Reinvent Your PMO

January 27, 2012 Leave a Comment

Tough times may have led to a lot of staffing shakeups, plus put a damper on the size and scope of the projects teams are managing. If your PMO’s post-recession image needs some polishing, we’ve put together a roadmap to take you into a brighter future.

Reintroduce your team. There’s a good chance at least one of your stakeholder segments doesn’t know who’s who anymore. Take this opportunity to tout each team member’s strengths and skills, and consider scheduling an afternoon meet-and-greet if it fits your organization’s culture. Building stakeholder support is often easier when they know your team as more than just photos on an intranet page.

 

Advertise recent successes. Projects might have been cut or postponed in the last few years, but you still have a lot of positive news to share. Pull out a few success stories and toot your own horn. Stakeholders are more willing to support new initiatives when they see your PMO was successful even during the darkest days. Team members will also be buoyed by recalling those challenging objectives they reached.

 

Outline the road ahead. Even if your PMO’s schedule isn’t as full as it used to be, it’s important for your team and its stakeholders to be looking forward. Be sure to send regular “what’s on the horizon” news blurbs, and send a quick update when new projects are added.

 

Clean up your lists. Make a break with what may have been a depressing past and update your distribution and communication lists. Delete anyone who’s no longer on the team and add new members. Update contact information for supporters, end users, and vendors as well. Remember to give some attention to your less formal communication channels, too—bulletin boards, department calendars and emergency contact lists should all be brought up to date.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: PMO Development, Project Management

PMO Resolutions for the New Year

January 20, 2012 Leave a Comment

While your mind is on your own individual goals for the new year, why not also take the opportunity to look at where your PMO is and where you want to take it in the coming months? If you’re stuck for ideas, we’ve put together some resolutions you can use as a launch pad.

Improve communication. Even PMOs that are really good at communicating should make improvement a yearly goal. http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/02/be-a-better-communicator/ Talking with end users, providing stakeholders with progress reports, and maintaining good lines of communication within your team are all critical to project success.

 

Boost career development efforts. Now is not the time to let your project professionals grow stagnant—if you don’t give them a path toward greater opportunities, there’s a good chance your competitors will. Encourage team members to set goals that keep them motivated http://www.duration-driven.com/2010/10/setting-individual-goals-9-tips-for-success-2/ and facilitate mentoring relationships whenever possible http://www.duration-driven.com/2010/06/find-the-right-business-mentor/.

 

Increase ongoing education. As project workloads ramp up, training is one of the first things moved to the back burner http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/10/training-mistakes-most-pmos-make/. Instead, resolve this year to keep your team’s education on the priority list. Schedule classes early and be sure everyone on the team has the opportunity to learn something new.

 

Develop a more robust network. Reach out to fellow professionals before you need help.http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/02/be-a-better-communicator/ Your team will have better access to resources—including consultants, market research specialists, equipment suppliers, and potential new employees—and will also be more in tune with regional and industry trends.

 

Market your PMO. In many organizations, it’s no longer enough to be good project managers. Your ability to engage stakeholders and end users http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/09/more-tips-for-good-project-management-pr/ is increasingly important, and could influence everything from budget approval to staffing levels.

 

Commit to creativity. Your team’s ability to develop innovative solutions can help manage any problem http://www.duration-driven.com/2010/12/project-management-creative-problem-solving/. Implement some creativity-building activities and watch your team triumph over challenges.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

 

Filed Under: Checklists, PMO Development, Project Management, Project Office

Value Your Boomers

December 12, 2011 1 Comment

Millennials may bring innovations and new thinking to your PMO (http://www.duration-driven.com/2011/10/managing-millennials/), but don’t underestimate the value of the Boomer-age professionals on your team. We’ve put together some tips to ensure your entire PMO benefits from the vast knowledge held by your most experienced professionals.

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Identify your experts. First, determine which team members have the most critical—or difficult to attain—experience. Any information that generally takes years to gather and assimilate should be your first priority. Once you know where key pieces of knowledge reside within your PMO, you can put together a strategy to share that expertise with other members.

