Download PMW_0040_4_week_PMO.mp3 (23.8 MB)

In setting up a project office or project management office (PMO), organizations need a pragmatic approach and the support of senior management. By looking internally and using existing best practices, methodologies and tools, project managers can "jumpstart" the process and more importantly create a project office or PMO that fits their organization rather than the other way around. This re-use strategy can also help keep costs down. BUT can it be done quickly without sacrificing the long-term success of the PMO?

In this episode we examine how to set up a project office or PMO in 4 weeks. 

To do this, Wayne Thompson is sitting down with Cornelius Fichtner, who has over 15 years of project management experience. Cornelius owns and manages his own project management training company and in his spare time produces three audioblogs: The PM Podcast, The PM PrepCast and The PDU Podcast. He is extremely passionate about project management methodologies and PMOs. Today he will be sharing his insights and war stores around setting up a project office or PMO in 4 weeks.

Download PMW_0039_Grassroots_PMO.mp3 (22.5 MB)

Creating a project office or project management office (PMO) is often a daunting task. Complicating the process is the fact that when you try to talk to people about PMOs, there is very little continuous spectrum of understanding regarding the term PMO.  Either the project managers work in an organization which has matured to the point where they have encountered the term project office or PMO or it is a foreign term to them.

One successful approach to shedding pre-conceived notions and building consensus is to create the PMO from the grassroots – starting with a clean sheet of paper and building the PMO around the needs of the organization and the people who make it up. Taking such an approach takes into account the business context and the culture of the overall organization as you work with the individuals who have to make it all work and succeed.  This is very important from a commitment standpoint because what the individuals believe will succeed contributes substantially to their ongoing buy-in and success of the PMO.

In this episode we will examine creating a PMO from a grassroots or clean sheet of paper approach.

To do this, I’m sitting down with Mel Bost, who has over 30 years of project management experience. Mel’s entire career has evolved around project and product development, including work at Ford Motor Company, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), UNOCAL, Tosco Corporation, and ConocoPhillips. Mel authors the blog, Mel Bost PM Expert (available at http://melbostpmoexpert.com), based on his own experiences in developing and maturing PMO organizations with several major Fortune 500 companies.   Mel’s blog summarizes successful behaviors of project managers working in a PMO setting as well as the structure and actions of a real PMO. Today Mel will be sharing his experiences and insights on setting up a PMO from the “grassroots,” a blank sheet of paper approach.

Music Notes
1.     The opening of the show – “Highlight Reel”
2.     Interview with the industry insider – “Broadcast News”      
3.     The closing of the show – “Yearbook”

Download PMW_0038_SMO_Part2.mp3 (16.9 MB)

Thank you for joining us for the fifth podcast in our series on project management offices. Today we are examining how to set up and maintain strategic management offices to provide the necessary alignment between tactical operational activities and the strategic objectives of small and medium enterprises. To do this, Wayne Thompson is sitting down with his friend and colleague, Michael Kamel, for part two of the two part series on strategic management offices.

Michael Kamel has over a decade of experience in engineering and project management. Currently he works as a Senior Manager in Strategy & Operations at Deloitte where his practice covers the domains of strategic planning, strategy deployment, innovation strategy and project management. Recently he was named President Ex-Officio of PMI Montreal. Today he will be sharing his insights and war stories on aligning operational activities with strategic planning in small and medium organizations.

We would also like to announce our newest partner – The PDU podcast.

Let's face it. Getting your PMP certification is tough but keeping it alive is just as challenging. To maintain your PMP certification you have to earn 60 PDUs every 3 years. That's a tall order for a busy PMP.

Welcome to the PDU Podcast. It brings renowned speakers conveniently to where YOU are. Take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade your knowledge and skill and learn from experienced professionals. And you won't ever run the risk of not having enough PDUs at the end of your 3 years because every month you receive a new webinar worth at least 1 PDU. 

So stop going to expensive classroom trainings and also free yourself from the need of watching a webinar on your computer. Instead, get The PDU Podcast and earn your PDUs without altering your daily routine.  To learn more check out the PDU Podcast at www.pducast.com.

Music Notes

1.     The opening of the show – “Torn Jeans”

2.     Interview with the industry insider – “Sideman Strut”

Download PMW_0037_SMO_Part1.mp3 (12.4 MB)

Like their larger brethren, success requires SMEs to be able to not only articulate the strategic goals of the organization, but also to capture and implement them at all levels of the enterprise to ensure that all projects, not matter how small or large, are aligned to the enterprise’s overall strategy. The lack of a middle management layer in SMEs, however, often means that there is no one in the organization to help translate the vision of the executives into operational terms so that the entire enterprise and all of its projects (i.e., tactical activities) are working in concert to achieve the same common set of goals.

