The document discusses the strategic project office and its role as the central nervous system of an organization. It describes four states of an organizational central nervous system - reactive, trained, proactive, and adaptive - and how a strategic project office can help an organization improve its reflexes and performance by moving between these states. Key benefits of establishing a strategic project office include project portfolio management, human resource management, quality management, and knowledge management. Careful change management is needed when transitioning to a strategic project office.
Designing Agile Feedbacks for Agile LearningTathagat Varma
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My experience report at Agile India 2014 based on my work on designing agile feedbacks for an in-house agile training series. The key idea is that feedback must be designed to ensure maximum learning can be made in the shortest time, and the feedback must be actionable
Designing Agile Feedbacks for Agile LearningTathagat Varma
ย
My experience report at Agile India 2014 based on my work on designing agile feedbacks for an in-house agile training series. The key idea is that feedback must be designed to ensure maximum learning can be made in the shortest time, and the feedback must be actionable
How Project Portfolio Management Ties Leadership, Strategic IQ, and Organizat...Tim Washington
ย
Given at the 2012 Boeing Project Management Conference in Mulkiteo, Washington. This presentation focuses on how project portfolio management is a critical piece for tying leadership, strategic IQ, and organizational health together.
This presentation was originally given at the Boeing Project Management conference in Mulkiteo, Washington in October of 2012.
Original article from the Flevy business blog can be found here:
http://flevy.com/blog/measuring-business-readiness-adoption/
What is Business Readiness and Adoption?
โข Would you talk to someone who isnโt paying attention?
โข Would you make a movie if you didnโt know who would watch it?
โข So why do projects often deliver to a Business that isnโt ready to receive or adopt!
Business Readiness and Adoption is a measure of preparation. A business that is ready will have made all the preparations necessary to accept the deliverables of a project and begin operating them. So, in effect, anything that involves a change to ways of working requires measurement to see if a business is ready for go-live.
Project deliverables will be a combination of the following (not an exhaustive list):
โข New products.
โข New services.
โข New organisation structures.
โข New processes.
โข New systems.
โข New infrastructure.
In projects to measure Business Readiness/Adoption I have previously used (but not restricted to) the following measurement areas:
1. Leadership.
2. Business Area Readiness.
3. Implementation Planning.
4. Stakeholder Management & Communication.
5. Process & Procedures Readiness.
6. Business Benefits.
7. Data.
8. Departmental Roles & Responsibilities (impact on individuals).
9. Education & Training.
10. Business Reporting.
11. Testing.
Lead, Empower, Motivate! Monthly leadership workshops in Southern California for current and future supervisors, managers, and HR professionals. HRCI recertification credit.
Maturing Project Management with the Use of a Methodology Member Content
- by Atul Ganatra, PMP
Recognizing the need for and benefits of a tailored methodology helps an organization instill discipline and consistency in the ways in which project managers manage change delivery. This article explains the benefits of implementing a customized methodology, the factors that affect the ways in which it undertakes these changes, components of a project management methodology, the stages of its implementation, and a few points for avoiding pitfalls.
Closing the Gap Between Project Management and Governance
In todayโs increasingly competitive marketplace, budgets are tight and resources are limited. Consequently, making decisions about which projects to pursue is vital in supporting an organizationโs growth, vision, and value. For this dilemma, there is a powerful cost containment and risk mitigation strategyโa combination of IT governance and portfolio management. This approach is highly relevant for budget issues state agencies and departments currently face. With the proliferation of technology at greater and greater speed, the options that could bring potential benefit are seemingly endless. Gone are the days when a great technological idea was an end in itself. Technology has truly become an enabler across all sizes and types of organizations. The challenge now is to understand which business goals can be enabled by a technology and choose the best projects to accomplish those goals. The best way to ensure and demonstrate value to the organization is to know how these projects are supporting the organization financially and operationally. Implementing sound project management practices along with a governance framework can enable this kind of visibility and control.
It's a motivational stuff in English and Urdu Language about what is dream, how to dream and how to get it real.It was presented on 'International day of people with disability' at hearing impaired School of girls accompanied by sign language instructors.
Enterprise Project Management.
