Building a PMO that makes sense to your organization

Ryan Endres, PMPUW Madison

Walker Downey and Associatesryan.endres@juno.com

ryanendres.com

Overview •Executive buy-in on building a PMO •Common tools a PMO has in small and large organizations •How to mature your PMO with quality improvement•Staff development

Executive buy-in on building a PMO •Who is your audience?

•We have a problem• What are our current problems in our organization (scope

creep, over budget, coming in late….)?

•What if we keep doing more of the same?• You need to give them a clear picture of what will happen if

you do nothing.

•What do we need to do to create a PMO?• What resources do you need? Funding? Timeline to

implement?

•What is in it for the audience?• This is where you need to sell your project. You need to prove

to them that accepting your proposal will be their lives easier.

Common tools of a PMOAll PMO’s must have:

TemplatesPolicies and ProceduresCommon areas for project informationA person in the PMO that is an expert user of

your PM process, including any applications you plan to use

All PMO’s do not necessary need to have:Microsoft Project (it is not a PMO in a box)Microsoft SharePoint

TemplatesNew Project sign-off

Scope of the project?Do we have the resources (people and money)Estimate of the timeline?ROISign off on the project

TemplatesProject Charter (you must have)

Who is the PMScope? Out of scope?MilestonesWho is on the project?Project assumptions/constraintsCommunication StrategyRisk Management Plan/are there any known Risks?Project Team Sign off

http://www.pma.doit.wisc.edu/templates.html

TemplatesWBS (must have)

Templates

http://www.pma.doit.wisc.edu/templates.html

Templates

http://www.pma.doit.wisc.edu/templates.html

TemplatesUpdates

TemplatesExecutive Reports

TemplatesExecutive Reports

Policies and ProceduresProject Management Manual

Describes from the birth to the death of the project which templates and processes to follow

Common areas for project informationSmall company

Common location in a folder on your serverMedium Company

Create your own website with project information

Common areas for project informationSharePoint

Great for large companies and worldwide projects

How to mature your PMO with quality improvement

Reviews your program performance against established baselines, identifies significant variances in program results, and recommends corrective actions;

Take one of your PM pocesses and review all of your organizations project to make sure the PM is compling with your policies.

Staff developmentLong gone are the days of an employee being dedicated to one employer for their entire career.

So what can we do to try to keep them for as long as possible? This new breed of Project Manager is looking for: •mentoring•training•a good work environment•flexible schedules •appropriate salaries