Launching a Project Management Office: Implementation and Improvement

Billy Guinan
By | Updated July 12, 2021 | 4 min read
Launching a Project Management Office: Implementation and Improvement

Launching a project management office is a major endeavor. In this series of articles, I have outlined a five-step approach to make the journey easier.

 

See how to track portfolio performance with BrightWork Templates for SharePoint On-Premises [Video demo]

 

The final two phases recommend a phased approach to implement the PMO and developing a cycle of continuous improvement.

 

Implementing the Project Management Office

Once the PMO is established, you can start to move projects into this structure. These projects were selected during the second stage, Initiation, as you decided on the scope and services to offer in the first phase.

Launch your pilot set of projects, supported by clear plans for communication, change management, and governance.

You’ll also want to plan and track the resources of your team.  As you implement the Project Management Office, there are going to be new duties and new responsibilities for various individuals.

At BrightWork, we use the ‘Start-Evolve’ approach with our customers; the same principle applies to PMO implementation.

  • START quickly with the templates and processes you need for projects and portfolios, right now.
  • In time,  EVOLVE your project management processes by adding more functionality.

 

With this approach, teams have time to become comfortable with new ways of working and enjoy success quickly.

As teams become more confident, you can build on a solid foundation with more projects and complexity.

 

Continuous Improvement

Once the PMO is operational, schedule some time for a feedback session with the team.

Find out what they like or don’t like, and want to improve, add, or remove.

You will likely only have a short window of opportunity to prove the value of the PMO to the wider business, making improvement and innovation key to your success.

According to the Project Management Institute, PMOs that regularly seek and implement feedback tend to be highly important to their organizations.

Within your PPM software, create a backlog for feedback and suggestions for managing projects you would like to try or evolve to.

These can cover additional changes that people want to make to forms, scheduled reports, additional scorecards configured with KPIs, or other elements.

In time, seek feedback from stakeholders and customers.

Look back at your notes from the initial assessment and select some common project management challenges within the organization to tackle.  This will help to embed the PMO within the business whilst also establishing credibility for the PMO team.

Areas to consider include:

  • Portfolio alignment with business goals
  • Risk Management
  • Benefits Management
  • Cost Management
  • Project management certifications
  • Knowledge Management
  • Metrics and Reporting.

 

As the team experiences some project management success, you will want to evolve to more sophisticated processes.

Be sure to maintain clear standards during periods of change and improvement.

You need to balance flexibility with standardized processes, especially for reporting.

 

 

Launching a Project Management Office Series Recap

This article is part of a four-part series, which looks at how to establish a successful PMO. If you wish to review the first three steps, just follow the links below:

 

 

Conclusion

A Project Management Office helps organizations to deliver the right projects at the right time in the right way.

Software is key to your success. A highly configurable platform, SharePoint On-Premises is a powerful option for your PMO.

The BrightWork PPM solution for SharePoint On-Premises (server editions of SharePoint 2019, 2016, 2013) has everything you need to launch a successful PMO.

In our free video demo, you’ll see how BrightWork will help you to:

  • Manage Projects with flexible templates, automated reporting, and collaborative team sites.
  • Control Portfolios with project request management, real-time portfolio dashboards, and resource allocation.
  • Leverage SharePoint with secure, scalable deployment in your existing environment.

 

BrightWork PPM Software for SharePoint

 

 

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2015 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

Image credit 

Billy Guinan
Billy Guinan

Working with a range of B2B SaaS project portfolio management software for nearly 15 years, Billy specializes in best practices and methods of how to leverage Microsoft 365, Teams, Power Platform, and SharePoint to make project management easier. His focus areas are Collaborative Project Management and Template-Driven Project Management on the Microsoft platform. Beyond all things BrightWork, Billy enjoys reading, trying to golf, and walking his pug named Nova.

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