A couple of weeks ago we were in Manchester for an evening of The Value of the PMO The evening event explored three different insights that are focused on the value a PMO provides to an organisation. We looked at what P3O had to say; the PMO Value Ring (something we've written about before) and the Business Driven PMO.
The Business Driven PMO comes from Mark Price Perry - he wrote about it first of all back in 2009 in his popular book with the same title - Business Driven PMO Setup: Practical Insights, Techniques and Case Examples for Ensuring Success
Mark came over to the UK earlier in the year for the PMO Conference where he provided the opening keynote - the message was all about putting the horse before the cart when it comes to PMO set up. Take a look at a brief part of the keynote where he talks about the usual journey a PMO set up and ongoing management takes.
The PMO Conference last month pulled together an eclectic mix of sessions, speakers, practitioners and supplying organisations. People have often asked what the theme for the conference is - it's PMO. Simple as that. It doesn't have to have one theme - or one focus - because PMO is so varied, so why not pull together a conference that celebrates that variety.
This year I was spoilt for choice when it came to putting together my top ten - those little nuggets or lightbulb moments - things that have stuck four weeks later.
If you want to see the sessions for yourself you can, there's a small fee that goes right back into PMO Flashmob so we can carry on pulling together great events in the future.
Here's my top ten:
The Golden Rule - It's Not Your PMO
Who's Who in the PMO Zoo
Agile PMO - Three is the Magic Number
Bagel Theory
PMO Principles
Epics and Sprints
We Don't Close - We Change and Evolve - Beyond the Tricky Third Year
Tailoring the PMO
Growing Up Portfolio Management Style
Flip the Switch
Jez Rose is a behaviourist, broadcaster, speaker and Beverly Hills Awards-winning author. He works globally with organisations to help them ‘flip the switch’, to achieve extraordinary results with simple changes to how they think.
Jez demonstrates brain tricks and behaviour fixes to achieve extraordinary results, inspiring everyone to find the gap between stimulus and response and be the best they can be.
An energising and inspiring end to the PMO Conference.
Saudi Arabia has been dependent on oil but with the reduction in demand and the drop of oil prices it needs to find alternative revenue sources. Saudi Arabia is going through a 15-year plan called Vision 2030, reinventing itself by moving up the value chain. To do this, large and complex projects have been identified and budgets have been established. The Saudi King has carried out an assessment of critical success factors and determined that PMOs at all levels of the government and industry are key to success for these projects.
The concept of PMOs have been established at the Kingdom level reporting to highest authority. This presentation explains why and how the PMOs have been established and how the topology reflects the business demand across the various departments and industries.
This amazing story explains how PMOs were identified as functional critical success factors and how they are one of the main pillars of success for a nation that needs to change.
The presentation moves from the macro to the micro level and details the 10 top challenges PMO Directors and PMO Managers face in the government sector.
Takeaways:
Saudi Arabia success story in using unified PMO approaches across all government entities to achieve Vision2030
Key role and power of decision makers on PMO success
10 top challenges PMO Directors and PMO Managers face in the government environment
In this case study, Kingsley and Dave will explain how RPCuk and Faithful + Gould deployed technology to facilitate the delivery of integrated services, which included Project Controls, Portfolio Management and Costs Integration. This solution has been designed and a POC delivered for a leading UK academic institution.
Through the intelligent amalgam of Project Controls best practice and supporting technology, we maintain proper governance of our data whilst increasing the access and exposure to information critical to the success of our project.
This presentation, demonstrated by RPCuk, will highlight one particular component, the integration of cost data and how we brought together information from multiple systems to manage budgets, expenditure, resources and schedule and delivered visibility of the true cost of the project, from funding and budget through to expenditure, and highlighted the cost of change and impacts on forecasts.
Takeaways:
A high level view of the integrations and touch points to be considered in developing the technology platform
Specific example of an integrated cost sheet and how to drill down to component items, regardless of the data source.