Be flexible. If you anticipate losing one or more team members to retirement in the near future, it’s time to determine if your PMO will have a knowledge gap as a result. Unless you’re able to substitute the expertise of another professional or utilize outside resources, you might consider retaining access to Boomers’ experience through consulting agreements or a part-time work arrangement.

Take advantage of mentoring opportunities. Don’t let the wealth of knowledge held by your PMO’s Boomers get away. Instead, pair up your less experienced team members with a senior-level professional and encourage them to share information. For best results, consider working with HR to develop a formal, structured mentoring program.

Schedule regular lunch-and-learns. Once every month or so, pull your team together for an informal knowledge-sharing session. No agendas are needed—instead, pick a topic and let one of your internal experts put together a handful of talking points. Rotate experts frequently, and facilitate as much Q & A time as you can.

Expand your networks. New PMs are still building their infrastructure of professional connections and may benefit from introductions to key people in your Boomers’ networks. Encourage joint attendance at professional events and networking functions.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: PMO Development, Project Management, Project Management Tips

Training Mistakes Most PMOs Make

October 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

Think your PMO could do a better job when offering ongoing education? You’re not alone—take a look at these common training mistakes that too many PMOs make.

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Limiting participation to only senior or only junior staff. Some organizations don’t value their lower-level employees enough to invest in their training, while others feel that money spent on continuing education for their senior staff is a waste. Both opinions are wrong, of course. Implementing a thoughtful, comprehensive training plan will benefit workers of every experience level.

Sending everyone to training at year end. Your team is too busy to put time into ongoing education, but no one wants to lose the dollars they’ve been allotted. The result is that employees are left scrambling at the end of the year to fit in their expected training sessions. Unfortunately, it’s usually difficult to find appropriate training opportunities with such little time and planning, resulting in money being spent inefficiently. Try putting together a roadmap at the beginning of the year to maximize productivity and provide employees with training tailored to their job.

“Borrowing” from the training budget for other activities. Too often the PMO’s training budget becomes an emergency fund for other things (unexpected technology upgrades, poorly managed scope creep on a high-visibility project, etc.) and continuing education is left by the wayside. Avoid this scenario by viewing the training budget as sacrosanct—approved funds should be used for educational opportunities and nothing else.

Saving money by using internal experts as instructors. Your PMO undoubtedly has a deep pool of expertise, but you’re limiting your team’s exposure to influential thought leaders and innovative thinking if you don’t encourage them to broaden their horizons through training. Don’t eliminate internal mentoring and teaching completely, but be sure to incorporate outside expertise and new perspectives regularly.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: PMO Development, Project Management Training

Avoid Social Engineering’s Threat to Your PMO

September 22, 2011 Leave a Comment

Social engineering is more commonly associated with cyber security attacks, but it can also be used to manipulate your project team. And in some ways, PMOs may be more vulnerable to this kind of exploitation, largely because of the need to be in near-constant contact with end users, stakeholders, business partners, and other supporters. While you may have already talked with your team about managing confidential information (http://www.duration-driven.com/2010/11/5-tips-for-managing-confidential-information/), it’s important to remember that a number of less-obvious opportunities exist for external folks to pry sensitive information out of your team members. Below are a just a few examples of how social engineering can put your PMO in jeopardy.

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You bump into a former coworker at a networking event and enjoy some garden-variety gossip about how things are going, including an upcoming project you’re excited about that’s sure to position your company for more sales next year. Uh oh, looks like you should have asked your friend about their new position first—they just told you they now work for a competitor that’s desperate to gain market share in your industry.

A vendor might be willing to give you a break on some new equipment if you can tell them where they need to be on price to make the sale. Think carefully before you divulge your budget numbers—you’re in danger of losing your ability to negotiate, plus you may find the “discount” price exactly matches the funds you have available.

Potential collaborators will naturally have a lot of questions for you, but hold off on revealing anything sensitive until non-disclosure agreements are signed. Even the most honorable associates could leave the bargaining table with highly damaging information if negotiations fall through—you don’t want to think about what could happen if the meeting was a ruse perpetrated by someone shady.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Filed Under: PMO Development, Project Management, Project Management Tips
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