10 tips to manage project portfolio management (ppm) processes
- 2. Methodologies are static and quickly become out of date. Focus on PPM processes and best practices that are scalable to project type and size and answer not just the "what is to be done", but the "who, when, where, how, and why" of the work effort as well.
- 3. Though PPM tools provide some collaboration features, most organizations seek to use the existing enterprise collaboration platform rather than placing project files and folders in an additional repository. Processes, tools, and collaboration work together and are each required to effectively manage projects and continually improve the organization.
- 4. Processes that provide workflows scalable to project type and size enable the project team to effectively execute a wide variety of projects without being burdened by too much bureaucracy. PMO processes can provide the structure, guidance, and flexibility to truly help, not create additional work for, the project manager and project participants.
- 5. People oriented processes serve specific purposes, ensure efficiency and consistency, and tend to become "roadmaps" for continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.
- 6. PPM processes and best practices that have process owners or "care-takers" are continually improved upon by reviewing and applying lessons learned feedback and process improvement suggestions. Hence, process owners help drive continuous improvement and institutionalization of the PPM processes and best practice knowledge, skill, and execution capabilities.
- 7. Don't wait until there is a problem to review the processes and best practices of the PMO or project portfolio managing organization. Establish process owners and delegate to them the duty of periodic assessment of their assigned processes and best practices. Encourage them to proactively find ways to streamline and improve existing processes and to identify new processes and best practices that could be of value to the organization.
- 8. Rather than experiencing the same difficulty over and over again, recognition and incentives for process improvement encourage and reward project team members to get involved. The end results are not just lessons learned documents, but practical improvement suggestions to streamline processes, improve best practices, and eliminate defects and waste. As Edward Deming put it, "Fix the process and you fix the problem."
- 9. A clear understanding of the "as-is" state enables the team to discuss and debate what works well, what needs improving, and to agree upon actionable process improvement suggestions.
- 10. Some PMOs establish project management and a portfolio management processes aligned to the latest industry standards and are disappointed to find out that they are not being effectively used throughout the organization. In managing the project portfolio management processes of the PMO, recognize that applied processes must extend far beyond just the knowledge standards.
- 11. In addition to the methodology, processes and policies need to be put in place for such things as where specifically to store project documents, when project status reports are due, how and when project data is to be entered into the PPM tool, how and when complex and situational techniques as Earned Value Management (EVM) and Monte Carlo Risk Analysis are to be employed, who is involved in the review and decision process, and how and when are the various PPM meetings and reviews conducted. Ensure that your PPM processes provide not just the “what” of the “what is to be done,” but also the practical context and specifics of the “Who, When, Where, How, and Why.”