Technology continues to make advances that can be embraced or ignored (at least temporarily) by our PMOs.
The latest bunch of technologies include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Machine Learning (ML) and Predictive Analytics (PA). Few PMOs have embedded these technologies, with many more not fully understanding what the technologies can do, but concerned by the scare stories that the PMO roles will disappear within the next 5 years.
In the latest report, we take a look at how these technologies can be used within the PMO; how to get started and how the PMO is changing.
This is the session to take a look at if you're a bit of a technophobe.
You've probably heard about Artificial Intelligence and dismissed it as science-fiction that has no place in the workplace. To be honest, I was like that too, yet there's definitely something in it and it probably will be changing the way we work in the future - and probably not as far away as we think.
Robotic Process Automation or RPA, is one of the those AI technologies that definitely has benefits for the PMO.
Who wouldn't like to see some of the more repetitive, boring parts of the job get automated and completed in minutes?
There are lots of conversations at the moment about something like RPA putting people out of a job which, let's be honest, if the whole PMO job was a process we should quite rightly be put out of a job but it isn't and I can't see that happening as long as there are people in projects.
What it will do is give us time. More time to do the things we should be doing that really makes a difference to the business. Again, this might be a challenge for some PMOs which are very much a transactional model, however, this is the opportunity to change that and make bold steps forward.
In this session, we introduce Cyril.
Cyril is our BOT, he's the one that has started automating some of our repetitive processes here at PMO Flashmob and PMO Learning.
The session is for novices and technophobes. People that are passionate about PMO and pretty clueless about RPA.
This is the place to start understanding, in baby-steps, with our BOT in his toddler-phase. This is the start of PMOBot.
Join us as we take a journey through the future PMO today – touching on data; AI; RPA, machine learning; analytics – with Martin Paver, the creator of Project:Hack in conversation with Lindsay Scott.
We’re having a chat about the kind of things the PMO practitioners got involved in at Project:Hack as we start to understand “the art of the possible”.
We want to talk about how the PMO is evolving and changing with the use of new technologies; new skillsets and new roles.
Both Martin and Lindsay will be sharing what’s been happening in this space over the last 18 months, so it’s your chance to get up to speed and make sense of it all!
At the end of June, in the hottest day of the year, a few PMO Flashmobbers attended a weekend event that PMO Flashmob and PMO Learning were sponsoring.
The Project: Hack organised by the Project Data Analytics Meetup team is a two day event aimed at getting the project community closer to the data science community so skills can be combined and magic can start to happen. The next one is in October (12th and 13th) if you're interested, take a look here.
We'll be letting you know what magic we created soon but in the meantime we wanted to share some insights from a Masterclass that took place on the day. These were one hour sessions from the people that really know their stuff. In this one, Rishi Sapra talks about storytelling with data and he shares some real practical advice and resources.
Here's what we learnt:
Why Stories?
The reason why storytelling is synonymous with data is the need for people to understand what the data is telling them and take action based on the insights the data is revealing.
There's a whole raft of reasons why its needed and if you're interested in stuff like neuroscience and psychological reasons here's one article to read to get you started.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be fascinated by all the talk about project data analytics and what can be achieved with data science. You’re probably feeling slightly overwhelmed with it all too – data models; analysis, visualisation – gosh where to start?!
In March, the PMO Flashmob Mini-Masterclass was all about Project Data Analytics. Presented by Martin Paver, pretty much the go-to guy for data analytics in a project context, we got 90 minutes of a rollercoaster of a ride.
Martin gave us a really great overview of:
How data is being used in projects at the moment
The technology that drives analytics - AI, Machine Learning and Deep Learning
The foundational knowledge you need
Loads of brilliant examples of how this all works in a project environment
How to get prepared for a project data analytics - plus the pros and cons
And how project data analytics figures in our world - the PMO:
Watch the session and see the presentation from the evening - be prepared to have your socks knocked off.
Been hearing a lot about Project Data Analytics recently? Yes us too! It's one of those things we see every so often in PMO (portfolio management, benefits, Agile have been just some of them over the years) which (a) we need to know about because it's part of our job to know everything about project delivery (b) it has the potential to be disruptive, a big game-changer for the PMO.
We've been looking to the leaders in this field to help educate us. Martin Paver and the team at Project Data Analytics Meetup have been brilliant at helping us understand - inviting us in and allowing us to ask daft questions until we can start to make sense of it. Some of the things we've seen really is mind-blowing.
We had the pleasure of having Martin speak to PMO Flashmob a few weeks ago and until that session is ready to share, we wanted to tell you about a recent weekend we sponsored that Martin runs a few times a year.
Project:Hack It was a first for us - no idea what to expect and even feeling nervous and slightly out of our depths.
In this article, Nicole Reilly, who, to be fair is our go-to gal for anything to do with data, dashboards and tool stuff, picks up on the current trend on data analytics. If you're one of those PMO practitioners who are trying to get your head around all of this at the moment, this is the article to get you started. Here's Nicole:
Trends published for 2019 confirm that better data analytics and reporting is a hot topic; PMO Flashmob posted their trends and in this article from Daniel Newman on Top 10 Digital Transformation Trends For 2019 it's number five on the list.
I’ve posted before about my belief that PMOs haven’t quite got to grips with maximising the value of data and providing business insight. So over the Christmas break I’ve spent some time thinking about some top tips I can offer, given my background in business analysis and continued interest in the topic.
Back in late 2017 the Project Data Analytics community launched with the intention of exploring and sharing how to leverage big data, machine learning and AI within a project, programme and portfolio environment - with one of the key questions being how can we move from lagging to leading indicators that ultimately improve project delivery outcomes?
Throughout 2018 audiences at the monthly events in London have regularly been in excess of 100 attendees, clearly demonstrating the level of interest around the topic from both data scientists and project professionals.
Why do so many people show up to the monthly community meet-ups, when there are a wealth of books or free resources available on the web? I believe the answer is fairly simple – we want to connect, and to hear the stories; we want to know who, what, how, where and when the challenges faced were overcome; and we want to meet others who are on the same journey and are willing to share their experiences with us.
