Zombie PMOs...don't be that guy.



For several years now the phrase 'Zombie PMO' has been used to describe a PMO organization that is barely alive -- more focused on mundane self-serving practices than delivering business value.  Be sure that well before the 'Zombie' reference was born, this has been a crisis in the PM community.  For years we've seen PMOs come and go in and out of fashion, not because the concept of a PMO lacked business value, but because those executing the PMO have failed to focus on the business value they should be delivering.

We staunchly support the idea of embracing best-practices, standards, governance, and employing sound methodology.  But, without an understanding of how these characteristics should be leveraged to deliver for the business you run the risk of becoming antiquated, unnecessary, and overhead that the business will either ignore or disband.

One of the critical actions that I would encourage for any PMO leader is to engage in a healthy dialog with the business counterparts and ask them directly what they are looking to achieve.  Not surprisingly, I have found in many organizations a huge disconnect between what the PMO thinks its job is and what their business sponsors think their job is.

Much has been written about the tell-tale signs of a Zombie PMO -- lack of a PMO strategy, vision, mission -- and an equal amount has been written about how to become a relevant player in the eyes of the business. But, just as all organizations are not the same nor should all PMOs be the same.  The alignment needs to start with an honest conversation that clearly outlines what a business wants the PMO to achieve for them.  Often, the PMO feels they have the monopoly on understanding the value of a PMO function. However, if you adopt this strategy of trying to convince the business that PMO-knows-best, you do so at your own peril.



Thinking about project risk?  The Method123 Project Risk Assessment Tool is an easy and effective way to quantify this project risk of all the projects in your portfolio.  Normally $25 USD, we're putting it out here for only $4.99 for our blog readers!

 



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Execution phase of a project

Which steps do I take to complete a phase review for the execution of a project ? The execution phase of a project will be undoubtedly the longest phase of a project life cycle. The reason is that it includes the creation of all of the deliverables for the customer. Therefore the execution phase must have a detailed review at its completion in order to ensure that the project has satisfactorily meet all of the objectives set by the customer before the project can proceed to the following phase which is project closure. When completing a phase review for the execution phase the most important thing is to determine that all deliverables for the project have been 100% completed and that there are no outstanding risks and issues or changes in the associated risk and issues registers. If that is the case then the phase review form can be completed and the project closure phase can be initiated
Read more

Manage the Schedule for Small Projects

Manage the Schedule for Small Projects All projects need a schedule. If you have a small project perhaps the schedule is a simple checklist or Excel spreadsheet. As projects get larger they need more formal scheduling templates and tools . The processes you use to manage a schedule also vary depending on the size of the project. Large projects need a lot of schedule management rigor. Small projects can use a lighter process. The following steps can be used to mage the schedule of a small project. Review the schedule on a weekly basis. Identify activities that have been completed during the previous week and update the schedule to show they are finished. Determine whether there are activities that should be completed, but are not. Work with the individual that is assigned to the work see what is going on. Determine how much additional effort and duration are needed to complete the work and update the schedule accordingly. Evaluate the remaining work to see if the project wil
Read more

Method123 Awarded by PM Institute

Today, Method123 Ltd announced that it has been awarded by the Project Management Institute as one of the "Top Upcoming Products" Worldwide in the Project Management Tools space. The Company was listed in the PM Network Magazine: Volume 10, Issue 2 "Product Roundup" as one of the leading project management tools online. This comes shortly after the release of a major new version of the product which allows multiple users to access the product at the same time, making the product suite virtual and fully accessible online. The Project Management Institute (PMI.org) is the Project Management Standards Organization and has over a quarter of a million members. While they do not formally endorse products, each month they choose the top players worldwide in a variety of market segments and Award them through their “PM Network Magazine”. The Method123 product range was awarded because of its simplicity, usability and value offered to customers. For more on this story, read
Read more