Strategic management offices (SMO) represent one approach to help SMEs align their tactical operations with their strategic planning, bridging the gap between the operations management and the executive suite while optimizing resource management and minimizing waste.

In this episode, we will examine what makes strategy implementation so difficult in SMEs, what is an SMO, and how does an SMO differ from a project management office (PMO).

To do this, Wayne Thompson sits down with his friend and colleague, Michael Kamel, for a two part interview on strategic management offices.

Music Notes

1.     The opening of the show – “Pursuit”

2.     Interview with the industry insider – “Sprightly”

3.     The closing of the show – “Dogma”

Download PMW_0036_Improve_Operations.mp3 (7.8 MB)

Parksite is a wholesaler and distributor company headquartered in Illinois that offers specialized products, training, and value-added services to market segments within the building industry. It is one hundred percent employee owned, and has 14 locations and over 350 employees.

Parksite’s growth and its continued success demand that the company maintain a clear vision and well-defined goals. It already had in place the right business model, the right people, the right attitude and outstanding products and services. What it was missing was an integrated IT system to enable managers to see what was happening in the business in real time and respond in a timely and effective manner.

Parksite set out on a quest to find a software solution that provided end to end integration; the ability to customize the software to Parksite’s needs and business model (and not the other way around); and a low total cost of ownership. After doing an evaluation of enterprise resource planning vendors, Pronto Software emerged as the finalist. Today, Blake will share with us his experiences and insights of selecting and implementing PRONTO-Xi.

Music Notes

Download PMW_0035_Creating_a_PMO.mp3 (22 MB)

Project managers face and overcome risks and uncertainties frequently in their projects. Creating a project management office (PMO) is no different. It requires securing a large commitment on the part of the organization, obtaining buy-in at all levels, actively managing stakeholders and sponsors, and carefully gauging, and in some case disregarding, risks and uncertainties.

Success is not achieved merely with the creation of the PMO itself. In fact, 25% of PMOs typically fail in the third year of their existence. To build a PMO that will last, project managers need the proper infrastructure, processes, people and tools. Implementing a project portfolio management (PPM) strategy is an important early step as it helps tie those pieces together in building a PMO. Additionally, it helps drive the sustainability and success of the PMO by providing the necessary system of checks and balances that ensure projects are on track and in alignment with the organization’s goals. 

This is the third podcast in a series on project management offices, sponsored by Oracle Primavera. In this episode, we will examine how to overcome the risks and uncertainties in creating a project management office and more importantly, how to successfully maintain it.

To do this, I’m sitting down with industry insider, Beth Partleton who has more than 30 years of project and portfolio management experience in manufacturing and construction. During her illustrious project management career, she was the Director of Strategic Projects for Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; she was a founder, charter member, and president of the Milwaukee/Southeast Wisconsin PMI Chapter; she was Chair of the PMI Educational Foundation Board of Directors and lastly she served on the Board of Directors for PMI’s Manufacturing specific interest group. Today she will be sharing her insights and war stories around the importance of PPM to maintain a successfully operating PMO.

We are pleased to announce that there will be three more chances to win a netbook. The next drawing will be held on February 19, 2010. To register for your chance to win, please click here - Netbook Contest. Members are limited to one entry per month so don’t forget to visit our site and complete an entry form today. Good luck and thank you for listening.

Music Notes

1. The opening of the episode - "Collins Avenue"
2. Interview with industry insiders – "Half Moon Bay"
3. The closing of the episode - "Torn Jeans"

Download PMW_0034_PMOs_in_CPG_p2.mp3 (14.7 MB)

Although it is true that Project Management Offices (PMOs) need to adapt to the unique needs of the businesses they serve, it is more important that the leaders of PMOs gauge the true function of their existence.  In many cases, PMOs get lost in a siloed role delivering their value to solely the group(s) or department(s) they serve without taking into consideration their impact on other overlapping entities that may affect the business as a whole.  In this episode we continue our look at the unique character of the role of the PMO in consumer goods companies and how the highly competitive nature of this industry can leverage its value. 

Today we are continuing with the second part in a two part series examining how project management offices provide the necessary visibility for success in consumer goods companies.  To do this we continue our conversation with Hugh Woodward.

Hugh Woodward is an industry insider, who has over 35 years of project management experience in manufacturing, construction and IT.  He served two terms as Chair of the Project Management Institute and almost six years as a member of PMI's Board of Directors. Today Hugh will be sharing with us his insights and experiences of using project management offices in the consumer goods industry.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the first drawing to win a netbook.  Due to its success, we are pleased to announce that we will be giving away more netbooks between January and June of 2010. To register for your chance, please go to our website, www.pmwarstories.com and click on the hyperlink for the Netbook Contest displayed in the sidebar. Members are limited to one entry per month so don’t forget to visit our site and complete an entry form today. Good luck and thank you for listening.

