The PMO Professionals

How does your organisation deliver its projects? Serial or parallel? Predictive or incremental? Does it select the approach according to the project, or does it use the same approach for all of them? Does it validate the approach with the stakeholders? Unless you've been living under a rock for the last decade, you can't have escaped the seemingly endless promotion of Incremental Project Delivery Approaches (IPDAs). For IT and software projects one of the most popular Agile flavours is "Scrum", which of the triple constraints fixes Time and Cost, leaving Scope to flex to cater for unexpected developments. For many IT functions the choice of an IPDA has become so ingrained that it is a de facto default - which when you think about it, is ironically a pretty rigid implementation of what is supposed to be a flexible approach. But is an IPDA always the right choice for an IT or software project? Many operations people (who sponsor the bulk of the projects) and finance people (who hold the purse strings) value relative PREDICTABILITY as it helps them plan, but it doesn't follow that Time and Cost are the key constraints. With some types of projects (those with a regulatory theme for example) it is vital to get all the deliverables done by the due date (so an emphasis on Time and Scope), with additional Cost being accepted as a necessary consequence of achieving compliance. With some types of projects, it is not OK for deliverables to fall off the end of a backlog in order to meet cost constraints. It is important to agree up front with the stakeholders which of the triple constraints are the most important to them, and which ones they are happy to flex. Sounds a bit like Original Flavour PM™ (or OFPM™- yes that’s right, I’m trademarking it), doesn't it? So the message of this post is - although your organisation (especially the IT parts of it) may have good reason to default to IPDAs, it's probably a good idea to make the default option is the RIGHT one, and to check with your stakeholders their appetite for flexing WHICH of the triple constraints by HOW MUCH, rather than making assumptions on their behalf because that's the default in your preferred IPDA. #SeniorManagementSponsorhipAndEngagement #HoldingPeopleToAccount #EffectiveGovernance #AdaptiveCapabilitiesAndServices #InvestingInPeopleProcessAndTools #AllChange #AllChangeComicStrips #thePMOprofessionals

#ThingsThatMakeYouGoMmmemeMonday #SeniorManagementSponsorhipAndEngagement #EffectiveGovernance #InvestingInPeopleProcessAndTools #PrioritisationAndAlignmentToStrategy #SafeguardingValue #HoldingPeopleToAccount #thePMOprofessionals

An example of how becoming data-driven can fail at the "final mile" 😖 ✅ You have engaged your stakeholders and identified the questions to ask ✅ You have found the data to answer the questions ✅ You have cleaned the data ✅ Crunched the numbers ✅ Designed beautiful visualisations and collated them into an interactive dashboard ✅ Worked out how to keep the data up to date automatically ✅ Published the dashboard so that stakeholders can access it whenever they want "If you build it, they will come" Job done, right? ❌ Wrong! The stakeholders don't want (or are not able) to consume it in the live, interactive format you have created. Why? Could be any of these: 🚫 A license may be required not just to CREATE data dashboards, but also to CONSUME them. And IT may not be prepared to pay for those for just any user. 🚫 Your audience may have logistical problems consuming the dashboard - for example, they don't get time to look at that kind of stuff until they are on the train home. So they want to be able to look at it on their mobile device. But their train line has a lot of tunnels (so bad mobile reception), and is badly run (so insecure, slow WiFi). So they'd rather receive an email with an attachment, that means the download happens in the background, and the attachment can be viewed at any time. 🚫 Your audience may need help to interpret the dashboard (either due to lack of skills or lack of time to use those skills), and may be wanting to receive not the whole dashboard but just the "golden nugget" of insight that the dashboard generates. So they will somebody else to have done the interpretation bit first, and to receive that in the form of a static report. And you'd probably be best off knowing that at the BEGINNING of the process rather than the END. So you should probably ask your stakeholders at the beginning of the process not just what data they want to receive, but also how they want to consume it. #SeniorManagementSponsorhipAndEngagement #AdaptiveCapabilitiesAndServices #InvestingInPeopleProcessAndTools #RelevantReporting #thePMOprofessionals #AllChange #AllChangeComicStrips

🤜 Calling all CxOs - Does it ever feel like your organisation’s right hand is fighting the left? 🤛 In this week’s episode of #WTFWednesday, Ken and Nicole discuss why JFDI projects are a project portfolio nightmare, and why preparing business cases is a crucial step on the project management maturity ladder. If you’re tired of “Who shouts loudest” being the driving force behind your project portfolio prioritisation, then video is for you! Join us as we delve into the importance of business cases, and why you should consider making them a priority - especially if you are in a low maturity organisation. #SeniorManagementSponsorhipAndEngagement #HoldingPeopleToAccount #EffectiveGovernance #PMOStuffWhichPeopleThinkIsBoringOrGetsInTheWayButIsActuallyReallyImportant #GetOrganised #AdaptiveCapabilitiesAndServices #InvestingInPeopleProcessAndTools #PrioritisationAndAlignmentToStrategy #SafeguardingValue ========== The aim of this “highlights” version of a more in-depth video is to make you SMILE and at the same time make you THINK. If the SMILE was enough for you then fine – hit the Like button (👍🏼 or maybe even 😆), perhaps ➕ Follow us or ➕ Follow hashtag#WTFWednesday to see more like this in your feed, and hit the bell 🔔 to get notified about all of our posts. If however it also made you THINK and you want to hear more of our thoughts on this, then take a look at the longer “Director’s cut” with more detail and discussion on our YouTube channel (there’s a link to the channel in the “Featured” section of Ken's/my profile), and maybe follow us there too.

