Utilities

The traditional PMO typically focuses on reporting and governance, often limited to overseeing project execution and ensuring compliance. In contrast, the “PMO of the future” takes on a more strategic and proactive role in the organisation. This evolved PMO operates across all functional areas, actively participates in strategy design and execution, and provides continuity for long-term strategic initiatives. It adapts strategy execution to changing internal and external conditions, learns from past experiences, and adjusts ongoing programs. The future PMO is more closely aligned with the strategy department while maintaining independence, requiring high-level thinking and the ability to translate broad visions into concrete, achievable programs.

A Project Management Office (PMO) can significantly improve strategy execution by bridging the gap between strategic planning and implementation. An empowered PMO can ensure that projects and programs align with organisational goals, optimise resource allocation, and adapt to changing conditions. By expanding its traditional role, a PMO can work directly with strategists to design execution plans, translate vision into actionable programs, and continuously review underlying assumptions. This approach allows for more agile strategy implementation, better stakeholder engagement, and improved change management across the organisation.

Many organisations struggle with strategy execution due to three key factors: ineffective resource allocation, poor design of implementation activities, and lack of organisational support. Ineffective resource allocation often occurs when businesses try to juggle regular operations with strategy implementation using the same personnel. Poor design manifests in project portfolios that don’t align with strategic intent or lack agility. Lack of organisational support stems from insufficient engagement of employees, stakeholders, and customers. To overcome these challenges, organisations should consider adopting a more dynamic approach to strategy execution, potentially leveraging an empowered Project Management Office (PMO) to coordinate and adapt implementation efforts.

Effective communication is vital for a PMO’s success as it ensures alignment among stakeholders, manages expectations, and promotes transparency, ultimately leading to better project outcomes.

Leadership support is crucial for a PMO as it legitimises its role, enhances its authority, and fosters a culture of collaboration and accountability across the organisation.

Employee engagement boosts productivity and morale, leading to lower staff turnover rates and a more motivated workforce, which are essential for maximising operational efficiency.

Leveraging technology, such as automation and data analytics, streamlines processes, reduces manual errors, and allows businesses to allocate resources more effectively.

Improving operational efficiency leads to reduced costs, increased profitability, and enhanced customer satisfaction, making businesses more competitive in their markets.

Risk management is vital for your programme’s success because it lets you spot, understand, and address potential problems before they disrupt your plans. Risk Management is all about proactive problem solving and informed decision making.

Independent oversight gives you a helpful outside perspective, offering a fresh set of eyes that aren’t caught up in day-to-day routines or internal pressures. These independent reviewers are great at asking the right questions and challenging the usual ways of doing things, so they can spot potential issues or risks that might get missed or be hard for your team to raise on their own.

Implementing a PMO with precision demands the expertise of a seasoned PMO consultant. Begin by assessing your organisation’s unique needs and objectives, then engage in tailored PMO consulting sessions. Our adept PMO consultants at Nine Feet Tall guide you through the process, ensuring seamless integration with your existing teams. They bring a wealth of experience to help you implement best practices, driving project excellence and organisational efficiency. With our collaborative approach, setting up a PMO becomes a strategic endeavour, designed to align with your business goals.

Enlisting the help of a PMO can provide you with…
• A Birds Eye view of your project – lots of eyes, everywhere
• Ongoing risk assessment that works faster and better
• A clearer understanding of your project’s timescales and budgets
• Ability to manage prioritisation and sequencing
• Optimise resources
• Long-term tracking and monitoring of progress and success
• Reduced pressure, stress, and responsibility on your shoulders
• A better grasp of project management overall
• A much higher chance of your projects being successful

In their offer of support in the initial construction and delivery of a project, as well as during the ongoing tracking and monitoring of the project’s progress, a PMO can oversee projects from start to finish. This allows for quicker identifications of any risks, whilst at the same time granting you a clearer understanding of project timescales and budgets.
Combine all these things and you have a much greater scope of overall project control. Plus, having a specialist PMO team means less pressure on you, and a much higher chance of your project being successful.

A PMO, or Project Management Office, does exactly what it says on the tin: it provides your business with the support you need to deliver your projects quickly and efficiently, adhering to set procedures to deliver a predetermined amount of work within agreed timescales and costs. 

Nine Feet Tall have a tailor made health check which will provide a quick assessment on your programme’s health and identify areas for improvement. It involves a critical assessment of whether you are on track to deliver maximum benefits and a detailed evaluation of how your project costs, benefits, communications, reporting, risks, planning, resourcing, and governance are being managed.

Did you know only 52%* of organisations deliver projects that satisfy their stakeholders? Delivering a large, complex programme of change is tricky, risky and never just about I.T. There are always significant wider business implications and considerations.  

At Nine Feet Tall, we offer a multi-sector, pragmatic and people-focused approach that will help you to implement the changes you need to manage projects and programmes efficiently and successfully. You’ll discover how to implement programmes of change that deliver on their outcomes, not just in the short term but for years to come. 

*https://financesonline.com/35-essential-project-management-statistics-analysis-of-trends-data-and-market-share/

A programme of change is the long term, adjustable organisational system in which short term, rigid projects function. Where projects work towards smaller, focused outputs, programmes use these projects as steppingstones to progress and adapt towards the ever-changing bigger picture.