To Communicate, What to Communicate - just What are the Questions We should be Answering?

Projects live and die on it and some even thrive on the quality of their Programme Communications.

And yet they are often the last things on everyone's mind to undertake in an organised, systematic structure to maximise the impact on the office grape-vine and gossip mill.

However the equation is very simple - if they aren't working for you, then they're most likely working against you!

Obviously, using the Reporting and the key messages forwarded with Management Information wisely will help keep the wheels turning.

However there is a fundamental need to compose, craft and orchestrate messages which goes far beyond the PMO's remit. It requires the focus of every project manager to employ effective communication techniques to maximise impact.

That's not to say that the PMO can't be the engine to fire up clear communications - clarifying misunderstandings and providing guidance on how to achieve the best result using the tools and techniques they deploy throughout organisations.

The objective is to sing from the same hymn sheet, in as many different styles and with as many different verses required to get everyone humming along with you - even if they might be marching more slowly or quicker than everyone else.

So my recommendation is to flood the official and unofficial grapevines with as much juicy gossip as you can muster. Use the "Chinese whispers" to your advantage and reap the rewards of the positive impact they can have on your programme.

And when you come up with your set of questions that you should be answering, feel free to share them with me!

What do You Include in Your Portfolio of Projects?

I was recently asked what I meant when I said Portfolio Management Office. What types of projects did I include? What about all the little things that crop up over the course of a month where someone just has to get on and do them.

I hear of at least two things happening right now.

First of all, big projects are being delayed or scaled back.

Secondly, things are happening "under the table" - by breaking them down so far that they fall off the radar or just on the basis of let's just get this bit of it done and that will be good enough - like putting a plaster (band-aid) over a deep cut just to keep the dirt out.

So what? Does that matter?

There will always be a creative tension between those who are trying to "get their things done" and those who have the responsibility to juggle priorities for the organisation at large.

In an ideal world, one would not overload capacity above a certain percentage - in order to cater for career development, holidays, emergencies, etc.

When constructing your Portfolio of Programmes, it would be a good thing to make a judgement to include at least of bucket for those "little" things which just need to get done so that they can be quantified in their totality. You many even want to make them part of your competitive advantage in time....

PMO Priorities in an Economic Downturn

In the midst of the cut backs and changing priorities, many firms restructure the IT department to get more value creates strain on the PMO.  

How can the PMO maintain continuity and add value?

Key processes on whcih to focus to maintain the balance include

- Objectively measuring the Business Impacts and Benefits

- Requirements collection

- Estimation

- Scope, schedule, cost

- RAIDS and interdepencies between projects

I recommend listening to the podcast from Enterprise Leadership (http://tinyurl.com/dzk8am) Accelerating IT Initiative Despite Tough Economy - Tim Shaefer, Northwestern Mutual’s CIO

Tim relates three investment initiatives which are driving them forward.  He also relates their governance model and staffing strategy.  Many fascinating insights. Well worth a listen.

PMO - Project, Programme or Portfolio Management Office

Well, what is in a name? PMO is one of those acronyms which gets used to mean different things.

On an individual project it refers to the Project Management Office.
On a programme of work, it generally refers to the Programme Management Office (also used in some firms to denote a centralised Project Management Office function).
For many firms, it denotes the Portfolio Management Office - often organised as a matrix with a small central "hub" and individuals from various functions reporting into it (both IT and Business change managers).

Recently, there has been a rise is the usage of Change Management Office. I'll park this one for the moment as I believe it could have a different remit from a PMO.

So what does the PMO do?

Generally speaking, the PMO defines and maintains the standards and process associated with project management in an organisation. These standards can include a wide variety of processes from planning techniques to documentation structures for project deliverables. Usually they include the management reporting and supporting documentation - proect plans (baseline and updates), RAIDS (Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies) information, financials, governance, status reports, change management, and project deliverables. Many also prioritise projects and manage the resource allocations to projects.

Have I missed anything burning issues the PMO needs to cover - please post your thoughts.

If you want to read more, here the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management_office

Welcome to All Things PMO

Welcome to the All Things PMO blog - a respository for information, links, observations, tips and techniques.

My aim is to build a community with access to a respository of knowledge to help you get the best out of your PMO - whether you are just starting out or a seasoned veteran.

Please contribute for the greater good. I think we all have something to learn along the way.

Alison