Connecting PMO with the Business

as part of The Big PMO Adoption - Event Report

Article prepared by:

David Dunning – lead author, Business Integrated Governance

Introduction

On the 11th July, the APM PMO Interest Network held it's conference - with a theme "The Big PMO Adoption".

From a PMO perspective - there is typically much more a PMO can do for an organisation than it currently does. There is much talk in PMO circles about clarifying service offerings to take to an organisation. This is great proactive engagement from PMO professionals.

However - the Business Integrated Governance approach is to offer a different proposition. The proposition is to help the organisation deliver strategy - and, in fact, at the recent House of PMO conference, there was much talk of "adding value" and "strategic alignment".

In essence - this service would provide all the core capabilities a PMO could provide - but not just on a project, programme or portfolio level - but on a business-wide basis - and focused around objectives, not just projects.

This brings a greater definition to 'Big PMO' - a 'BIG PMO' - or as the BIG CIC calls it - "Business Support"

In essence, Business Support provides:

Support for alignment of purpose and vision with strategy development
Cascade of objectives and key results through a common information model
Operation of metrics to support measurement of key results related to objectives
Prioritisation support - at all levels
Governance Operation support - at all levels
Resource Management Support
Integration / dependency management
the hub for support offices enabling governance operation.

Please see the BIG BoK Chapter on Business Support and Assurance

To support the APM PMO Conference, the GO BIG Network and partners supported a presentation "Connecting PMO with the Business".

Agenda

PART 1 – Setting the scene with BIG, and challenge the PMO to step up – specifically by challenging your audience (in groups) to consider conundrums below - 5 mins

Background reading:

Is your PMO a Cost Centre or a Value-Generator?

Promote your PMO

PART 2 – questions for tables. Please come up with 3-5 key points from your discussion - 5 mins prep then 15 mins

Table 1 Connection to strategy – do we a. have cascaded objectives with accountable people that are creating projects to deliver, or b. are we more woolly, and have projects trying to find objectives to support?

We are looking to understand from our audience whether they are purpose and objectives driven - or are tactically supporting projects which might help strategic objectives. Is there clarity of how strategy cascades and how responses combine and perform?

Background reading:

Connecting Strategy to Delivery with VIVA Goals and BIG

The Backbone for Strategy Delivery

Using Business Integrated Governance to Improve Strategy Delivery

Table 2 Accountability – how does that work? What part does the PMO play in ‘Accountability’ – is it that a. accountability is a private matter between manager and employee or b. at the forefront of strategy delivery?

Of vital importance to strategy delivery is the identification of clear points of Accountability - or "Accountability nodes". An Accountability node may have one or many Objectives, Targets or Challenges to deal with and my be formed into a department, product group, project etc. Is it / should it be the PMO (Business Support) role to ensure the mapping of all points of accountability, their information needs / shares - to enable strategy delivery to work?

Background reading:

Accountability in the BIG Knowledge Outline

Accountability - impossible without systematic prioritisation?

Table 3 Integrated Quality Governance – how does the PMO fit? – is it a. trying to carry out governance support on project and programmes in isolation or b. an integrated part of the organisations operationalised governance framework?

There are many signs that project and programme governance is not integrated well with an organisation. Separate tools, local databases / reports, external meeting specific reporting. Do governance bodies use the same support, synchronise meetings, share RAID capability, work off the same Objectives and Key Results solution?

Background reading:

Purpose Driven Organisations

BIG Knowledge Outline

PART 3 – 5 mins Run through emerging points and offer my points too – mention the back ups

PART 4 – 10 mins PMO take way – Sell what you do – but there are areas of Business Integrated Governance that need xMO support. Can you get a sponsor to pick up the wider role with you?

PART 5 – final 5 mins Q&A – so we started thinking about the Big PMO adoption – but also possible the PMO adoption of BIG?

If you are interested in learning more about connecting strategy to your delivery, or would like us to repeat the presentation - please contact us and find out how to start the journey to improve strategy delivery: