Governance: Taking It From the Top

I had the pleasure of delivering the keynote address at the CBP Summit this year, on the subject of PMO Governance. And, because the topic of governance always touches on areas in organizations where our assumptions rule ... where things that "can't" be questioned (but should be) take up residence ... I thought I'd kick it off with a little exercise to show my audience how we can all suffer from "perceptual blindness" - the failure to see things that are right under our noses - simply because we are focused elsewhere.

I won't go into this too much so as not to spoil the effect, but take at look at the video on this site. Tip: Notice how many times the white shirts pass the ball and see if you can detect any gender bias.

Gotcha? Well, the same thing happens in organizations. We are sure we "know" things about our processes that in fact may not be true. For example, it isn't uncommon to hear of highly successful PMOs that are disbanded. Another speaker, Paul Ritchie of SAP (check out his Crossderry Blog in our Blogroll) addressed this in his Summit presentation. He mentioned the wake-up call he received when he realized that others did not view his "successful" PMO in the same light he did, and the self-examination he went through to address his own blind spots.

When developing a governance structure - for the PMO or an entire organization - it's critical to have a clear view of organizational structures, politics, and status. Devising the rules that govern what's in and what's out of a portfolio of project investments can't be based of false assumptions about value, markets, resources, or strategies. That's why some of the top research firms - Gartner, for example - have recommended bringing in outside voices to address similar organizational change issues. When assessing the organizational playbook, it helps to have a little perspective on the game.