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In theory, project management offices and project managers work together to deliver value to the organization in a consistent manner. In practice, PMOs and project managers often step on each other’s toes in a clash between results and processes. Here are five best practices for how the PMO can improve harmony, from the project manager perspective.
Do project management offices help or hinder the project managers in your organization? In theory, PMOs and project managers interact in a two-step tango that rivals the latest “Dancing with the Stars” reality show. In practice, PMOs and project managers can often step on each other’s toes and stumble all in the name of following project management process. From the project manager viewpoint, the project manager’s role is to deliver results. The project management processes are tools for project managers to deliver work consistently. If a process is too overwhelming, the project manager will short cut the process to deliver the project. Does it really matter if the third approved at the tollgate didn’t sign off at the gate review but the project was delivered on time? From a PMO perspective, all the projects should be delivering according to a common project management process. Ensuring project teams following consistent processes ensures repeatable results and uniform communication. The project needs to be delivered on time, but it also needs to follow the prescribed process. The two different perspectives of “project versus process” can often cause friction between the two groups. The PMO can quickly be perceived as non-value add overhead and project managers can be viewed as non-compliant and resisting process. Having worked in each group, I’ve found PMOs and project managers can achieve harmony, starting with these five practices. 1. Reuse project status reports Don’t ask the project manager to fill out another form. Processes become overbearing when the same information is requested multiple times and needs to be populated in different formats. Status reporting is the frequent offender that causes project management friction. Each month, the PMO Governance function requires a status update for each project in the portfolio. Instead of reusing the project-level status report, the project manager is asked to fill out a summary form. A simple solution is to adopt a common status-reporting format that accurately conveys status at the project level and can be rolled up into a portfolio summary. Organizations can develop scorecard templates that allow data to be extracted and integrated into a PMO-level summary report. If the organization doesn’t have the technical capability to roll up project data, a simpler process is to have the PMO review the status report and create the consolidate PMO-level status report. 2. Staff the PMO with experience Effective PMOs are staffed with resources who are experts in both process and delivery. Rotating experienced project managers into PMO roles will help transfer PM experience across the organization. The PMO gains credibility with the delivery teams when members of the PMO have dealt with similar complex project experiences. Staffing the PMO with administrative resources to track documents only provides value in process audits instead of project delivery. Finding skilled project managers within the PMO who have real work experience is invaluable to novice project or program managers. The PMO should act as coach and guide to avoid project management disasters. 3. Actively participate in project delivery
A PMO doesn’t need to confine itself to staff roles. Financials, portfolio reviews, resource management and milestone tracking are administrative; however, the PMO adds more value to the project when it understands the projects within the portfolio. Inquiring why a project hasn’t launched within the company’s 180-day average when it launched in 182 days doesn’t add value; understanding a project’s key issues and risks and helping raise the visibility does. An effective PMO that understands the project goals, impact to the business, and status within the portfolio is a useful resource. A PMO can provide better insight into available portfolio resources and can be a point of escalation for issue and risk management. The PMO doesn’t manage the project but provides the expertise to guide the project manager along. 4. Proactively respond to process requests PMOs want project managers to follow process. Project managers are willing to follow the process as long as the process is responsive and timely. A PMO’s credibility is undermined when a form or request is submitted and the project manager has to wait weeks for the PMO’s response. If the PMO takes two to three weeks for a new project request to be processed, the process becomes a roadblock. The PMO cannot hinder project delivery. It needs to act as a catalyst for the project and respond effectively. 5. Champion a community of practice PMOs have an excellent opportunity to improve the level of project management within an organization. The PMO is an independent and dedicated resource that can invest resources into project management improvement. Effective PMOs foster a learning environment for project management across the organization. One approach to developing a learning environment is to sponsor a community of practice. A community of practice is simply a group of project managers who share lessons learned and best practices. The best practices emerge from the people actually doing the work rather than a top-down process. PMOs still need to implement process with a top-down approach. By incorporating the standards and practices into the community of practice, change management and process adoption become easier. Both the PMO and project managers are part of the solution to improve project delivery within the organization. These five tips, from a project manager perspective, on how to improve PMO involvement in project delivery are just the start. As project managers and PMOs openly discuss better project management processes, additional best practices can and will be identified. This article was written by Andy Makar and originally published at Projects@Work.
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