The definitions and the roles of the project management office (PMO) today are very diverse, and it is therefore important to examine and understand the evolving role of the PMO in a dynamic global business environment. The role of enterprise PMO is as important as any other corporate function, equivalent to other corporate functions such as strategic planning, finance, or audit. In addition, an organization can maximize the value of project management by standardizing the practices and consolidating the initiatives across the enterprise.
How Project Portfolio Management Ties Leadership, Strategic IQ, and Organizat...Tim Washington
ย
Given at the 2012 Boeing Project Management Conference in Mulkiteo, Washington. This presentation focuses on how project portfolio management is a critical piece for tying leadership, strategic IQ, and organizational health together.
This presentation was originally given at the Boeing Project Management conference in Mulkiteo, Washington in October of 2012.
Original article from the Flevy business blog can be found here:
http://flevy.com/blog/measuring-business-readiness-adoption/
What is Business Readiness and Adoption?
โข Would you talk to someone who isnโt paying attention?
โข Would you make a movie if you didnโt know who would watch it?
โข So why do projects often deliver to a Business that isnโt ready to receive or adopt!
Business Readiness and Adoption is a measure of preparation. A business that is ready will have made all the preparations necessary to accept the deliverables of a project and begin operating them. So, in effect, anything that involves a change to ways of working requires measurement to see if a business is ready for go-live.
Project deliverables will be a combination of the following (not an exhaustive list):
โข New products.
โข New services.
โข New organisation structures.
โข New processes.
โข New systems.
โข New infrastructure.
In projects to measure Business Readiness/Adoption I have previously used (but not restricted to) the following measurement areas:
1. Leadership.
2. Business Area Readiness.
3. Implementation Planning.
4. Stakeholder Management & Communication.
5. Process & Procedures Readiness.
6. Business Benefits.
7. Data.
8. Departmental Roles & Responsibilities (impact on individuals).
9. Education & Training.
10. Business Reporting.
11. Testing.
Lead, Empower, Motivate! Monthly leadership workshops in Southern California for current and future supervisors, managers, and HR professionals. HRCI recertification credit.
Maturing Project Management with the Use of a Methodology Member Content
- by Atul Ganatra, PMP
Recognizing the need for and benefits of a tailored methodology helps an organization instill discipline and consistency in the ways in which project managers manage change delivery. This article explains the benefits of implementing a customized methodology, the factors that affect the ways in which it undertakes these changes, components of a project management methodology, the stages of its implementation, and a few points for avoiding pitfalls.
Closing the Gap Between Project Management and Governance
In todayโs increasingly competitive marketplace, budgets are tight and resources are limited. Consequently, making decisions about which projects to pursue is vital in supporting an organizationโs growth, vision, and value. For this dilemma, there is a powerful cost containment and risk mitigation strategyโa combination of IT governance and portfolio management. This approach is highly relevant for budget issues state agencies and departments currently face. With the proliferation of technology at greater and greater speed, the options that could bring potential benefit are seemingly endless. Gone are the days when a great technological idea was an end in itself. Technology has truly become an enabler across all sizes and types of organizations. The challenge now is to understand which business goals can be enabled by a technology and choose the best projects to accomplish those goals. The best way to ensure and demonstrate value to the organization is to know how these projects are supporting the organization financially and operationally. Implementing sound project management practices along with a governance framework can enable this kind of visibility and control.
It's a motivational stuff in English and Urdu Language about what is dream, how to dream and how to get it real.It was presented on 'International day of people with disability' at hearing impaired School of girls accompanied by sign language instructors.
Enterprise Project Management.
The definitions and the roles of the project management office (PMO) today are very diverse, and it is therefore important to examine and understand the evolving role of the PMO in a dynamic global business environment. The role of enterprise PMO is as important as any other corporate function, equivalent to other corporate functions such as strategic planning, finance, or audit. In addition, an organization can maximize the value of project management by standardizing the practices and consolidating the initiatives across the enterprise.
A PRACTICAL METHOD FOR ASSESSING
THE FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
by
Serge J. Schiltz
Dr.sc.inf., M.B.A., dipl.inf., dipl.math., PMP
A Thesis Report
The 5 Critical Elements to Creating a Project Management Center of ExcellenceFlevy.com Best Practices
ย
Original article from the Flevy business blog can be found here:
http://flevy.com/blog/the-5-critical-elements-to-creating-a-project-management-centre-of-excellence/
Creating a Project Management Centre of Excellence is the driving force that takes an organization forward to realize their project management mandate. It encompasses the process of creating a strategy for project management, re-shaping the culture to be more focused on the consistency in the management of projects and implementing a project management process.
