Want to improve your #EPMO maturity and the results by 30% . . .

#EPMO continues to lag in producing results, but why? 

It suffers from the same limitations as any startup PMO.  It really is not a secret, but most PMOs struggle for legitimacy.  They struggle over the control of vital resources and with internal politics while being held accountable for results. It is often analogous to the PM and PMO having one arm tied behind their back. Agile, SAFe, DAD, Less, Lean, Six Sigma, etc won't fix this dilemma. The solution is surprisingly easy, intuitive and rarely implemented by any organization outside of the top 20% in any given industry or market segment.

The following maturity model discussion helps illuminate why you are struggling. Fortunately, #EPMO is the better answer but it takes your organization out of their comfort zones. There is safety in the current state. That is where management dictates downward but they may not be thinking about the cross functional impacts or strategic value of their actions. The strategy may be good but the tactics are severely off target.

We have all seen what happens when you optimize a department level effort like receiving inspection to the exclusion of accounting, finance and operations . . . the machine stops and you may not have a way to bypass your fool-proof system and controls. The following maturity model has been adapted for virtually very business application and department from IT Service Management to Process Reengineering and to operations and finance.

Level 1 - The Initial Process

Corporate level processes are just becoming defined. Executive Management may be aware of the EPMO but being “on board” is a convenience and not a requirement. The EPMO was likely formed by IT or Finance to address the cross functional demands and inconsistent expectations from the business community.

Level 2 - Structured Process and Standards - Tools and Techniques

Basic project management processes are established, but they’re probably reserved only for the biggest and most high-profile projects in the organization. Executive Management is slightly vested and board with the EPMO processes and may be promoting the EPMO while maintaining a traditional stranglehold on the technology systems. This phenomena is common for Finance, Operations and Human Resources. They have their reasons for holding out, but mostly it is about control; the technology is not smart enough to know that that it is optimizing dollars and cents vs. widgets or headcount. The tools to create project plans, estimates, and schedules may be standard but the application and reporting is inconsistent. Maturity and growth often stops right here.

Most organizations believe they are operating at a high level of maturity when the model clearly shows they are in the early stages of development. They are most likely a solid level II and believing they are level IV because they bought the latest tools from their favorite vendor, solutions integrator or by relying on the industry norm . . . which is directly related to the issue being discussed today.

Level 3 - Organizational Standards and Institutionalized Processes

By now, your Enterprise processes must be standardized across the entire Enterprise (i.e. all of your functional organizations) and the must be repeatable. Reporting and plans are more detailed. Estimates, and scheduling are based on industry standards, as well as best practices, lessons learned, and historical data. The EPMO now has the authority to reallocate business and functional resources to meet corporate level objectives. This is where we see middle management acting as a buffer against change. They see the #EPMO as an intruder or fad that will be gone just like 50-75% of the other corporate initiatives.

Level 4 - Highly Managed Processes

The #EPMO’s processes are now fully integrated with corporate processes and governing standards. Reporting, data analysis, and management ensures compliance with the Corporate and #EPMO standards, analytical, and prioritization processes.  The #EPMO and corporate organization are very high performing on their strategic efforts and the metrics clearly show the improvements.

It is not easy to achieve level IV. Not only do you need the tools, you also need the C-Suite to enthusiastically embrace a 'foreign' concept of letting the #EPMO prioritize projects and work for them. You need a small, but mature group of Enterprise Architects, Portfolio and Program Managers to keep the focus on strategic values. We often get lost in the minutia of department level nice to have features that can derail and/or cripple an Enterprise Solution.

Level 5 - Optimization

The 'holy grail' of process optimization arives. #EPMO now has robust processes in place to measure Enterprise Project Management efficacy and efficiency. They have the tools, techniques and automated controls to help optimize their results. They focus on continuous improvement vs. daily management. There are analytically driven decision reports and processes to ensure that project performance continues to improve, instead of remaining constant. Finally, Executive Management is heavily focused on the vision, mission and strategy vs. tactics. C-Suite leverages the statistically driven decision making tools and rarely use their instincts and functionally oriented perspectives. The C-Suite empowers the #EPMO to be the glue that binds strategic fiscal, operational, technology and growth initiatives together.

Reality suggests the maturation process is a 3-5 year journey. Fast tracking means short cuts and a loss of learning experiences that could be crucial to your long term success. Only the most advanced organizations with incredible emotional intelligence can make a quantum leap to level five in anything less than two years. If you truly believe your organization has that massive and untapped potential, then ask what has been holding you back and start that 2-5 year journey tomorrow.

Coras Blog: https://www.coras.com/resources/2017/6/9/the-five-stages-of-pmo-maturity

Fusion PMP Advisor LLC delivers meaningful EPMO advice through affordable subscription services, training, one-on-one coaching and fast track PMO startups.

PMI.org cites an average 30% increase in successful projects attributed soley to #EPMO. With a three decades trend of only achieve 20% success on projects, can your organization really afford to not improve your success rate by 30% ? If you want to be 80% successful then contact: [email protected]