Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is about more than just getting to the finish line or plowing through as many projects as humanly possible. One of the main differences between organizations at the higher end of the project management maturity scales versus those at the lower end is their ability to consistently deliver projects that are aligned with their business needs and corporate strategy.
Who’s your conductor?
Managing a project is a bit like conducting an orchestra—you need conductor to run the show, choose which pieces the musicians will play, and ensuring each is doing their individual part so that the group delivers a successful performance.
In the context of managing projects, the Project Management Office (PMO) is the conductor, bringing order to a situation that could quickly and easily turn to chaos. PMOs can consist of a single person or many, but the point is there is “someone” in place to that is responsible for managing the scope, schedule, and goals of a project.
Choosing the right “music”
If your audience is expecting classical setlist and you give them a rock medley instead, you’re probably not going to get the accolades you’re after. That doesn’t mean you didn’t do well or work hard to deliver a good performance, but it means you missed the mark.
How can you avoid this issue when managing projects? The answer is establishing a project intake and governance process. Essentially this means you have a process for evaluating all incoming project requests and determining which ones you should take on based on several factors, including available resources and how they align with business objectives. Projects requests tend to fit different categories—those that are “operational” (i.e., keep the lights on), those that are “progressive” (i.e., help move the organization forward, but incrementally), and those that are more “transformational” (i.e., have the potential to take an organization to the next level).
Once a project in underway, performing periodic governance reviews will allow you evaluate the status of a project, account for any changes in scope or schedule, and ultimately determine if that project should continue as planned, be put on hold, or even be stopped altogether.
Keeping your musicians in harmony
A good conductor gets the most of their musicians by ensuring everyone is playing their parts at the right time and in tune. In project management, the practice of resource capacity planning aims to do much the same thing. Good project managers are very adept as balancing project resources effectively so that the work gets done on schedule, on budget, and without either overutilizing or underutilizing any one person.
Before you start your next project, consider these strategies to ensure the result is what you—and your organization—are expecting.
Next time, make sure your projects are aligned with corporate strategy.Learn more