Creating a Project Management Centre of Excellence
project_management_COEA Centre of Excellence is a business unit that has organization-wide authority. The key elements of a successful Project Management Centre of Excellence include:
Vision and Strategies
A clear vision of what it represents and the strategies to identify how it will reach this vision in the short and long term.
Competencies
The selection of resources based on project competency requirements compared to actual project resource competencies. The identification of coaching, training and other developmental activities to close any competency gap.
Culture
How to re-shape the organizational culture to be more supportive of the consistency in the management of projects.
Processes
The right processes, tools and templates that are helpful and meaningful to project managers and their teams.
Quality
The quality criteria for the project management framework, processes and documents.
1. Create the Vision and Strategies
One approach to creating a vision for the Centre of Excellence is to brainstorm ideas that focus on what the future will look like. Start by creating scenarios that describe what the Centre will be doing 5 years into the future. What are some of the things that they will be doing that reflect a successful Centre of Excellence? What will employees and customers be saying about them? How did they get there?
The outcome of this process is the creation of a vision statement for the Project Management Centre of Excellence. Determine how this vision aligns and supports the organizationโs strategic direction.
The alignment of the Centre of Excellence to the goals of the organization is key to driving strategy implementation. Strategies translate this vision into reality. They close the gap between the present and the โidealโ future described in the vision scenarios. These strategies must be described clearly so that the organization understands and accepts them.
These slides are from a session presented at the November 12-13 "Hacking Social Impact: Unconference" with a spotlight social entrepreneurship, impact investment. This session discussed assessing organizations capacity from the perspective of my work as a volunteer partner with Social Venture Partners Portland.
For more on the conference http://socialventuresociety.org/unconference/
Thinking tool to facilitate the understanding and decision on the intent, baseline, gaps, action and resources in planning strategically e-services in government.
Here are 10 keys for successful implementation of strategic planning: 1. Clear Vision and Mission Statements 2. Comprehensive Situation Analysis 3. Engage Stakeholders 4. Set Clear Objectives and Goals 5. Prioritize Initiatives
PATRI 04. Readiness to Scale: A Guide for Scaling Social BusinessRizwan Tayabali
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Step by step guide to help social enterprises and social businesses assess and improve the readiness of their teams and organisation when scaling impact and operations. This guide is based based on the PATRI Framework for Scaling Social Impact.
Module One Project Management and the Role of the ProjectMa.docxgilpinleeanna
ย
Module One: Project Management and the Role of the Project
Manager
New construction projects are a familiar sight in Dubai, UAE
Copyright ยฉ 2014 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
Module One: Project Management and the Role of the Project
Manager
Project management is both an art and a science. To effectively manage projects, practitioners
need a unique combination of skills, expertise, and knowledge, to help teams bring their
projects to completion in the most productive and efficient way possible. A talented project
manager who can employ the concrete tools, techniques, and methodologiesโas well as the
less-concrete "soft skills"โcan be the difference between a successful project and an
unmitigated disaster.
This course will help you explore both the theory and the practice necessary to successfully
understand and manage projects. As you progress through the course, you'll learn the
terminology, processes, and key concepts that are essential to effective project management.
You'll explore the five stages of a project's life cycle, and you'll examine important project
elementsโsuch as integration management, scheduling, costing, quality, control, risk
management, procurement, and stakeholder engagementโthat must be monitored, evaluated,
and executed throughout a project. You'll also identify the roles that project managers and
stakeholders play in developing and managing efficient projects in their organization, to
ensure that they will meet requirements and reach a successful conclusion.
Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you should be able to:
1. Examine the concept of a project management office
2. Differentiate common organizational structures and explain how the structure of the
organization can affect project processes and activities
3. Identify project stakeholders and recognize the need to engage stakeholders throughout
the project life cycle
4. Examine the selection process and key attributes of a successful project manager
5. Describe the characteristics and dynamics of high-performing teams
6. Describe the methods for conflict resolution employed by project managers
Understanding Projects and Project Management
Practitioners often talk about completing projects and employing project management, but
organizations may define these terms differently, based on their size, complexity, or corporate
culture. To ensure that we are defining these terms similarly, let's take a closer look at them
before we move forward.
