The Vital Few
Putting PMO Resources to the Highest Priority
www.line-of-sight.com
©2010 Line of Sight
Introductions
Tim Jaques, PMP
CEO, Line of Sight
Author, speaker
PM Practitioner
Doug Lapham, PMP
Executive Consultant, Line of Sight
Frequent speaker
Organizational Change Practitioner
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This Is What We Sell
PM
Rocks!
Project Management
Process Reengineering
Organizational Change
This Is What We Do
Create Connect
Champion Deliver Just
Like
You!
A Simple Plan
Know Where You Are
Know Where You Are Going
Chart Your Course
©2010 Line of Sight, LLC 5
A You are
here
B You want to be here
A Simple Plan
Know Where You Are
Know Where You Are Going
Chart Your Course
©2010 Line of Sight, LLC 6
A You are
here
B You want to be here
1. Know Where You Are
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From Many Smaller Solutions . . .
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Low Complexity High Complexity
Enterprise
Business
Unit
- Enterprise project
- Non-Enterprise project
To Fewer, More Complex Solutions . . .
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Low Complexity High Complexity
Enterprise
Business
Unit
- Enterprise project
- Non-Enterprise project
Work Used To Be Simple, Orderly And Contained
10
Traditional
Organizations
(and PMOs)
ACME
Work Used To Be Simple, Orderly And Contained
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Traditional
Organizations
(and PMOs)
ACME
Remember
the posting a
letter?
Today Information Can Flow Faster That We Can Process It
Modern
Organizations
(and PMOs)
Supplier
Client
Modern
Organizations
(and PMOs)
Supplier
Client
Can you say
that in 140
Characters?
Today Information Can Flow Faster That We Can Process It
PMOs Face Constant Demand
Increased business complexity
Distributed customer base
Breadth of functional offerings
Level of engagement within the organization
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Demand will always exceed capacity!
Organization Layer Project Layer
Skeptical Customers – Business
units, division heads, contracting units, and others often don’t see the value of a PMO.
Lack of Authority – PMs cannot take
swift action to manage projects or implement practices without approval from Project Directors, Sponsors, or Executives.
Increasingly Complex Projects –
Especially true for IT, as organizations move toward enterprise solutions the level of complexity increases.
Conflicting Guidance – To PMs from
Sponsors and Project Directors, including competing priorities and inconsistent practices.
Economic Challenges – Businesses
face a 12-24 month recovery period.
“Matrixed” Resources – Team
members on loan, outside the PM’s organization or “chain-of-command”.
Multiple Agendas– Disparate business
units have different priorities that compete for scarse PMO resources.
Project Management “Overhead” – The practice is perceived as a burden. PMs and team forced to do projects over, instead of doing them right at the beginning.
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We face greater challenges.
We have fewer resources.
How do we allocate our vital few?
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Consider The Following PMO Development Model
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The PMO Infrastructure Layer
PMO Management
Outreach and PR
Stakeholder Management
PMO Staffing
PMO Performance Measurement
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PMO Infrastructure
The PMO Foundation Layer
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
©2010 Line of Sight
PMO Infrastructure Infrastructure Includes: Management of Risks, Quality, Scope, Budget, etc.
The PMO Organization Layer
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
Resource
Management
Performance
Management Program
©2010 Line of Sight
PMO Infrastructure
The PMO Value Layer
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
Resource
Management
Performance
Management Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
©2010 Line of Sight
PMO Infrastructure
The PMO Strategic Layer
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
Resource
Management
Performance
Management Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
©2010 Line of Sight
PMO Infrastructure
Project Management
Services
On Site Project Management
Project Fast Start
Triage and Rescue
Audit/Review
Consultation
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Key Decision Points
Competencies – What skills do we need?
Staffing – How many do we need?
Tools – What automation supports our business needs?
Customers – What is our relationship with them?
Co-location – How is the PMO positioned?
Process – How formal are our internal processes?
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Know Where You Are Going
©2010 Line of Sight, LLC 25
You Need To Set The Vision For The PMO In Your Organization
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“If I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses.”
Henry Ford
You Need To Set The Vision For The PMO In Your Organization
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“If I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses.”
The PMO Value Proposition
Achieve corporate strategy
Increase ROI
Build competitive advantage
Create new products
Increase sales
Decrease costs
Exploit unanticipated capabilities
Reduce time to market
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Adapted from “Creating the Project Office; Englund, Graham, Dinsmore
How you structure, how you focus your PMO will
decide where you add value.
