Part III
,Building an Effective Project Management Infrastructure
Annual surveys conducted by the Standish Group report on the top 10 reasons for project failure. At or near the top of every list since the surveys began is lack of senior-management support. You might think of that support as pertaining only to individual projects, but it also extends to the infrastructure that is put in place to support projects. A new category called User Involvement was added for the first time to the 2007 survey, and it topped the list as the major factor for project success.
From Parts I and II you have gained a fundamental understanding of the complexity and uncertainty of the contemporary project management environment. Next in the order of importance is the infrastructure needed to support that environment. That is the purpose of Part III.
Overview of Part III
Part III consists of three chapters.
Chapter 13: Establishing and Maturing a Project Support Office
A Project Support Office (PSO), which is also known as a Project Management Office (PMO), consists of organizational units that are put in place to support project managers and teams. They can offer a bare minimum of support services or up to 50 different support services. This chapter defines the PSO; describes its mission, objectives, support functions, structure, and placement in the organization; and discusses how to establish a PSO.
Chapter 14: Establishing and Managing a Project Portfolio Management Process
A Project Portfolio Management Process (PPMP) is put in place by senior management to ensure the best investment of money and people in the projects that are undertaken by the enterprise. This chapter discusses that process in detail. The role and responsibility of the PSO in this process is also discussed.
Chapter 15: Establishing and Managing a Continuous Process Improvement Program
Putting a project management methodology in place is the beginning of a long journey that will never end. The care and feeding of that methodology will occupy the enterprise for as long as it does business. To do that successfully requires the establishment of some type of process improvement program. This chapter discusses a four-phase model for establishing such a program. The role and responsibility of the PSO in this process is also discussed.