Building a Successful Project Management Office

You Will Learn How To

Develop a Project Management Office (PMO) to improve project efficiency
Customise standards for project management methodologies, processes and procedures
Manage and validate compliance through centralised controls
Align project selection criteria with strategic organisational objectives
Create a Project Management Information System (PMIS) for better communication and collaboration
Provide ongoing project management support through mentoring and coaching

Course Benefits

A Project Management Office (PMO) is vital to ensure project consistency, efficiency and effectiveness across the organisation. In this course, you learn how to build an effective PMO. You gain the skills to structure a central PMO that provides standardisation, oversight and ongoing support, and training in a multiple-project environment.

Who Should Attend

Project managers, programme managers, directors, team leaders and anyone working in a portfolio management capacity. Project management experience at the level of Course 296, "Project Management: Skills for Success", or Course 340, "Project Management for Software Development", is assumed.

Through an evolving case study, you gain the necessary skills to create and maintain a PMO that meets the current demands and constraints of a multiproject environment. Activities include:

Developing and customising a PMO charter implementation plan
Defining a comprehensive controls and oversight policy
Customising a knowledge management plan
Structuring the key components of a PMIS
Assessing and aligning organisational priorities with project approval procedures
Mapping stakeholders within a central PMO communications plan
Performing strategic risk analysis across the enterprise
Developing ongoing project management training and educational plans

Course Content

Introduction

Why you need a Project Management Office
Defining the value of a PMO
Assessing how a PMO can help your organisation

The Components of a PMO

Establishing overall success criteria

Clarifying the PMO Maturity Model
Setting the foundation by creating a PMO charter
Adapting PMO roles and responsibilities within the organisation

Developing a PMO road map for success

Identifying PMO inputs and outputs for greater project control
Implementing a PMO that suits the needs of your organisation

Tailoring Project Management Standards and Controls

Defining project standardisation

Recognising the benefits of systems thinking and process planning at the programme level
Establishing standardisation of project management processes
Developing standard document templates for complete project life cycle management
Building project management methodologies applicable to your environment

Applying project controls and oversight

Adapting defined standards and metrics
Combining theory and application through the work of Edwards Deming
Validating project compliance to standards and regulations
Structuring project knowledge management
Facilitating project portfolio management

Aligning Projects with Business Goals

Driving business objectives

Balancing business drivers with new initiative selection criteria
Applying organisational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Forming external relations

Navigating the vendor selection process
Managing key stakeholder expectations

Implementing PMO Communication Processes

Establishing enterprise-wide communication processes

Structuring a Project Management Information System (PMIS)
Fostering project management image and culture
Assessing and managing organisational communication risks across a portfolio of projects

Leveraging external communication tools and techniques

Managing customer and stakeholder relationships
Leading vendor and contractor relationship management
Directing business performance reporting across the enterprise
Maintaining a single point of contact between projects, the organisation and the community

Supporting Projects through the PMO

Balancing project staffing and career development

Coordinating project resource management
Aligning ongoing training and education needs with organisational growth and development
Recognising individual career development
Forecasting proper succession planning

Providing project guidance and leadership

Fostering project team development through active engagement and ongoing support
Mentoring and coaching skill development of project managers
Performing independent project audits to encourage growth and learning
Providing project recovery planning assistance to meet established project goals