The Phased Approach To Project Management Implementation
The Phased Approach To Project Management Implementation
If you are thinking about using a project management consulting company to assist your organization with implementing a Project Management Office PMO there are a couple of important factors that you should consider when choosing the right firm.
According to PMAlliance Inc. an Atlanta Georgiabased project management consulting company implementing a PMO can present significant challenges. For that reason a phased approach to PMO implementation is not only crucial but also a distinguishing characteristic of successful project management consulting firms. Experienced project management consultants know that a phased approach: 1 helps to overcome resistance to change 2 allows for lessons learned in early phases to be incorporated in systems installed in later phases and 3 establishes a solid foundation of available projectlevel data prior to rollingup enterpriselevel information.
Second successful project management consultants also know that when it comes to designing a PMO there is no such thing as a universal solution. To be effective a PMO must be tailored to your organizations project types management/staff capabilities and organizational culture. A phased approach to implementation allows the necessary time in the initial phases to gather firsthand information about project characteristics personnel and cultural nuances so that the delivered solution can be tailored appropriately.
The Four Phases of Project Management Implementation
I. Initiation Phase: Throughout the Initiation Phase project management consultants use pilot projects to build process momentum overcome natural resistance to change and gain firsthand knowledge of your organization. This goal of this phase is to successfully mobilize your organization remediate any current atrisk projects and set the stage for the next two Installation phases. During this phase the project management methodology is introduced and software training is conducted; but only for those individuals who will be specifically associated with pilot project teams. Also a plan for the ProjectLevel Installation phase is developed and key tools are created that will be utilized during the remaining Installation phases.
II. ProjectLevel Installation Phase: The second phase utilizes information gathered from pilot projects in the Initiation phase to rollout structured project planning and control processes for all remaining projects as well as to formally establish the Project Management Office. This phase can include the creation of PMO job descriptions formal guidelines for project planning/control a project web site and a webbased activity update system basically the necessary infrastructure to support the consistent successful application of project management techniques by the PMO. Project Management Training is also rolledout to the entire organization during the ProjectLevel Installation Phase. By the conclusion of this phase the nucleus of a Project management Office is inplace all project team members have been trained and the project management consultants are ready to begin transitioning from their role of supporting project team requirements to supporting the PMO staff.
III. EnterpriseLevel Installation Phase: During the EnterpriseLevel Installation phase tools are implemented that are focused on managing an organizations entire portfolio of projects. Examples of these tools include; enterprise performance metrics a management dashboard to gain summarylevel visibility to project status and project scheduling based on limited resources and project priority enterprise resource leveling. The intent of these types of tools is to 1 provide management with timely and accurate information about the status of the all the projects being undertaken by the organization and 2 support business decisionmaking that impacts the successful completion of projects such as: changes to staffing funding project prioritization and workload.
During the EnterpriseLevel Installation Phase the Project Management Office staff has already begun to assume some of the daytoday responsibilities for developing and maintaining ongoing project plans. In doing so the PMO staff is able to freeup the project management consulting firm to focus on the design and implementation of the enterpriselevel tools. By the end of this phase all responsibility for developing and updating individual project plans have been transitioned from the Project Management Consultants to the PMO staff.
IV. Maintenance Phase: The final phase marks the important transition of the Project Management Office from the project management consultants back to the organization. In addition to supporting the daytoday responsibilities for planning and controlling individual projects the PMO staff will now become the focal point for providing the enterpriselevel information and analysis required by management.
At this point in the project management implementation process the organization has been well trained numerous success stories have been created and communicated virtually all projects have welldeveloped project plans and there is widespread support for investing in a formal project planning and control process. Also the Project Management Office infrastructure is in place the PMO staff has been trained and management has necessary visibility to the key project portfoliolevel information.
Successful completion of this phase creates longterm continuity by implementing the necessary policies and incentives to permanently inculcate project management into the culture of the organization. Ideally formal project planning and control processes will become recognized as a required core competency and an essential function within the organization.
Deliverables to Expect From Your Project Management Consulting Company
Phase 1 Initiation Phase
- Initial communications to management and assistance in the identification of pilot projects
- Project Management methodology and software training for identified pilot team members
- Project plans and formal control processes in place for all identified pilot projects
- A library of project templates for use during the Installation phases
- Standardized project coding structures and projectlevel report formats
- Finalized requirements and a plan for the ProjectLevel Installation phase
Phase II ProjectLevel Installation Phase
- Networkbased structured project plans and formal control process for all targeted projects
- Rollout of PM/software training to all project leaders and team members
- Training and mentoring of PMO personnel
- Implementation of the initial PMO infrastructure
- Finalized requirements and a plan for the EnterpriseLevel Implementation phase
Phase III EnterpriseLevel Installation Phase
- Implementation of the enterpriselevel PMO infrastructure
- Turnover to PMO staff of the daytoday responsibility for developing and maintaining individual project plans
- Finalized requirements and a plan for the Maintenance phase
Phase IV Maintenance Phase
- Turnover to Project Management Office staff the responsibility for supporting all of the project management requirements of the organization
- Recommendations to management for policies and incentives required to permanently establish project management as a core competency and essential function
Conclusion
Without a doubt the design of a Project Management Office must be tailored to the specific needs of its organization in order to be effective. A universal cookie cutter approach does not recognize differences in project types management or staff capabilities. As a result standardized solutions tend to have a low probability of success. A phased approach not only maximizes the effectiveness of the project management consulting firm but also of the organizations that they serve. It allows time in the initial phases to gather crucial firsthand information overcomes resistance to change and leads to a well defined and successful Project Management Office at the end.
About Thomas P. Stevens PMP and PMAlliance Inc. Thomas P. Stevens PMP is the President and found of PMAlliance Inc. and holds a masters degree in Business with a focus on Decision Science and is a registered PMP Project Management Professional. PMAlliance is an international project management consulting firm that helps Fortune 1000 companies improve the execution of their missioncritical projects. For the second consecutive year Inc. magazine has ranked PMAlliance Inc. among the fastest growing Project Management Consulting companies in the United States. Through its DurationDriven methodology PMAlliance enables its clients to successfully complete their most important projectson time within budget and to the intended level of quality. Please visit their website at www.pmalliance.com
About the writer: Thomas P. Stevens PMP is the President and founder of PMAlliance Inc. and holds a masters degree in Business with a focus on Decision Science from Georgia State Univeristy and is a registered PMP Project Management Professional. PMAlliance is an international project management consulting firm that helps Fortune 1000 companies improve the execution of their missioncritical projects.
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