#ThingsThatMakeYouGoMmmemeMonday #SeniorManagementSponsorhipAndEngagement #AdaptiveCapabilitiesAndServices #ContinuousImprovementMindset #DeliverySupport #thePMOprofessionals

🤔 What if CxOs’ titles affected their personas... ⁉️ No ‘sermon’ with this one as it’s essentially a bad pun Dad joke. But then I love a bad pun, and I am a Dad, so I guess it makes sense. This may help you tailor your communications and services too suit the personas of your CxO stakeholders, but ... probably not really. But the strip mentions CxOs, so I'm banking it under #SeniorManagementSponsorshipAndEngagement #AlllChange #FunFriday #AllChangeComicStrips #JustJoking

👋🏼 Hello PMO Directors ...and it’s a wrap on Q3! 🎬🏁 So how's it going? How is your project portfolio doing so far this year? How are your Big Strategic Programmes delivering? How are things looking for the rest of the year? How's your PMO battery looking? 📈🔋❓ ✅ 📉🪫⁉️ ❌ How are you doing on the strategic objectives set at your last appraisal? Not had time to do much about them because you're overwhelmed with the day-to-day? We get it. Running a portfolio PMO is hard work, with endlessly repeating cycles upon endlessly repeating cycles. The "BAU" of projects... There’s weekly status and RAID reporting, monthly reviews of actual costs vs. forecast vs. budget, quarterly (re!)forecasting, and annual financial planning (plus permanent staff appraisals). All of that stuff is important of course, and also urgent (time-sensitive) in the sense that it has to happen on a timetable, with each progressive cycle coming hard on the heels of the cycle before. So you find yourself up to your eyes all the time. Which doesn’t leave a lot of room for the important-but-not-so-urgent stuff. The “should-have” and “could-have” PMO development stuff that leads to maturity improvement, levelling up your PfMO services, and adding more value to the organisation. PMO development stuff like: 💡 Benefits Management and realisation monitoring 💡 Developing a standardised project prioritisation approach 💡 Improving the way the organisation learn lessons from its delivery experience 💡 Benchmarking the organisation’s PM capability and maturity against peer organisations 💡 Tuning up the organisation’s PPM processes 💡 Implementing a PPM tool The sort of PMO development stuff you’ve been “meaning to get round to” for ages but which never quite makes it to the top of the pile. The sort of PMO development stuff you don’t get to because you are so fully occupied with projects breaking Time / Cost / Quality constraints that you never seem to have the bandwidth. So why not outsource that important-but-not-urgent stuff to an external PMO services provider? Agree a statement of work, some timescales and a fixed price, and let them get on with delivering it? If only you knew of someone... 🤔 👋 Even better if they're available right now! Food for thought? Take a look at my profile and my recommendations, and if you think I could help, let's talk? #GetOrganised #InvestingInPeopleProcessAndTools #AdaptiveCapabilitiesAndServices #ContinuousImprovementMindset #PrioritisationAndAlignmentToStrategy #DeliverySupport #SeniorManagementSponsorhipAndEngagement #HoldingPeopleToAccount #EffectiveGovernance #thePMOprofessionals #PMOStuffWhichPeopleThinkIsBoringOrGetsInTheWayButIsActuallyReallyImportant

