PORTFOLIO, PROGRAMME AND PROJECT OFFICE
The pace of business change continues to accelerate at an increasing rate. This results in enormous pressure on the organisation to continue delivering business value in line with business expectations. Companies must maintain the ability to provide solutions to clients effectively, not only to grow its business, but to survive. There is a real business risk should projects fail, this could result in:
Our research on project failure in the South African environment concluded that more than:
Our PPPOffice as defined below can be summarised as:
Organisations are recognising the need to create Portfolio Offices, Programme Offices and Project Management Offices that drive the alignment of initiatives with business strategy and successful delivery of the portfolio of programmes and projects
PM Academy has extensive experience in developing and implementing project offices that meet and exceed the needs of the organisation and the specific project. Our Portfolio, Programme and Project Governance is based on international best practise as defined by Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), PRINCE2® , Managing Successful Programmes (MSP®), or Agile®.
Our PPPOffice is tailored to the client requirements and we provide two models:
In our experience we have found that the Portfolio, Programme and Project office becomes the ‘hub’ of the project acting as a repository for project standards, policies, processes and relevant methodologies that improve the performance of the project. This ensures that the organisation is able to manage their full portfolio of projects and becomes a single point of contact for all information related to project activity across the entire organisation.
In conclusion, the main Portfolio Office, Programme Office and Project Office functions are:
| Project Office | Programme Office | Portfolio Office |
|---|---|---|
| Time Management | Time Management | Strategic Alignment |
| Integration Management | Integration Management | Portfolio Approval & Funding |
| Scope Management | Scope Management | Portfolio Balancing |
| Cost Management | Financial Management | Portfolio Assurance |
| Human Resources Management | Stakeholder Management | Portfolio Reporting |
| Communication Management | Communication Management | Knowledge Management |
| Risk and Issue Management | Risk and Issue Management | Portfolio Governance |
| Procurement Management | Procurement Management | Infrastructure Implementation |
| Quality Management | Benefits Management | Institutionalising Project Management |
We follow our 7 step PPPOffice methodology below when implementing a Portfolio, Programme and Project Office.
Confirm Scope and Sign Contract: We confirm and finalise the Portfolio, Programme and Project Office Scope, the execution approach, project structure, reporting requirements and timelines for implementation. Implementation Delivery contracts are prepared and signed by both parties.
Maturity Assessment: We advocate conducting a maturity assessment prior to the implementation of a Portfolio, Programme or Project Office using our PPINSIGHT methodology. This approach provides us with a baseline of current project management best practices in use and the desired state of project management institutionalisation. Assessment can either be based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) or PRINCE2®. An assessment plan is articulated and all documentation is signed-off by the client and PM Academy. The maturity assessment may be used as a snapshot or as a comprehensive maturity assessment. A Project Charter / Project Initiation Document is produced detailing the scope of the contract.
Develop and Agree Roadmap: We compile a draft Portfolio, Programme, Project Management report and recommendations. The report is discussed with the client to confirm relevance, accuracy and agreement on the road forward. The draft report includes an implementation plan and a prioritised list of actions to ensure a quick start to implementation.
Implement Plan: The agreed recommendations and actions are implemented. Regular reporting on the implementation is reported to management. This stage is concluded once the agreed implementation deliverables are achieved.
Final Report and Closure: The Portfolio, Programme, Project Management Maturity action plan is implemented and an associated PowerPoint presentation is formally handed to the client management and the project is formally closed.
Final Closure or Operate: The established Portfolio, Programme or Project Office and governance is formally handed over to the client portfolio, programme or project management staff. The assignment is formally closed. Alternatively, PM Academy operates the Portfolio, Programme or Project Office on behalf of the client.
