PMO Framework that brings value to Organization
PMO Framework that brings value to Organization
Certified Baseline PMO Consultant (CB-PMO)® is a framework developed by PMO Global Institute which is used to set up and manage PMOs across projects and many industries. PMO Framework provides guidance for all levels in an organization. People who are actively engaged in project, program, and Portfolio management. As a result, organizations get greater alignment and visibility. It also helps enable better business results with a quick turnaround time and improved quality and predictability. In addition, It helps organizations to respond effectively to unpredictable market conditions, ever changing customer needs, and upcoming technologies.
PMO Framework
In general, It is the business objective that drives the need of having a PMO. The business objectives of an organization are translated by its strategies and to convert these strategies into action, organizations need a framework to work with. Some of its strategic objectives reflected through the project that was initiated under the PMO, hence a strong framework is needed to adapt the challenges that have been set at strategic level.
A framework acts like a foundation upon which the structure can be built. A framework consists of governance that defines the methodologies to be followed, policies and templates to be used for guidance.
CB-PMO® has its own framework that consists of several layers including foundation layer, executable layer, supporting layer and leadership layer. Each layer presents a definite area of functions, process and activities. The foundation layer consists of business objectives that cover the area of why organizations need a PMO. These business objectives later converted into executable PMO strategies. Following sections will explain how these different layers and processes interact with each other.
FOUNDATION LAYER
This layer assesses the current condition of the PMO and develops the roadmap to achieve the ultimate goal. To assess the current state of the PMO, a quick health check is recommended. Based on the findings of the health check report, PMO may go for a detailed level PMO maturity assessment. In addition, a detailed analysis and functionality of the proposed PMO should be done that reflect the strategies of the organization.
The CB-PMO® framework gives more emphasis on defining the PMO roadmap in the early stage of a PMO establishment. As per the CB-PMO® framework once the pulse check, maturity assessment and analysis and defining PMO functions are completed, it is advisable to define the PMO roadmap that encapsulates the findings and facts from the above-mentioned activities. A roadmap is the exploration of the organizational strategic intent. Once the roadmap is completed, the PMO charter should be developed or it can be done parallelly.
The PMO charter is the document that can be treated as a contract between the organization and the PMO. A PMO charter contains the list of services offerings and the supporting commitments from the organization such as funding, resources and sponsorship.
EXECUTABLE LAYER
As the PMO roadmap and charter has been created, a list of policies should be developed to support the execution of the roadmap. It is preferred to start with a Proof of Concept (PoC) to establish a PMO rather than start with a full scale matured PMO. Majority of the PMO fails due to over estimated commitment to the organization. It’s better to conduct a trial run by means of a PoC and find the appropriate model that fits and addresses the organizational needs. Identify the roles and competency required for serving the needs of the PMO functionality.
A PoC should be run following a schedule baseline. A periodic monitoring is needed to justify the outcomes that this PoC is performing the necessary alignment that reflect the organizational needs. Evaluate the PoC based on some predefined KPI’s and take corrective measurements accordingly. The whole journey should be provisioned for continuous improvement. Continuous improvement methods are recommended to apply based on the industry domain i.e KAIZEN, Six Sigma, PDCA etc.
SUPPORTING LAYER
Several supporting activities are combined together to serve the purpose of the PMO. Team structure of the PMO, that concentrates on the team skill and competence assessments. Use of proper digital PMO technology tools to establish visibility and transparency in PMO. Ensuring that the needs of the stakeholders are addressed by proper stakeholder management and engagement strategies. List of methods, artifacts will support the foundation and execution processes to maintain the standards. The overall structure of the PMO can be based on the agile philosophy so that the PMO team can be adaptable and flexible to take feedback and improve on a continuous basis.
PMO LEADERSHIP
According to research, a majority of PMO fails due to lack of effective role played by the PMO leadership. With the growing demand for PMO, the need to develop skills needed for the leadership team of the PMO become important. The skills and characteristics of the PMO leader is one of the primary focuses of this framework. A skilled PMO leader can act as a catalyst for maturing the success of PMO. Without focused PMO leadership, a PMO can struggle with its identity and the role it plays in the parent organization. It’s important to set the expectation from the PMO leadership group and get the executive sponsorship throughout the life cycle of the PMO. Also, emotional intelligence can play a vital role to improve the success of the PMO leadership group;
Most of the governance, policies and methodologies mentioned in this framework are applicable for most of the time and most of the cases but it’s not a one size fits all to follow as a hard logic framework. There is always a scope of tailoring that is allowed to fit the organizational needs.
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