What is a Project?
A project is a series of carefully planned activities that creates a unique end result. A
project is not an ongoing processโeach project has a defined beginning and end. There is
a specified budget and schedule for the project and each project is designed with a
specific output in mind.
Projects are executed within an organizational setting and, as such, must fit into the
management structure of the organization. To be of value, projects must fit wi ...
Online PMP Training Material for PMP Exam - Human Resources Management Knowle...GlobalSkillup
ย
Human Resource Management Knowledge Area in Project management defined by PMBOK 5th Edition by Project Management Institute (PMI). Provided by GlobalSkillup.com towards PMP Certification Exam.
IBM's Transformation from Project to Program and Portfolio Management Member Content
- by William C. Britton, PMP
IBM Certified Executive Project Manager
To succeed, a number of project management processes, policies, and organizational constructs were established or reinforced to ensure consistent excellence in service delivery.
Showing PMO Value Through Reporting Member Content
- by Marlies Shipman, PMP
Reporting the results of what your PMO achieves helps define the value that your PMO provides. This article has some tips on how to produce meaningful reports for a variety of audiences. In this article, "PMO" can mean project, program or portfolio management office.
This document represents a significant research effort as well as a contribution to our understanding of the current state of multi-project PMOs, by Brian Hobbs.
"๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ผ๐ต ๐พ๐ฐ๐ป๐ฏ ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐บ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ณ๐ญ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ต๐ฌ"
๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ (๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ) is a professional event agency that includes experts in the event-organizing market in Vietnam, Korea, and ASEAN countries. We provide unlimited types of events from Music concerts, Fan meetings, and Culture festivals to Corporate events, Internal company events, Golf tournaments, MICE events, and Exhibitions.
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โญ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ:
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"๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ. ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ."
3.0 Project 2_ Developing My Brand Identity Kit.pptxtanyjahb
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A personal brand exploration presentation summarizes an individual's unique qualities and goals, covering strengths, values, passions, and target audience. It helps individuals understand what makes them stand out, their desired image, and how they aim to achieve it.
Improving profitability for small businessBen Wann
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In this comprehensive presentation, we will explore strategies and practical tips for enhancing profitability in small businesses. Tailored to meet the unique challenges faced by small enterprises, this session covers various aspects that directly impact the bottom line. Attendees will learn how to optimize operational efficiency, manage expenses, and increase revenue through innovative marketing and customer engagement techniques.
What is the TDS Return Filing Due Date for FY 2024-25.pdfseoforlegalpillers
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It is crucial for the taxpayers to understand about the TDS Return Filing Due Date, so that they can fulfill your TDS obligations efficiently. Taxpayers can avoid penalties by sticking to the deadlines and by accurate filing of TDS. Timely filing of TDS will make sure about the availability of tax credits. You can also seek the professional guidance of experts like Legal Pillers for timely filing of the TDS Return.
VAT Registration Outlined In UAE: Benefits and Requirementsuae taxgpt
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Vat Registration is a legal obligation for businesses meeting the threshold requirement, helping companies avoid fines and ramifications. Contact now!
https://viralsocialtrends.com/vat-registration-outlined-in-uae/
Business Valuation Principles for EntrepreneursBen Wann
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This insightful presentation is designed to equip entrepreneurs with the essential knowledge and tools needed to accurately value their businesses. Understanding business valuation is crucial for making informed decisions, whether you're seeking investment, planning to sell, or simply want to gauge your company's worth.
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Grote partijen zijn al een tijdje onderweg met retail media. Ondertussen worden in dit domein ook de kansen zichtbaar voor andere spelers in de markt. Maar met die kansen ontstaan ook vragen: Zelf retail media worden of erop adverteren? In welke fase van de funnel past het en hoe integreer je het in een mediaplan? Wat is nu precies het verschil met marketplaces en Programmatic ads? In dit half uur beslechten we de dilemma's en krijg je antwoorden op wanneer het voor jou tijd is om de volgende stap te zetten.
