Do projects the right way. You know the story all too well. There is an immediate need to be filled, and a project is promptly launched – but with no time for analysis or planning. The modus operandi is “just get it done.” The project manager puts together a team, quite often lacking key team […]
5 Tips for Project Prioritization
Strategic alignment is a buzzword that you’ll hear in project management circles at the moment. It means making sure that the projects you are working on are the ones that will make it possible for you to achieve your strategy. This is where project prioritization comes in. Those projects should be the top of your […]
10 Resources Your PMO Should Offer
What PMO resources should you be offering? We use the term ‘Project Management Office’ but in reality there’s no one-size-fits all PMO. As Peter Taylor notes in his book, Leading Successful PMOs, “there are typically three styles of PMO – directive, supportive and controlling.” In a directive PMO the project managers work for the PMO […]
Handling a Project Management Mission Impossible Situation
Have you handled a project management mission impossible situation? You are put in charge of a project, and the sponsor stakeholder directs you to complete the project with a deadline and budget that seem completely unrealistic. How do you, as the designated project manager, handle this situation? Many times project managers are placed in situations […]
Equipping Your PMO For Managing Benefits
The PMO is in an ideal position to support managing benefits. The big problem with understanding the benefits of a project is that the benefits happen after the project has finished. That’s normal, and expected. So why is it a problem? The problem is that once the project has finished, the project governance structures fall […]
How PMOs Contribute to Organizational Alignment
Organizational alignment is something that businesses strive for: The knowledge that your teams are all working effectively together to achieve a strategic aim. The PMO isn’t just the vehicle for making sure that projects align to strategy; it can also contribute to making sure that the organization as a whole is working together in the […]
The Statement of Work and Lessons Learned
Learning lessons form the Statement of Work (SOW). If your company have ever been involved in a project contract dispute, learning from that experience is critical to avoiding future contract disagreements. One area that is often reviewed in these situations is the Statement Of Work, which is an important agreement between customer and subcontractor. The […]
5 Ways To Bring Project Managers to the PMO
The PMO has many functions in an organization but they can all be broadly summed up by helping project managers and their teams get work done more effectively. That can only happen if the project managers work with the PMO in a seamless way. There shouldn’t be tension between the program and project managers and […]
Managing a Project with Limited Authority
How common is limited authority when managing a project? It’s not unusual for Project Managers to be in charge of a project that spans across organizational departments or boundaries. In this situation you may find yourself managing people over whom you have little or no authority. How do you handle or solve this common project […]
Reducing Project Cost
Project cost is a major factor in measuring project success. In fact, project cost is one of three in the triple constraint, cost-schedule-scope. A project manager that can deliver a quality product or service on time and under budget will be in high demand. Typically, at the start of scheduling a project, cost is variable […]