PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Filling the gap John Zachar Principal consultant How do PPSOs successfully provide services to other than projects?

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September “Standard” Definitions  Project A management environment (e.g. temporary grouping of resources) created to deliver unique business products according to a specified business case within pre-specified timescales  Portfolio A group of projects gathered together to make them easier to manage  Programme A group of projects, all focused on a common organisational objective or outcome, gathered together to make them easier to manage

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Our Definitions  Project An office that supports projects with planning assistance, and maintains planning standards A temporary management environment meant to solve a problem, and implement change by delivering relatively unique products within agreed timescales and based on a valid business case. A group of projects, assembled under an umbrella, possibly within a silo, to ease their management by establishing priorities for common resources (classic portfolio constraint). A group of projects assembled under an umbrella to ease their management, much like a portfolio, but unlike a portfolio, all the projects are focused on a common outcome.  Portfolio  Programme  PSO

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Throughput Project support office

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Project Support (Basic)  What  Collect data  Keep the individual project scores  Support individual projects  Produce reports  Acts as conduit for project information  Who  Typically administrative types  Generally passive in nature

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Project Support (More mature)  What  Information rather than data  Analyses and interprets  Support individual projects  Some authority  Begins to report on the portfolio  Who  Now includes functional specialists  Interventionist (audits / review)

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Project Support (Mature)  What  Centre of excellence / agency of change  Analyses and interprets  Support projects and portfolios  Provides training & support  Manages PMs career paths (may even ‘own’ PMs in terms of pay and rations)  Who  Now staffed by process specialists  Proactive & interventionist (reviews)

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Project Support (Mature)  What  Source of best practice (owns the method)  Maintains / manages PM capacity and capability  Involved in establishing strategic direction  Who  Staffed by people capable / competent in PM (process specialists)  Represents PM at board level This is about establishing project predictability, and therefore increasing the effectiveness of decision making! THINK PROJECT DELIVERY

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Portfolio Support  Support projects and portfolios by creating portfolio (or umbrella) perspectives of:  Risks & Issues  Benefits  Costs  Resource utilisation  Delivery / achievement  Method success / evolution  Lessons learned This is about establishing organisational predictability, and therefore increasing the effectiveness of the PM community! THINK THROUGHPUT

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Project support office Performance Throughput Programme support office

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Programme Support  Everything that has come before, both project and portfolio, AND  Support for the programme director  Help to identify which projects to commission (How to partition the implementation of the programme solution.)

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Programme Support  Benefits management  Identification  Quantification  Tracking / realisation This is about establishing organisational effectiveness, and therefore increasing the value of the PM community! THINK PERFORMANCE

PPSO SIG Autumn Conference 20 – 21 September Questions & Answers John Zachar Principal consultant CITI Limited Lovat Bank, 37 Silver Street, Newport Pagnell, Bucks., MK16 0EJ