Recognition of the risks related to managing the plethora of data sources and manipulations currently in use in most PMO’s
The benefits of marrying people, processes and products and why it is important
In many organisations, infrequent consideration of business strategy and annual budgeting cycles results in static portfolios often created 6-18 months ahead of the initiation of the Programmes and Projects they contain. In this session, Ed and Barbara explore how to create and run portfolios of projects, programmes and business as usual initiatives in an agile way.
For Portfolio PMOs the Agile Portfolio Management approach covers key areas including agile portfolio budgeting; prioritisation and blending; governance and fulfilment.
Some of the themes explored will be:
The Agile Organisation and how it can help CEOs and other senior executives reach their goals, do more for less and be competitive and responsive in an a constantly changing world.
What is Agile Portfolio Management, how it contributes to the agile business, how it differs from traditional portfolio management.
Key tips on how the PMO can contribute to make Agile Portfolio Management work in your organisations
Takeaways:
Understand the core themes of Agile Portfolio Management
Take away practical tips on how Agile Portfolio Management works in reality
Understand the role of the Portfolio PMO in Agile Portfolio Management
Many PMOs are vulnerable to failing within the first three years of operation due to the changes that continually impact its very existence.
In this session, Robert Joslin explores the top ten key drivers of change that affect the PMO and gives insights into how practitioners can prepare for the PMO’s response to changes.
This session, based on evidence-based findings, introduces the seven core PMO principles, which form the basis of a new international PMO standard. Implementing these seven core PMO principles, within any type of PMO today, will not only underpin PMOs with a solid foundation for delivering high value services, they will also reduce the risk of adverse effects during these turbulent change periods.
Takeaways:
The importance of seven core principles underpinning PMOs
The top 10 drivers changing the PMO today
Why and how PMO principles will increase the long-term value of PMOs within an organisation
Our portfolios typically contain strategic and business delivery portfolio items, which are initiated through top down imperatives or BAU work.
However, how do we deal with ideas from the bottom up? How do we set idea challenges and nurture ideation? How do we capture and develop the good idea? Does that need to be part of the portfolio management and what part does the ‘PMO’ play in creating the environment for, and perhaps managing that process?
Takeaways:
Understanding what is involved to embrace innovation within your organisation
Awareness of what benefits bottom up innovation can deliver
An appreciation of the part technology can play and advice on getting an initiative off the ground
Attracting talent to PMO as a career can be a challenge; creating a clear, yet “agile” path of progression perceived as “exciting” as a role in delivery can seem impossible!
As a fledgling PMO Practitioner searching the internet for “PMO Accreditation” will bring back a plethora of offerings but somehow the “O” of “PMO” gets lost after the first or second result!
With very little relevant, formal PMO training available and more and more pressure on L&D budgets, how, as we build our PMO community of Practice, can we develop a self-sustaining learning cycle which will develop the individual as well as the service?
This session will explore the challenges presented and some solutions in building capability within a PMO Practice where the “bar “is constantly rising, and PMO, even though respected can be considered second choice as a Career.
Takeaways:
Becoming first choice- peeling away the administrative role
Potential Career journeys in PMO
The Capability Jigsaw- how do we make the pieces fit across PM and PMO?
Even in organisations that utilise agile delivery methods, the language of the project manager and the PMO is often steeped in waterfall thinking. For the PMO to remain relevant it needs to adapt to the changing needs and goals of the business.
The core of the issue is the simple question, “why do organisations invest in projects?”. Delivering the scope is rarely a business goal in itself. In fact, with agile projects the scope itself isn’t even fixed.
The purpose of this talk is to discuss the role of the PMO in a world where the organisation itself is having to adapt, experiment and innovate to survive.
How does the PMO help an organisation to ensure it has both the right purpose and gets the right outcomes for its projects?
Drawing on his experience within Elsevier, Ian will discuss how he is working towards creating a PMO that is not a follower, but a leader in the transition to an evidence based product organisation.
Takeaways:
How a modern PMO supports an agile organisation
Tips for welding good initiation process to successful delivery
The new Project Management triangle
