The Virginmedia and O2 Portfolio Management Office – PMO Conference 2023

How does a PMO create a new standard for delivery within a Framework ensuring the ‘best of both’ is retained when two Telecommunications giants merge

When O2 and Virginmedia merged in June 2021 they needed to create a standard single way of governing and delivering in excess of 1000 projects every year!

This is the story of how their two PMOs became a unified Portfolio Management Office and the journey they undertook from the first introductory meetings to the launch of the Framework and the continued transformation that they are delivering today.

You will hear about:

• How creating a common purpose creates the foundations for successful transformation by enabling fast decision-making that underpins rapid development and change
• How company cultures and maturity levels play a key role in the design and rollout of processes and tools.
• The challenges of rolling out change amidst companywide change
• The safeguards and techniques deployed to ensure a successful launch and continued transformation
• The first year of their transformation – the Lessons Learned

Recorded Session

Presentation Deck

Session Summary

This session features the process of merging two companies, Virgin Media and O2, into a joint venture and what happened to the PMO. Ian Finch describes the challenges and decisions made to create a common delivery framework that incorporates the best practices from both organisations.

There was also lots of work involved in aligning the project management processes and systems used by the two companies. Ian’s role focused on managing this transformation which included the senior leadership team’s involvement, and the development of a delivery framework. It’s a detailed account of the journey to merge the two companies and establish a common way of working.

Leadership is Key

Ian explains that the executive committee of the new organisation was established, bringing stability to the leadership. He talks about how they needed to merge the project management approaches of both companies, which had different terminologies and processes. They found that many of the activities and gateways were similar, which made the merger process smoother.

Additionally, he mentions the need for a system strategy for delivery, which involved evaluating the systems used by both companies and determining which should be integrated into the new framework.

Ian also touches on the challenge of convincing senior leaders, who were going to use the framework, of the proposed changes. He highlights that they were dealing with multiple senior leaders, each with their teams, which added complexity to the decision-making process.

Using OKRs