Implement These Six Value-Add Services in Your PMO
Sunday, May 7, 2017, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
All Project Management Offices (PMOs) try to build and support better processes for managing projects.
However, PMOs can do much more.
Companies seeking more efficiency and tighter monitoring of IT projects are opening project management offices (PMO) in growing numbers.
Here are six items that would provide additional value to the project managers and the entire organization.
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Establish and support a document repository
One of the value propositions to deploying common project management processes is the ability to reuse processes, procedures, templates, prior examples, etc.
However, the ability to reuse documentation does not come about like magic. To facilitate process and document reuse, the PMO needs to establish and manage a Document Repository. This could be as easy as setting up a directory structure that everyone in the organization can access.
It might also be more elaborate and multi-functional, like a tool specifically designed for document management.
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Convert key learnings to best practices
At the end of every project, the project manager, team and major stakeholders should get together in an end-of-project meeting. During that meeting the discussion should turn to lessons learned.
As the PMO collects more and more key learnings, they may start to see patterns emerge in the lessons learned.
At some point, lessons learned from projects can be raised from the level of a best practice.
A best practice statement implies that the benefit can be gained for all projects, not just the few that reported it.
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Coordinating a common resource pool
All companies have a process to staff projects. Since the PMO is a focal point for all project management-related activities, it is the right place to manage these common resource pools.
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Document review service
Document reviews can be offered to help ensure that project managers are utilizing the standard templates as they were intended and that they are completed clearly and consistently.
The PMO is not “approving” the document, but they are providing feedback on the content, format and readability of the specified document.
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Defining the role of contractors on projects
Most companies utilize contractors for some portion of their workload. The question is how best to utilize contractors and how best to utilize employees.
The PMO can help determine the right policies for staffing projects in your company.
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Benchmarking
As your company becomes more sophisticated at utilizing metrics, you might realize that collecting internal data on internal projects is valuable, but can only take you so far.
You don’t really know how efficient and effective your project delivery is unless you can compare how you deliver projects against other companies.
Benchmarking studies (one-time) and benchmarking programs (longer-term) are a way to compare your organization against others.
Many companies are finding that they must build project management capabilities if they are going to meet business challenges in the future. Many companies give this responsibility to one or more people in a Project Management Office (PMO).
If the PMO is established with a clear vision, strong sponsorship and a solid approach, it can be a vehicle for creating a tremendous amount of value for the company.
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This column is © copyright to www.Method123.com and originally appeared in their weekly project management tip newsletter.
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