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Enterprise Excellence is Inclusive Excellence.pdfKaiNexus
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Enterprise excellence and inclusive excellence are closely linked, and real-world challenges have shown that both are essential to the success of any organization. To achieve enterprise excellence, organizations must focus on improving their operations and processes while creating an inclusive environment that engages everyone. In this interactive session, the facilitator will highlight commonly established business practices and how they limit our ability to engage everyone every day. More importantly, though, participants will likely gain increased awareness of what we can do differently to maximize enterprise excellence through deliberate inclusion.
What is Enterprise Excellence?
Enterprise Excellence is a holistic approach that's aimed at achieving world-class performance across all aspects of the organization.
What might I learn?
A way to engage all in creating Inclusive Excellence. Lessons from the US military and their parallels to the story of Harry Potter. How belt systems and CI teams can destroy inclusive practices. How leadership language invites people to the party. There are three things leaders can do to engage everyone every day: maximizing psychological safety to create environments where folks learn, contribute, and challenge the status quo.
Who might benefit? Anyone and everyone leading folks from the shop floor to top floor.
Dr. William Harvey is a seasoned Operations Leader with extensive experience in chemical processing, manufacturing, and operations management. At Michelman, he currently oversees multiple sites, leading teams in strategic planning and coaching/practicing continuous improvement. William is set to start his eighth year of teaching at the University of Cincinnati where he teaches marketing, finance, and management. William holds various certifications in change management, quality, leadership, operational excellence, team building, and DiSC, among others.
Implicitly or explicitly all competing businesses employ a strategy to select a mix
of marketing resources. Formulating such competitive strategies fundamentally
involves recognizing relationships between elements of the marketing mix (e.g.,
price and product quality), as well as assessing competitive and market conditions
(i.e., industry structure in the language of economics).
What are the main advantages of using HR recruiter services.pdfHumanResourceDimensi1
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HR recruiter services offer top talents to companies according to their specific needs. They handle all recruitment tasks from job posting to onboarding and help companies concentrate on their business growth. With their expertise and years of experience, they streamline the hiring process and save time and resources for the company.
Tata Group Dials Taiwan for Its Chipmaking Ambition in Gujaratโs DholeraAvirahi City Dholera
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The Tata Group, a titan of Indian industry, is making waves with its advanced talks with Taiwanese chipmakers Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) and UMC Group. The goal? Establishing a cutting-edge semiconductor fabrication unit (fab) in Dholera, Gujarat. This isnโt just any project; itโs a potential game changer for Indiaโs chipmaking aspirations and a boon for investors seeking promisingย residential projects in dholera sir.
Visit : https://www.avirahi.com/blog/tata-group-dials-taiwan-for-its-chipmaking-ambition-in-gujarats-dholera/
The world of search engine optimization (SEO) is buzzing with discussions after Google confirmed that around 2,500 leaked internal documents related to its Search feature are indeed authentic. The revelation has sparked significant concerns within the SEO community. The leaked documents were initially reported by SEO experts Rand Fishkin and Mike King, igniting widespread analysis and discourse. For More Info:- https://news.arihantwebtech.com/search-disrupted-googles-leaked-documents-rock-the-seo-world/
1. PMI Virtual Library
ยฉ 2010 Francine Gignac
The Strategic Project Office: The
Organizational Central Nervous System
By Francine Gignac, MBA, MAOM, PMP
L
etโs start by investigating your situation. (1) Are you office is one way to avoid further degradation and provide a
overworked? (2) Are your efforts diverted on many cure for the disconnect between reality and the capability to
projects? (3) Do you feel you are losing focus on deliver.
the corporate vision and goals? (4) Are you managing risks
adequately? (5) Are there The Strategic Project
too many projects in the OfficeโThe Central
pipeline? (6) Are you putting Nervous System of
your efforts in the right place the Organization
and at the right time? (7) The strategic project
Are your projects running
The strategic project office, office, also associated
over budget? (8) Are your also associated with an enterprise with an enterprise project
projects generating the center or a center of
expected benefits? (9) Do project center or a center of excellence, represents
you find yourself putting the next step toward
out fires and cutting costs excellence, represents the next organizational maturity;
that prevent proactive it is an extension of
planning? (10) Do you have step toward organizational the former project
โ
the team with the skills and management office and
competencies to deliver?