The Delivery Model
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
Resource
Management
Performance
Management Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
PMO Infrastructure
Focus on project management execution
Tactical orientation
Use of standards
Stable of PM’s
Projects Done Right
The Center of Excellence
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
Resource
Management
Performance
Management Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
PMO Infrastructure
Focus on standards
Quality orientation
Builds PM Capabilities
Training
The Strategic PMO
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
Resource
Management
Performance
Management Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
PMO Infrastructure
Focus on alignment
Investment orientation
High executive touch
Right Projects Done
Your Vision Guides The Design
Competencies Who is our next hire?
Staffing How many do we
need?
Tools What supports our
customers?
Co-Location Where should we be
located?
Customers Who are they? How do
they benefit?
Process How formalized should
our processes be?
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3. Chart Your Course
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Levels of Engagement
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Managing • PM/PgM Role on Project/Program
• Enforces Use of Methodologies and Tools
• Owns Results
Directing • Formal, Non-PM Role on Projects
• Selective Mandatory Use of Methodologies and Tools
• Contributes to Results
Facilitating • Advisory Role on Projects
• Encourages Use of Methodologies and Tools
• Not Responsible for Project Results
Map the Functions Over Time
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Method.
Mgmt Automation
Competency
Development
Resource
Mgmt. Perf. Mgmt Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
Project
Initial Installation
Managing Directing Facilitating
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Initial Installation Go-live + 180
Managing Directing Facilitating
Method.
Mgmt Automation
Competency
Development
Resource
Mgmt. Perf. Mgmt Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
Project Method.
Mgmt Automation
Competency
Development
Resource
Mgmt. Perf. Mgmt Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
Project
Map the Functions Over Time
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Method.
Mgmt Automation
Competency
Development Project
Resource
Mgmt. Perf. Mgmt Program
Portfolio
Governance
Managing Directing Facilitating
Benefits
Realization
Initial Installation Go-live + 180 Go-live + 360
Method.
Mgmt Automation
Competency
Development
Resource
Mgmt. Perf. Mgmt Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
Project Method.
Mgmt Automation
Competency
Development
Resource
Mgmt. Perf. Mgmt Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
Project
Map the Functions Over Time
Key Decision Points
Competencies – What skills do we need?
Staffing – How many do we need?
Tools – What automation supports our business needs?
Customers – What is our relationship with them?
Co-location – How is the PMO positioned?
Process – How formal are our internal processes?
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It’s All About Trade Offs
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Strategic Transactional
Delivery Standards
Agile Waterfall
Relationships Process
Subject Matter Experts
Business Generalists
Follow A Formal PMO Development Methodology
Define Design Develop Deploy Sustain
Why What How When Evolve
Establish Champion
Form Initial Team
Justify PMO
Charter the PMO
Anchor the PMO
Identify Stakeholders
Survey Customers
Select Functions
Create Service Delivery Model
Define High-Level Requirements
Build Coalition
Identify Customer Segments
Develop Detailed Offerings
Develop Delivery Processes
Define Detailed Requirements
Engage Supporters
Deploy CRM
Roll Out Selected Offerings
Engage PMO Staff
Acquire Automated Tools
Refine Delivery Methods
Refine Automated Tools
Verify Value Proposition
Educate Customers
Refine Offerings
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Deploy This Approach When…
Planning a new PMO
Re-chartering a failing PMO
Seeking to improve an existing PMO
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Methodology
Maintenance Automation
Competency
Development
Project
Management
Resource
Management
Performance
Management Program
Benefits
Realization Portfolio
Governance
PMO Infrastructure
Benefits of this approach
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This approach enables:
The creation of immediate value for your customers
The ability to focus on what is important NOW
A way to justify the approach taken
The development of a staffing profile
A balance between project work and PMO process development
Lessons From the Field (Part 1)
Be Effective. The PMO Director should plan to spend 0%-15% of her/his time managing projects. This is one of the major causes of PMO failure, from our experience. The temptation is to dive into project work, yet to be successful, the PMO needs a champion that is agile, not buried in project work. Project emergencies are not necessarily PMO emergencies.
Listen First. Consider engaging in “listening sessions” for key customers of the PMO. These can involve 1-2 hour sessions whereby the PMO presents its offerings and plans and asks for feedback. Face to face sessions are preferred. The PMO should be perceived as a “listening” and "learning’” organization more so than one that is telling people what to do.
Lessons From the Field (Part 2)
Focus on Relationships. PMO success depends more upon relationships than processes. It is important that someone attend staff meetings, reach out to key influencers and supporters early on. If these relationships are not cultivated, no amount of process will engender the necessary acceptance for the PMO to be successful.
Right People on the Bus. What makes for a good project manager does not necessarily make for a good staff member of the PMO. Select your staff wisely, and develop a sound staffing plan.
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Ellicott City, MD
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www.line-of-sight.com
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