. I recently attended the Gauteng Project Management South Africa (PMSA) PMO Forum, an invitation only forum of PMO leaders and executives, and the session re-affirmed the … Continue reading

Invisible Woman joins the PPO Super Hero Club!

It is not always an easy task to become part of Captain Lindi Marvel’s agents as the standards she set is sometimes quit high. Recently the Captain has introduced, her now full time agent, to the team. Invisible Andisiwe. As the Invisible Woman, Andisiwe can render herself wholly or partially invisible at will. She can … Continue reading

Super six or super fix?

Excellent customer service agents are like superheroes. They use their powers for good, they live by a strong moral code and they have a motivation that has led them to be who they are. Here at PPO our support team, or the Super Six as we like to call them, are by day mild mannered individuals … Continue reading

Spreading the love on Valentine’s Day

As you know, we at Project Portfolio Office (PPO) are a a social bunch and would use any excuse to get together for some “off-the-clock” time with our fellow teamsters here in South Africa. That is why we used this past Valentine’s day as a good excuse to put the brakes on the fast pace … Continue reading

Oh what fun the festive season can be!

It is the season of to-do's as the holiday season begins. Travel plans, preparation for the perfect festive lunch and that last minute shopping. With our mantra of Work Hard to Play Hard, Project Portfolio Office (PPO) kick-started the holiday season by wrestling the team away from their work stations to celebrate yet another year … Continue reading

PPO’s Amazing Race

Project Portfolio Office’s (PPO) recent “Amazing Race” was an adventurous quest and treasure hunt with a technological edge. The hopeful teams made their way to iconic Pretoria Zoo in a minibus taxi each with a goal to finish as the number one team. But before the race could begin, teams loosened their limbs with some … Continue reading

Project Portfolio Office’s 67 Minutes at Boitumelo Childrens Home

Mr Mandela spent 67 years making the world a better place and Project Portfolio Office (PPO) celebrated this great man’s birthday on the 18th of July by devoting 67 minutes of our time, one minute for every year of Mandela’s public service, as a small gesture of solidarity with the rest of the world and … Continue reading