maturity. entails more than the
(11) Are you supported management of the
by methods and tools that project portfolio and the
improve your capability methods and tools for
to deliver? (12) Are you delivering them.
delivering quality? (13) Are The strategic
there other people working on similar initiatives elsewhere in project office provides the following key objectives for the
your organization or have there been similar initiatives in the organization:
past that can help you now? โข Aligns projects with corporate goals and objectives;
These are some of the questions that may be posed to โข Offers a coherent upward reporting to the executive team,
identify the symptoms of organizations that have weakened which enables effective decision making;
the control and lost the pulse of their vital functions (i.e., โข Ensures that the projects are prioritized and delivered
people, effort, time, and money). Setting up a strategic project successfully;
2. โข Optimizes the utilization of human and financial The Proactive State
resources; The central nervous system in this state is well developed
โข Improves the capabilities, skills, and proficiencies of and experienced in anticipating and responding to external
human resources; triggers. The proactive organization with this higher level of
โข Supports quality assurance and continuous improvement; autonomy and agility is rarely caught off guard because it not
โข Provides and improves best practices, methodologies, only sees the punch coming, it can block it and fight back
processes, and tools; aggressively.
โข Drives knowledge and intellectual capital management
initiatives and encourages collaboration; and, The Adaptive State
โข Manages risks and reports on performance. The adaptive state of the central nervous system implies a
phenomenal ability to anticipate and respond to events. The
In many ways, the strategic project office acts as the organization has all the mechanisms in place and the power to
central nervous system of the organization, governing all sense and deal with its environment. In this state, the adaptive
its movements and reflexes. The strategic project office organization can predict the punch and, instead of deploying
provides the ability to react, act, and even predict situations the effort to fight back, it uses it agility to move away and ahead
and it links the corporate strategy to projects so that the of its assailant, leaving him or her disoriented and stunned.
whole system is balanced and the organizational health is
protected. In todayโs changing world, there is more and Improving Organizational Reflexes and
more pressure on organizations to be alert and agile so they Performance
can ensure their survival and, ultimately, their evolution. In By improving the organizational reflexes, the strategic
this context, it is imperative that organizations take special project office acts directly on performance. Before this new
care of their central nervous system (i.e., the strategic project framework can be established, the organization must have
office). a clear definition of its goals, indicators of performance,
There are four states for an organizational central nervous processes linkages, skills, and common tools and technology.
system. In turn, the organization can deploy various initiatives
and derive many benefits from the establishment of a strategic
The Reactive State project office:
In this state, the organization takes action on a stimulus
but its poor structure and level of coordination prevent it โข Project Portfolio Management
from responding efficiently and effectively. This is similar to โข Prioritizes projects;
someone receiving a punch in the stomach without seeing โข Analyzes and reduces overall risks;
it coming; he or she might simply be unable to fight back โข Ensures alignment with the corporate plan;
or only be capable of responding with a kick that does โข Eliminates redundant work;
not necessarily hit the target. This state often leaves the โข Consolidates project information; and
organization shaken and destabilized. โข Improves performance reporting and decision
making.
The Trained State
The trained state implies that the organization has received โข Human Resource Management
some basic training so that its central nervous system is more โข Maps resources profile, location, roles, skills,
aware of its external environment. The training may involve competencies, and proficiencies;
best practices, methods, processes, and tools, which make it โข Allocates resources more efficiently and with respect
more capable of reacting. In other words, the organization can to capacity;
see the punch coming and be ready to fight back; yet, hitting โข Plans workforce requirements;
the target is not necessarily guaranteed. This state provides โข Manages effective training programs based on
some confidence that the organization is more coordinated workforce planning; and
and capable of responding, yet it does not provide speed and โข Increases retention rate through improved employee
agility. satisfaction.
