Why You Shouldn’t Outsource Your PMO
In the consulting side of my business, I’m often called upon to help build or rescue a PMO for an organization. Sometimes, the CEO that calls me says they are considering outsourcing the company’s PMO. While this might be the dream situation for many consulting firms out there, I’ll tell you why, as a consultant, I’m […]
Telling the PMO Story
Whether you are trying to make the case for the PMO for the first time or giving an update on the progress of the PMO, it’s extremely important that you tell a compelling story of both pain and progress. The story needs to take your audience on the journey from where they are today to […]
My Interview with APM: Thoughts on the State of the PMO
I did an interview for some friends with the Association for Project Management in the UK and I wanted to share this interview with you all! Here you go! Welcome to the Association for Project Management PMO SIG web interview. Today we have Laura Barnard, the CEO of PMO Strategies.
4 Questions to ask when starting a PMO
There are many questions you need to ask when you start a PMO. We immediately want to go to defining the services, building templates, taking on an army of PMs, and starting projects. Before we come in like gangbusters, take a few moments to ask some very fundamental questions that you may want to answer […]
Why do PMOs exist?
When I was a keynote speaker at a University of Maryland Project Management symposium, and spoke about my proven process for creating high-impact PMOs, I took a moment to get to know the audience at the beginning and asked them about what they believed the purpose was for the PMO.
Don’t boil the ocean (when creating a PMO)
While some people may not have heard the term “boil the ocean,” most have heard of the KISS principle, most notably coined by the U.S. Navy in 1960 as “keep it simple, stupid.” The idea was don’t over-complicate things unnecessarily. Keep your approach and your methods simple. Makes sense to me, I’m all about simple […]
Is Your PMO Risk-Ready?
Author: Carl Pritchard, PMP, PMI-RMP, principal and founder of Pritchard Management Associates As the “risk guy” I marvel at how many project offices come to risk management late in the game, rather than a line of first resort. In our project offices, we need to make sure that risk is integral in our day-to-day practices if […]
Whatever you do, don’t call it a PMO
What’s in a name? When it comes to PMOs, a lot! Have you been paying attention to the PMO space recently? I have. More and more organizations are moving away from the title PMO for the organization that facilitates the planning and execution of business strategy. I’ve seen Business Transformation Office, Strategic Planning Office, Strategy […]
The problem with process: Why your projects and PMOs are failing before they ever get off the ground
If I read one more PMO article or book that tells me to focus my energy on process first if I want my PMO to be successful, I’m going to be sick. Process is NOT the answer (well, at least it’s not the first answer)! I’ve seen many PMO leaders spend a year or more […]
Stop playing with toys – where many PMO leaders are getting stuck
There are several building blocks necessary for a PMO to be successful. To keep things simple for this post, let’s focus on the general categories people, processes and tools. Everyone knows you need people in your PMO or playing the PMO roles to make it a PMO (even if there is only one of you […]