Has your PMO got P3O?
P3O, which stands for Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices is the new best practice guidance from OGC.
“The role and focus of a P3O is about doing the right programmes and projects” explains Alan Dismore, P3O Approved Trainer. “It’s about making sure that the corporate budget is spent on the project and programmes with a genuine business case that are going to deliver your organizations priorities.”
“But there’s more than that”, Alan adds; “lots of organizations have lots of good projects - but are they managed consistently and well? So the second major focus of P3O is about doing projects and programmes right”
“We call it ‘death of the hero’” says Alan, who was one of the UK’s first P3O qualified instructors. “Your organization may manage structured projects and programmes but, too often, a successful outcome depends on the individual project or programme manager – the ‘Hero’ – appointed to lead them. With P3O we are improving organizational maturity and developing a consistent and high quality approach to delivery - so success doesn't completely depend on the existence of a star performer.”
P3O is very flexible too: it can operate at the project, programme or portfolio level and Offices can be temporary, permanent or even virtual. It even includes the increasingly popular Centre Of Excellence model. Nor is P3O for large organizations: the Small Organisation Model provides for a P3O which could be as little as single individual.
The P3O guidance provides full information on how to set up the appropriate level of support office in your organization. A P3O Lifecycle has 4 clear steps from Identifying the P3O to Definition, Delivery and Closure. And, if your organization already has a P3O type function, guidance is given on how to re-energize the existing structures. Depending on size, implementation could be done as a PRINCE2 project or MSP programme.
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Lynne Maciver of Edinburgh based Maciver Project Services said: “our clients are already recognising the benefits of excellent P3O capability and we want to be sure that our team has the most up to date P3O skills to deliver this.”
Getting P3O qualifications will give you the opportunity to move your PM career to a strategic level. The project or programme office is the hub of PM work in your organisation and P3O provides new job opportunities such as Head of Project or Programme Office, Portfolio Analyst or Project / Programme Specialist – a recognised consultant expert working internally. If your organisation does not yet have P3O then being the first to qualify will set you up as a thought leader and someone at the forefront of best practices.
