(Download the PMO Solution as a PDF)
The Collective Intelligence Project Management Office (CI-PMO) provides the solution to problems associated with managing multiple, simultaneous projects. Project portfolios are organized in an effective manner utilizing proven industry best practices and advanced information management technologies. The CI-PMO provides the framework and supporting technologies to ensure that projects are given the oversight and attention needed to realize a successful development, implementation, and deployment.
Ensuring best practices in project management has a substantial impact on the time, cost, and quality of projects. The mission statement for the CI-PMO is to “Identify, stimulate, and support the utilization of best project management practices”. By embracing and promoting best practices, the CI-PMO helps our clients improve performance, mitigate risk, and manage cost. Essentially, the CI-PMO assumes the critical role supporting all aspects of the project life cycle.
The CI-PMO promotes identification of organizational priorities for projects and mandates– for example, mandatory projects, political projects, operations /maintenance, and governance. This identification of priorities allows our clients to respond with increased efficiency and agility to new opportunities and tasks.
The typical Enterprise is frequently overwhelmed by the countless components and tasks that must be completed in order to complete their portfolio of highly interconnected projects. The CI-PMO is critical to the effective and efficient delivery of these projects. The CI-PMO can be hosted at Collective Intelligence or it can be configured and deployed at the client site. The CI-PMO is a comprehensive solution that combines both well defined and documented processes with leading edge, collaborative technologies and a full range of project management consulting services.
The CI-PMO utilizes the Project Symmetry methodology developed by Collective Intelligence (Figure 1). The Symmetry processes have been field tested and refined for over ten years. They represent a proven best practices approach to project governance and portfolio management. Our methods, techniques and tools enable us to establish the PMO quickly and staff it with an appropriate combination of resources. Resulting from our extensive PMO experience, projects can be quickly initiated and planed based on standard project templates and project histories.
Figure 1 - Symmetry Processes
The CI-PMO provides the infrastructure for all phases of the project lifecycle illustrated in Figure 1. Based on enterprise web portal technology the CI-PMO provides an end-to-end collaborative project and portfolio environment. The CI-PMO provides our clients and project teams with the ability to gain visibility, insight, and control across all enterprise projects. This enhances decision-making, improves alignment with business strategy, and helps maximize resource utilization
The CI-PMO Portal (Figure 2) includes the following technology components:
- Microsoft Office Project Professional - Project is used to plan, estimate and track all projects. Microsoft Project connects to Project Server
- Microsoft Office Project Server - Office Project Server 2007 is the flexible platform that supports the resource management, scheduling, reporting, and collaboration capabilities of the CI-PMO. Project Server enables PMO stakeholders to store (and access) project and resource information centrally and consistently. It integrates with SharePoint Services 3.0 (and SharePoint Server) for file management and collaboration capabilities which helps PMO team members work together more effectively. Based on their roles, all PMO users can access data and functionality via the Internet through PMO Web Access.
- SharePoint Server – Projects (or Programs) can establish their own workspaces or site to promote information sharing, document management, team collaboration, project tracking, project reporting and timesheet management and collection
- Microsoft SQL Server – All project data and project documentation is stored in a relational database.
- Microsoft Reporting Services and Analysis Services – Project reports are generated though Microsoft reporting services. PMO business intelligence tasks like what-if analysis are performed using Microsoft Analysis Services.
- Microsoft Office Toolset – The PMO-Portal works intimately with the Microsoft Office tools such as Word, Excel and InfoPath Forms. The PMO-Portal provides work flow support for deliverable submission and provides the repository for all document artifacts produced during the project life cycle.
Figure 2 - PMO Portal
CI-PMO Benefits
The CI-PMO consistently produces the following major benefits:
Enhanced Project Delivery - The CI-PMO structure promotes project delivery that is on schedule, within budget, and meets all defined requirements.
Risk Reduction – Risk management and risk mitigation strategies are interwoven into the fabric of the CI-PMO and are employed throughout the project and software development life cycles.
