Advanced Level Course

The Evolving PMO

Governance, Portfolio Management, Resource Optimization, Performance Measurement

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Overview

Turn your project management office (PMO) from lackluster to brilliant, able to perform at the highest level. The term “project office” was created by Kent Crawford in his first book, The Strategic Project Office. Since then, the project office has changed and evolved in dramatic ways as thousands of organizations have implemented this cultural remake to create “projectized” organizations. Today’s successful PMOs are being replicated across other organizational business units, and many are rapidly evolving into enterprise PMOs. 

Through decades of working with corporate leadership, the instructor will interweave the latest concepts of governance, portfolio management, resource optimization, and organizational performance measurement to help you understand how to evolve the project office into a highly valued demand management office. This training is especially useful for those preparing to implement a PMO or expanding their existing project office to incorporate organizational demand planning and management.

Download Course Description PDF
  • Course Length:
    • Virtual: Eight 3.5-hour sessions
    • Onsite: 4 days
  • Professional Development Units (PDUs): 28 (10 Ways of Working; 10 Power Skills, 8 Business Acumen)
  • Program Knowledge Level: Advanced
  • Field of Study: Business Management & Organization
  • Prerequisites: Intermediate project management knowledge
  • Advance Preparation: None
  • Benefits: Evolve your PMO into a highly valued enterprise

Key Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Identify the top ten functions of the strategic PMO

List at least four value drivers for today’s PMO

Analyze the alignment between PMO and organizational business needs

Examine and compare the evolving PMO functions to your organization’s PMO

Analyze effective PMO governance characteristics

Evaluate three strategies to overcome some of the top resource management challenges

Course Outline

The PMO – Latest Research
  • Discuss the latest survey findings and compare them to your own organization’s PMO progress
  • Define the top 5 PMO challenges
  • Identify the top 5 PMO priorities over the next 12 months
  • Discuss how the PMO adds value to an organization
The PMO is Becoming a Demand Management Office
  • Identify different PMO types and placement within an organization
  • Describe the evolving purpose and functions of the PMO
  • List three roles that can enhance the strategic PMO influence in the organization
  • Make the case for the PMO as a “Demand Management Office”
  • Understand how the PMO adds business value
Portfolio Management – Seven Steps to Strategy Execution
  • Build a best practices Portfolio Management process
  • Describe the operations of the portfolio review board
  • List at least 5 criteria that could be used for portfolio prioritization
  • Address the challenges of monitoring portfolio performance
  • Explain the Portfolio Management Lifecycle
Governance – Contributions from all Levels of the Organization
  • Provide a definition of governance
  • Identify governance roles and responsibilities
  • Articulate the leadership commitment necessary for governance
  • Identify successful strategies to obtain buy–in for governance processes
Performance Measurement – Measuring PMO and Organizational Effectiveness
  • Articulate the basic principles and terminology of measurement
  • Explain how a PM Performance Measurement System correlates to the business impact of implementing projects
  • Establish a good set of project management performance measures
  • Use measurement to link PMO and project management gains to organizational improvements that speak to the executive level
Resource Optimization – The Key to Managing Demand
  • Define the 3 components of competency-based management
  • Outline the portfolio issues that influence effective resource management
  • Explain 3 strategies to overcome some of the top resource management challenges
  • Define the Resource Management Action Plan 
Change Management
  • Apply change management requirements to project environments
  • List several of the key principles of change management in the project environment
  • Identify which organizational processes should be the focus of change management
  • Outline several of the factors that can lead to change failure
Best Practices – Lessons from Winning PMOs
  • Utilize examples of successful practices from award-winning PMOs
  • Describe best practices to address PMO critical change management success factors
  • Identify similarities in practices for the best-performing organizations and their PMO strategies
A Plan of Action – The Roadmap to Benefits Realization
  • Measure project management maturity in your organization
  • Determine the next steps in expanding your PMO
  • Identify the most important business benefits of a project management culture

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