ProjectManagement.com - Portfolios - Alignment

Should Technology and Process Coexist?

Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

With the ever increasing use of technology, how are processes impacted? Our writer feels that technology should be an overlay to the process work--we should start with a solid process and then look for ways that technology could make life easier in the execution of the process. But a colleague doesn't agree...

The Problem with PMOs and Governance

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Organizations that take project governance for granted are headed for a fall. There is one area where governance seems to be failing in many organizations, and it's perhaps surprising--the PMO. That is incredibly dangerous, and here's why...

PMO Trends

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Many PMOs do not fully understand their role within the larger enterprise. What can PMOs do to improve lackluster performance and increase the return on investment? Let's look at a few of the emerging trends for PMOs to help answer that question...

PMO-level Issue Management

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Every project has an issues log. But what about the PMO? Does your PMO manage issues and maintain an issues log? Do you look for trends across the issues of different projects and take proactive steps to address them? Do you attempt to prevent issues through good communication? In this article, we look at a model for PMO-level issue management and suggest ways that it can improve the quality of projects that your PMO is responsible for.

The Show Must Go On

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Managing issues on a project takes strategic planning and a little finesse so that issues do not turn into show stoppers. Do you have an issue management plan that can handle any problems and still keep the project on track?

Project Governance: Overcoming Obstacles

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

One of the primary roles of the PMO is to provide a framework for ensuring proper governance over projects. Here we look at some of the obstacles and challenges facing the PMO governance function--and some tips for overcoming them.

Governance Planning

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Governance is concerned with the best use of an organizations' resources. Thus, effective IT planning processes are essential. Organizations must gain insight into (and ultimately retain control over) the demands being made on IT.

Annual Planning in the PMO

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

The PMO must have an easy time of annual planning, right? It's a service function that provides resources based on the overall project portfolio, and the organization determines which projects to approve. Based on those decisions, the PMO knows how it needs to adjust its resource model. But life's not quite that simple...

The Proactive PMO

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

As a PMO leader, are you driving change, or is it driving you? In all too many cases, PMOs are reactive--implementing a solution in response to a problem. In this article, we argue for a more proactive approach.

Matching Scope and Benefits

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

You won't get the right benefits unless you start with the right scope. As project managers are increasingly asked to become involved in the business side of project execution, many elements they previously didn't have to worry about are now becoming relevant.

Dealing with Shifting Goal Posts

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Sometimes the corporate priorities change unexpectedly, and the projects that were approved at the start of the year are no longer appropriate for what the organization is trying to achieve. How can an organization cope?

Between Strategy & Projects: When Portfolios Don't Fit

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

If portfolio management is about ensuring strategic alignment and strategic management is about defining organizational direction, where does one stop and the other start? Specifically, what should we expect a good strategic management process to define? And what does portfolio management expect and require as input in order to ensure that the results of portfolio selection are, in fact, "strategically aligned"?

PPM Tool Selection and Deployment

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

How do you decide which PPM tool is right for you, and then make it work? In this article, we identify a few of the things to consider when selecting a tool.

Trending PM

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

What does the future of PM have in store? Three trends have the potential of being very powerful for project management and the organizations that continue to pursue the discipline.

2012 CIO Survival Guide: Where Do We Go From Here?

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

So much for 2011 being the year of recovery. Next year should be much like the last. Some recent developments may impact your success as a CIO. What trends are likely to impact your organization from an IT perspective? What strategies and actions will yield the best outcomes for CIOs and their companies?

Organizational PM: Dream or Reality?

Mon, 09 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Organizations do a lot to implement what is viewed as project management. But do organizations have an organizational project management capability? To understand whether we do or not, we have to understand what this actually means, explore where organizations are today and evaluate how close we actually are to the attainment of this goal.

OPM: Turn It Up to 11

Mon, 09 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Organizations are expected to deliver more and more with less and less, and that has in part led to the growth of organizational project management. But in this writer's experience, organizations have not been able to define what a successful OPM model looks like. How do you maximize the return on Organizational PM?

Achieving Organizational Alignment

Mon, 02 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT

The elusive achievement of organizational alignment in corporate America is striking. What is needed is the development of an organizational structure and culture that dynamically self-adjusts and recalibrates to an ever-changing environment.

OPM: Getting from 'Here' to 'There'

Mon, 02 May 2011 04:00:00 GMT

The key challenge to organizational PM is that companies tend to view projects in isolation by ignoring the obvious (and sometimes not-so-obvious) linkages. Here we present a list of essential factors to ensure the organization can begin to not just benefit from the discipline of project management, but be able to maximize the benefits that organizational PM can provide.

PPM: Where Project Meets Strategy

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The portfolio manager is the strategic spearhead of your project organization, and there is a lot of mystery about an organization's strategic planning process. The PPM function of your organization needs to be in the center of this process, and in this article we explore some of the functions that it needs to perform.

The PPM Cascade

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

This executive communication strategy will go a long way to prevent middle management inertia when implementing project portfolio management. Here we look at the cascade that breaks down the management wall to PPM.

PPM: Project Propaganda Management?

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

In the history of organizations trying to implement and get some value from project management, there has been a string of buzzwords that have captured the hearts, minds and budget approvals of senior executives. Why doesn't the hype of portfolio management seem to measure up in real life?

Baby Steps

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Why has Project Portfolio Management struggled to be adopted in organizations? While part of the problem lies with the vendor overselling the product, the bulk of the issue stems from our collective failure to educate ourselves on PPM--and understand how we should adopt it.

Nightmare on Portfolio Street

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

"One, two...the portfolio's coming for you! Three, four, better lock your door!" For a company to be successful, it needs to have a high-performance project portfolio. If it misses the mark, everyone is relegated to the B-movie horror of High Spending and Low (or No) Return for their Money.