Formalized Project Development Teams –The ability to have ‘full life cycle’ development teams focus on their specified deliverables increases productivity and provides project leadership with the ability to direct.
Efficient Response to Requests - Rapid response to specific work requests by having established communications protocols and clear delineation of responsibility. This permits a project team to respond more quickly to project requests and helps to ensure meeting cost and schedule requirements.
Efficient Resource Allocation – The enterprise resource pool allows our clients to assess the level of their resource utilization and accurately predict staffing requirements based upon proposals, project backlog and projects in the execution phase.
Project Manager Support – the CI-PMO is the support organization for Project Managers in the field. Warehousing a wide array of templates, project plans and project manager best practices the CI-PMO organization can help mentor and grow highly skilled project managers for your organization.
Collaboration and Interaction – Project team members, managers, project leaders and executives can monitor progress within the portal while communicating with one another using a number of collaborative technologies built into the CI-PMO portal.
Information Management and Reporting – The CI-PMO is the single source of all information regarding project activity within the organization. Clients have the ability to mine project data, perform deep what-if analysis and construct custom reports related to schedule, budget or resource allocation. The document management capabilities of the CI-PMO facilitate the management of the Project Library; or a searchable source for all project artifacts that are created throughout the project life cycle.
Organizational Flexibility – The ability to respond to a multitude of projects with increased speed and efficiency. With a project-focused environment, PMO management assigns projects to those teams using enhanced resource allocation techniques.
Proven Methodologies - The CI-PMO Framework has proven successful with a reusable and modular framework for development projects. This framework greatly reduces redundant development efforts and promotes greater efficiency.
Effective Human Capital Management - Improved resource management of identified resources. The Project Manager assigns tasks to team members who are most skilled in those areas of expertise and have the necessary resources available. Clients can begin measuring resource allocation and resource utilization across different organizations or by skill-set.
Identification of Organizational Business Priorities - Project Managers work collaboratively with clients to determine organizational business priorities. The CI-PMO can respond effectively by addressing prioritized projects within the organization.
Virtual Project Teams – The CI-PMO provides the infrastructure to support geographically dispersed project teams. This reduces travel costs and supports ‘follow the sun’ development and support strategies.
Critical Success Factors for the CI-PMO
Over the years we’ve been able to identify several critical success factors that help enable the CI-PMO. Through a deep understanding of software development, project management, and quality management best practices we are able to help our clients achieve results rapidly.
Effective Communication – We develop a Communications Plan that identifies communications protocols within the CI-PMO. This includes development of a comprehensive plan to facilitate communication between on-site and off-site development teams with client stakeholders. The CI-PMO Portal provides the infrastructure for teams to collaborate and communicate in a distributed, ‘always on’ fashion.
Organizational Change – We help foster a culture that embraces change and success. While change is difficult for both individuals and organizations, the CI-PMO promotes an environment that regards change as necessary for success. This is often a challenging process, however, we’ve found that the CI-PMO rapidly becomes a prime motivator for change and is used frequently by stakeholders who use the CI-PMO to keep pace with the evolution of the organization.
Process Focus – We focus our client on adhering to a System Development Life Cycle Methodology (SDLCM) during the entire project lifecycle. This introduces the consistency and predictability needed to manage and monitor projects. It also provides the framework for creating higher quality, more accurate documentation that ultimately supports future maintenance or evolutionary phases of the final work product.
Resource Driven – We ensure that the CI-PMO structure is resource driven which enables our clients to makes strategic decisions regarding the availability of resources and skill sets. Too often, projects are undertaken with insufficient resources to fulfill the obligation. This under-planning is often responsible for cost overruns and project failure. We help identify project resources and ensure that they are not overloaded; this in turn produces a much more productive and motivated work force.
Defined Boundaries – We help our clients deploy and implement a pragmatic methodology that articulates tasks, task dependencies and assigned responsibilities while focusing on the key work products / deliverables. This results in projects that are delivered on time, within budget, and at a higher level of quality.