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3. โข Quality Management project-based philosophy and to the centralization of
โข Aligns quality practices and business goals; the responsibilities relative to project portfolio and risk
โข Offers best practices, metrics, processes, and tools, management, human resource management, quality
thereby contributing to the reduction of costs and management, and knowledge management must be
lead time to market; accessible. On the operational side, the level of maturity
โข Encourages a culture of quality and provides of each unit must be detailed, and the impacts on the
leadership for quality processes, consulting, and processes clearly defined to allow for the development of
support services; a change management strategy and plan. Finally, adequate
โข Coordinates the continuous improvement program; funding must be budgeted to support the deployment
and effort, to staff the strategic project office and to carry on the
โข Improves the image of the organization. strategic initiatives and projects.
Once the readiness and action plans have been
โข Knowledge and Intellectual Capital Management completed, the implementation can start. The transition
โข Collects and organizes explicit and tacit knowledge involves managing the deployment of the strategic project
(also referred to as structured and unstructured office like a project in itself. This includes getting executive
information) on the core areas of the business; participation and proper sponsorship and communicating
โข Deploys and integrates knowledge repositories and the changes on a continuous basis through many activities,
collaborative environments (discussion forums, chats, such as progress reports to the executive team, formal
electronic libraries, etc.), thereby contributing to the training, lunch-and-learn events, and information about the
reduction of costs and lead time to market; website dedicated to the strategic project office.
โข Provides leadership for knowledge sharing and Remember: not everything needs to happen at once!
collaboration; and Avoid growing too quickly so that you can respond to
โข Supports continuous improvements initiatives and feedback and be able to realign, if necessary, the change
enhancement of the organizationโs image. management activities accordingly. Plan for continuous
improvement! Target quick wins and allow for the evolution
Monitoring the Pulses and Taking Care of of the strategic project officeโs organizational structure over
Organizational Impacts time. This approach will help to manage the resistance to
Many organizations have deployed or are currently in change and will contribute to building a positive image and
the process of deploying a strategic project office. This is increasing the buy-in steadily.
not a passing trend, but a corporate initiative to improve Most importantly: Communicate, communicate, and
overall performance. In this context, it is imperative that communicate! There is no such thing as over-selling. Selling
the transition to a strategic project office be carefully and re-selling the strategic project office are necessary to
managed throughout the organization. It is also important gaining and keeping the buy-in across all organizational levels.
to acknowledge that all organizational units may not have Managing the changes also involves communicating the
the same levels of maturity to endorse a centralization of measurable objectives and reporting the successes, not only
the processes, methodologies, and tools. In this context, the to the executive and steering committee members and the
organizational readiness must be assessed in all objectivity; stakeholders, but also to the internal and external communities.
indeed, the establishment of a strategic project office should As a matter of fact, promoting the strategic project office
not be built on wishful impulse, but sustained through a and its positive contribution through public conferences and
strategic approach and rigorous planning. industry events can only increase the organizational buy-in and
On the executive side, the commitment to a project develop pride in the initiative and the results.
approach to every corporate initiative must be confirmed.
Moreover, this commitment must be reflected in a high Conclusion
degree of understanding, an agreement on the officeโs In conclusion, a strategic project office, like a central
mission, position, and role within the organization, and a nervous system, helps organizations move quickly and stay
willingness to delegate governance roles and responsibilities. alive despite markets growing globally, competition getting
From an organizational standpoint, the adherence to a more aggressive, and challenges becoming more complex.
PMI Virtual Library | www.PMI.org | ยฉ 2010 Francine Gignac
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4. To better illustrate this, Rodolfo Llinas, a neuroscientist About the Author
from New York University School of Medicine once said Francine Gignac, MBA, MAOM, PMP, has 25 years of
โBasically, there are two types of animals: animals, and animals experience working in the field of information technology.
that have no brains; they are called plants. They donโt need a Ms. Gignac is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and has
nervous system because they donโt move actively; they donโt pull worked in medium and large enterprises in several industries,
up their roots and run in a forest fire! Anything that moves including manufacturing, aerospace, telecommunications,
actively requires a nervous system; otherwise it would come to a energy, media, distribution, retail, public services, and
quick death.โ 1 education. Her roles have varied, from manager, project
manager, change management specialist, business, and system
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Llinas, Rodolfo. The Electric Brain. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ architect, to advisor and coach. She is the author of a book on
nova/mind/electric.html. Retrieval date, 1 November 2005. eCollaboration, titled Building Successful Virtual Teams.
PMI Virtual Library | www.PMI.org | ยฉ 2010 Francine Gignac
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