👋 Hey project people - #TuesdayTeaser for you - Can an ISSUE also be a RISK? The answer is Yes! But a RISK is a potential problem or challenge that has not yet happened, and an ISSUE is a problem or challenge that is actually HERE, so how can an issue also be a risk? 🤔 Allow me to illustrate… Completely Hypothetical And Made-up Scenario 1️⃣ It is 06:00. During the night, the dog has left a “gift” (💩) on the mat just inside the back door. The Householder is unaware of the situation, and is lying in bed deciding whether they can be arsed to get up and make some coffee (having been out the night before for a pleasant drink or two with a good friend). Feels like an ISSUE, right? The “gift” (💩) has definitely been left. There is definitely an unpleasant mess that now needs to be cleared up. So it’s definitely an ISSUE. But it’s also a RISK. Allow me to elaborate… Completely Hypothetical And Made-up Scenario 2️⃣ It is now 06:50 and the Householder has decided they CAN be arsed to make some coffee. The Householder has gone to the kitchen and discovered the “gift” (💩) on the back door mat … about 2 minutes AFTER it was discovered by the robot vacuum cleaner, which commenced its daily tour of the whole downstairs at 06:30. So, what have we learned from this? 1️⃣ An event that at first feels like an ISSUE(💩) can also be a RISK for an even BIGGER issue (💩💩💩). 2️⃣ Sometimes in projects and in life, 💩 happens (see what I did there?). 3️⃣ When 💩 happens, the sooner you deal with it, the less mess you have to clear up. This is especially important the morning after having been out for pleasant drink or two with a good friend. 4️⃣ When 💩 happens, try to make the best of it. For example by turning it into a 💩 post for LinkedIn 5️⃣ SplatGPT would never have come up with a post like this. You just can’t make this 💩 up! (Well you COULD, but I DIDN’T - unfortunately) 6️⃣ Robot vacuum cleaners have lots of little nooks and crannies that are very difficult to clean. 7️⃣ Cleaning out a robot vacuum cleaner’s little nooks and crannies is an especially unpleasant way to start the day the morning after having been out for pleasant drink or two with a good friend. 8️⃣ Robot vacuum cleaners can be equally effective at clearing up some types of mess, and distributing other kinds of “mess”. Just don’t ask me how I know. I’m not ready to talk about it just yet. 🤢 #LessonsFromLife

If you have not come across IR35, it's a set of rules used to determine whether a contractor working with a Client should be taxed as a business or as an employee of the Client. It's pretty vague, and pretty complicated, to the extent that in some cases it takes courts of law a long time and a lot of money to decide which side of IR35 a particular engagement lies. And sometimes a higher court overrules the first court. For years, contractors has been calling for it all to be simplified, so that organisations get the benefit of skills and expertise that they can switch on and off without making a long-term commitment, and so it's easier to work flexibly and cost-effectively as a contractor. But that hasn't happened: partly due to vested interests, and partly because sorting it out wouldn't win enough of the right kind of votes. So this comic strip is a kind of warning to anybody setting any kind of rules: ✅ Make The Rules simple and clear, so that everyone can understand them. ✅ Make it easy for people to do the Right Thing, and they will do it. ✅ Be careful how you set Rules to prevent people from doing the Wrong Thing. ✅ If people behave exactly in accordance with The Rules and they are still doing the Wrong Thing, that's not their fault, it's YOURS. ✅ Set better Rules, so that complying with The Rules drives the behaviour you are looking for. #AllChange #AllChangeComicStrips #LeadingByExample #thePMOprofessionals

👋 Hey project people - #TuesdayTeaser for you - Can an ISSUE also be a RISK? The answer is Yes! But a RISK is a potential problem or challenge that has not yet happened, and an ISSUE is a problem or challenge that is actually HERE, so how can an issue also be a risk? 🤔 Allow me to illustrate… Completely Hypothetical And Made-up Scenario 1️⃣ It is 06:00. During the night, the dog has left a “gift” (💩) on the mat just inside the back door. The Householder is unaware of the situation, and is lying in bed deciding whether they can be arsed to get up and make some coffee (having been out the night before for a pleasant drink or two with a good friend). Feels like an ISSUE, right? The “gift” (💩) has definitely been left. There is definitely an unpleasant mess that now needs to be cleared up. So it’s definitely an ISSUE. But it’s also a RISK. Allow me to elaborate… Completely Hypothetical And Made-up Scenario 2️⃣ It is now 06:50 and the Householder has decided they CAN be arsed to make some coffee. The Householder has gone to the kitchen and discovered the “gift” (💩) on the back door mat … about 2 minutes AFTER it was discovered by the robot vacuum cleaner, which commenced its daily tour of the whole downstairs at 06:30. So, what have we learned from this? 1️⃣ An event that at first feels like an ISSUE(💩) can also be a RISK for an even BIGGER issue (💩💩💩). 2️⃣ Sometimes in projects and in life, 💩 happens (see what I did there?). 3️⃣ When 💩 happens, the sooner you deal with it, the less mess you have to clear up. This is especially important the morning after having been out for pleasant drink or two with a good friend. 4️⃣ When 💩 happens, try to make the best of it. For example by turning it into a 💩 post for LinkedIn 5️⃣ SplatGPT would never have come up with a post like this. You just can’t make this 💩 up! (Well you COULD, but I DIDN’T - unfortunately) 6️⃣ Robot vacuum cleaners have lots of little nooks and crannies that are very difficult to clean. 7️⃣ Cleaning out a robot vacuum cleaner’s little nooks and crannies is an especially unpleasant way to start the day the morning after having been out for pleasant drink or two with a good friend. 8️⃣ Robot vacuum cleaners can be equally effective at clearing up some types of mess, and distributing other kinds of “mess”. Just don’t ask me how I know. I’m not ready to talk about it just yet. 🤢 #LessonsFromLife