Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
June 17, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM U.S./ET (GMT-4)
Larry Bonfante, CIO of the U.S. Tennis Association, will discuss the skills and approaches that your rising IT leaders must learn to be effective in an executive capacity.
How to Handle Your New CEO: Managing Turnover at the Top
June 18, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
Turbulent times have increased turnover at the top. Find out what Council CIOs have done to "break in" new CEOs—build relationships, set expectations, educate on the role of IT.
Mid-Market CIO Panel: Tips and Techniques for Improving Vendor Relationships
July 15, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
We'll highlight relationship priorities and best practices identified in a Council study, and we'll interact with a CIO panel on the approaches they've used to improve strategic vendor partnerships.
Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Assess Your Business Leadership Skills with the Council's new benchmarking tool. Rate yourself in change leadership, strategy, customer focus and more.
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July 10, 2008 — CIO —
With countless projects always under way, CIOs need to feel confident that their teams have things under control in terms of project scope, budget, prioritization and time line. Few would argue that a project management office (PMO), well-planned and implemented, won't go a long way toward governing projects to more satisfactory conclusions. For many CIOs, it's a requirement.
"My philosophy is that there are three legs of the stool that are required in any successful IT department: a PMO, portfolio management and IT governance," says Eric Hungate, CIO of the Texas Association of School Boards, a nonprofit educational association.
In smaller, more nimble organizations, CIOs can try unique models for project management and governance. In Hennepin County, Minn., PMO Director Pan Hall hired Karen Piet to work with a select group on a biweekly basis to set up an initial project management methodology. The 12-person team is open to anyone in IT and to select business partners.
"We call it the 'best practice' model. It's a grassroots effort that provides structure for different phases of project methodology, template advice and other aspects of PMO oversight," says Hall.
This collaborative effort is very different from buying a set methodology or adopting a well-known practice. Instead, Piet asks the team about the best documentation for a particular phase of a given project, and what the deliverables should be. Responses are compiled and discussed, and form the basis of the methodology. "Adoption of the PMO has been much smoother with this team-based effort, rather than going out and telling people that we have made the decision, and this is how it is going to be done," says CIO Toni Jelinek.
-C.M.,
When it comes to setting up a PMO, all CIOs struggle with securing buy-in, demonstrating value and choosing the right project methodology for the corporate culture. More than their larger-company peers, though, mid-market CIOs (those whose companies report less than $2 billion in annual revenue) must grapple with finding staff and funding resources to develop an effective PMO. But a mid-market company's size and agility also allow its CIO to try out different processes that a larger company might not risk. Below, four Council members share tactics to make their mid-market status an advantage when forming a PMO. Advocate from the start. Mid-market CIOs have many priorities pulling them in different directions. That's why new CIOs should seize the opportunity to jump-start a PMO. "I used my honeymoon as the first CIO to advocate for a PMO, and then started to get the basics established," recalls Hungate. "My first step was to hire a PMO director."