Tag: PMO

Where companies are doing PPM without the PMO, I wonder: are they managing the portfolio strategy? I would contend they are not; I would contend that’s part of the execution of the strategy. The strategy, the strategic objectives, the goals, for what comes in the future year, should be generating the drivers, the determinants for what then you use to structure the portfolio. Then the project management office or demand office, or whatever we call this, uses these drivers to build the business cases. Some organizations have great alignment for organizations between strategy and execution but where that is lacking, we’ve got to fill the gap. The steps that come after the identification of the strategy and the initiatives that will fulfill it, those steps are not really performed in a strategy office. The PMO needs to cover that.

PMOs exist for a reason and the reason is not always the same. It might be very different between companies and between industries but I would go at the organizational level because even in the same industry you might find two companies that from the outside are doing the same but they do it in a very different way. So it’s not industry-driven, it’s organizational-driven in my experience. 

Hi Joe, fantastic that you agreed to be interviewed by us. To start, could you say in a few words what you do for a living and what you are passionate about in life? Thank you for the opportunity to share my story with all of you. I am the Founder and President of The PMO Squad. We are a PMO and Project Management consulting firm located in the United States. We’re passionate about taking the complex and simplifying so that our clients can delivery projects better for their organization.

Inspiring others has recently been recognized as one of the most important interpersonal skills of project managers and, broadly, leaders. Why inspiring is so crucial in contemporary project management? In my view it is important to realize that to be successful in these challenging times it is not only about the tools and technical knowledge but more importantly the personality and soft skills or capabilities of our people. Focusing on developing that area will help you to really engage your teams, building-up strong relationship with your stakeholders, overcome challenges and be great. Move from project managers towards great project leaders.