“Our first attempt at starting a PMO [project management office] ended in failure. We underestimated the training aspect. All the handbooks and templates in the world are not much use if project leaders do not know how to apply them. But since then, we have been able to establish an effective PMO function. There is no set formula for success, but if I could give just one piece of advice, it would be this: Get control of the project initiation process before you do anything else.“In most PMO-less companies, projects start up all over the place, and for the strangest reasons. The inbound queue is always full beyond capacity, and any attempt to get discipline around project execution is doomed. (Some of you may remember the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel are working on the cookie assembly line. It keeps going faster and faster as quality of execution goes downhill.)“To start the PMO you need to get control of what you do before you can start improving how you do it. We started with a simple Project Planning Pipeline report that categorized projects into Active, Next to Start and Proposed. With a few simple rules around how to ’activate’ a project, our customers quickly got used to the fact that we are doing fewer concurrent projects, but we were going to execute them well. This set the stage for adding project management methodologies, training, tools, support and all the good things that PMOs do to improve execution.” Related content brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM How digital twin technology is changing complex industrial processes forever As the use cases for digital twins proliferate, it is becoming clear that data-driven enterprises with a track record of innovation stand the best chance of success. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM Why modernising applications needs to be a ‘must’ for businesses seeking growth Around one-third of enterprises are spending heavily on application modernisation and aiming for cloud native status. The implications for corporate culture, structure and priorities will be profound. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation opinion 11 ways to reduce your IT costs now Reorienting IT’s budget toward future opportunities is a big reason why CIOs should review their IT portfolios with an eye toward curbing unnecessary spending and realizing maximum value from every IT investment. By Stephanie Overby Dec 05, 2023 11 mins Budget Cloud Management IT Governance news analysis SAP faces breakdown in trust over innovation plans The company’s plan to offer future innovations in S/4HANA only to subscribers of its Rise with SAP offering is alienating customers, user conference hears. By Peter Sayer Dec 05, 2023 6 mins SAP Cloud Management Innovation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe