Comments on: IT Led PMOs Create a Project Management Mess http://www.everyjoe.com/articles/it-led-pmos-create-a-project-management-mess-374/ Sports News - Tech Reviews - Entertainment - Life Tips for EveryJoe Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:28:23 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Bob Turek http://www.everyjoe.com/articles/it-led-pmos-create-a-project-management-mess-374/comment-page-1/#comment-326690 Bob Turek Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:31:52 +0000 http://www.projectmanagement411.com/it-led-pmos-create-a-project-management-mess/#comment-326690 Alan- I don't know if you are familiar with Gerald Kendall's book on advanced PPM/PMO, but it touches on the "closed endedness" issue. His view of PMOs is that, among other things, they are there to accelerate projects and figure out ways to stop bad multi-tasking, from initial estimating (where PMs are planning for stops, starts, redos among several projects) to defining projects in a way that they WILL get done (scope control). I understand the mid-size get in-get out issue very well- very difficult to simply hang around for the next project. There's a lot of "good practice" that can be revealed through an analysis of this phenomenon. Thanks for your excellent insights. Alan- I don’t know if you are familiar with Gerald Kendall’s book on advanced PPM/PMO, but it touches on the “closed endedness” issue. His view of PMOs is that, among other things, they are there to accelerate projects and figure out ways to stop bad multi-tasking, from initial estimating (where PMs are planning for stops, starts, redos among several projects) to defining projects in a way that they WILL get done (scope control). I understand the mid-size get in-get out issue very well- very difficult to simply hang around for the next project. There’s a lot of “good practice” that can be revealed through an analysis of this phenomenon. Thanks for your excellent insights.

]]> By: Alan Wilensky http://www.everyjoe.com/articles/it-led-pmos-create-a-project-management-mess-374/comment-page-1/#comment-326680 Alan Wilensky Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:30:27 +0000 http://www.projectmanagement411.com/it-led-pmos-create-a-project-management-mess/#comment-326680 Bob, I was so gratified to come across your higlight of my comment. After reading it and reflecting on your expansive commentary over the last several posts, I asked myself, "what is the essential take-away from this". And it was clear: Closed Endedness. External PM /PM's (I do product management and Project management under contract), work hard to culture their client list and spend a great deal of time closing contracts. We have to deliver, or will not be in business for long. Unlike the big five IT armies like Infosys and EDS, we serve the small mid-sized enterprise that just can't afford another spectacular failure. Being on external contract and serving a closed-end term in our Statement of Work makes us lone wolves invaluable for cleaning up messes, or coming in at the outset to mitigate the forces of ego or religion that may be driving a project. Some of those projects might have gone off the rails, some may just be starting with a whiff, a slight smell of badness that only the most astute executive can intuit; but we have developed a nose for baloney in IT that is just priceless to have in one's corner when the vendors and / or the internal IT barons start to run hog wild. Closed ended means that we are there for a fixed time, often just a few months, have to deliver a well defined set of solutions or remediations, and then are out of there. We have no political ambitions. That's the twinkle. Bob,

I was so gratified to come across your higlight of my comment. After reading it and reflecting on your expansive commentary over the last several posts, I asked myself, “what is the essential take-away from this”. And it was clear: Closed Endedness.

External PM /PM’s (I do product management and Project management under contract), work hard to culture their client list and spend a great deal of time closing contracts. We have to deliver, or will not be in business for long. Unlike the big five IT armies like Infosys and EDS, we serve the small mid-sized enterprise that just can’t afford another spectacular failure.

Being on external contract and serving a closed-end term in our Statement of Work makes us lone wolves invaluable for cleaning up messes, or coming in at the outset to mitigate the forces of ego or religion that may be driving a project.

Some of those projects might have gone off the rails, some may just be starting with a whiff, a slight smell of badness that only the most astute executive can intuit; but we have developed a nose for baloney in IT that is just priceless to have in one’s corner when the vendors and / or the internal IT barons start to run hog wild.

Closed ended means that we are there for a fixed time, often just a few months, have to deliver a well defined set of solutions or remediations, and then are out of there. We have no political ambitions.

That’s the twinkle.

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