If you would like to learn more about PMOs, project offices, Oracle Primavera, or managing projects in a manufacturing environment, then check out our monthly internet radio show available at www.pmwarstories.com or through apple itunes.

Music Notes

1. The opening of the show – “Investigation”
2. Interview with the industry insider – “Kickflip”
3. The closing of the show – “Yearbook”

Project Management Offices (PMOs) have been traditionally viewed as a horizontal discipline that can be applied to any project-centric organization.  Although the basic principles a PMO can deliver are universal, each and every PMO needs to look at the unique requirements and challenges of the vertical industry they are serving in order to fully deliver the value of its role to an organization.  In this episode we look at the unique character of the projects implemented by consumer goods companies and how the highly competitive nature of this industry views the role of a project management office. 

We are pleased to announce that this is the first podcast in a series on project management offices, sponsored by Oracle Primavera.  Today we are examining how project management offices provide the necessary visibility for success in consumer goods companies.  To do this I’m sitting down with my friend and colleague, Hugh Woodward, in a two part interview.

Hugh Woodward is an industry insider, who has over 35 years of project management experience in manufacturing, construction and IT.  He served two terms as Chair of the Project Management Institute and almost six years as a member of PMI's Board of Directors. Today Hugh will be sharing with us his insights and experiences of using project management offices in the consumer goods industry.

Additionally, I am pleased to announce that we are giving away a netbook to one lucky member of our community. To register for your chance, please go to our website, www.pmwarstories.com and click on the hyperlink for the Netbook Contest displayed in the sidebar. Members can only enter once per drawing and entries must be received by 11pm eastern standard time on Thursday, December 17, 2009.

If you would like to learn more about PMOs, project offices, Oracle Primavera, or managing projects in a manufacturing environment, then check out our monthly internet radio show available at www.pmwarstories.com or through apple itunes.

Music Notes
1. The opening of the episode – “Two Seater”
2. Interview with industry insiders – “East Ender”
3. The closing of the episode – “Electric Rodeo"

Download PMW_0032_Competing_Projects.mp3 (20.2 MB)

Capital projects provide some of the best examples of some of the most complex stakeholder relationships and portfolios that project managers can face.   The sheer magnitude of capital projects pushes the envelope in adhering to the ultimate delivery goal of every project manager – on time, within budget and within specification.  At the core of these projects are the multitudes of stakeholders that need to be managed. Whether it be those who manage the purse strings funding the project or the policy makers that can change the course of the plan on  a moment's notice; stakeholder management requires that all involved parties are kept in the loop every step of the way.  Documenting progress and continuous communication of project status are key elements in facilitating that these projects move forward and obtain the necessary approvals to meet projected timelines.  Additionally, planning for change due to funding issues or a shift in priorities require project professionals to have the necessary tools and methodologies in place to quickly adapt and prevent the potential derailing of the project’s successful outcome.

For the Delaware Department of Transportation (DOT), it, like many state agencies, was facing a budget shortfall due to the economic downturn and was re-evaluating the priorities of capital projects in the state to determine which projects would be shelved and/or canceled. This planning was interrupted and complicated when the US federal government passed its economic stimulus plan for "shovel ready" projects. Unfortunately for the Delaware DOT and other state agencies, they simply could not allocate the federal dollars towards existing projects and narrow their budget gaps. The new federal funds came with a host of conditions, and the Delaware DOT had to sort them out before it could understand the true implications that the economic stimulus plan would have on its scheduling of capital projects.

In this episode, industry insiders, Bob Perrine and Connie Post of the Delaware DOT, will share their insights and experiences in overcoming the challenges and complexities of managing a portfolio of capital projects.

Bob Perrine is a civil engineer with 30 years of experience in the construction industry. He has worked in federal government, private industry, and state government. Currently, Bob is the Constructability Review Engineer / Master Scheduler for the Delaware DOT.   

Connie Post, my other distinguished guest, has over 28 years of experience in Information Technology, and 18 years of experience in Project Management. She is currently an independent consultant with the Delaware DOT and her responsibilities include project management, requirements analysis and implementation of new systems, systems integration, and business process review. 

Today, Bob and Connie will discuss the difficult task of managing and scheduling resources for large, complex projects in the face of limited funds and competing stakeholders.

For more information about capital projects at the Delaware Department of Transportation, please check out Episode 28, Delivering Capital Projects on Time: A Case Study on the "Road" to Success using Oracle Primavera.

Music Notes
1.    The opening of the episode – “Catwalk”
2.    Interview with industry insiders – “East Ender”
3.    The closing of the episode – “Two Seater"

Download PMW_0031_PM_on_demand.mp3 (16 MB)