I've been a very inconsistent blogger lately. Between soccer, working on an election campaign, spring drawing me outside, and time spent planning for a graduation, I've been slightly stretched lately. Not badly stretched, but enough that I haven't written even though I've had material.
What to do? I've decided to commit to blogging twice a week, probably on Mon/Tues and Fri/Sat. I like writing something other than my 9 to 5 content--meeting minutes, build/deployment descriptions, etc.--so I want to continue. Also, there are interesting things going on at my workplace and at my former workplace that I want to comment on. I'm going to take notes during the week and write off them when writing time comes.
Project Management Offices.
The answer to every workplace's problems is a PMO--well, maybe. The PMO is home to a group of project managers who attempt to document and manage whatever projects a company's management decides should be done. Document as in figure out and write down why the project is being done, what's required, who does what, and how it should work in the end. Manage as in trying to make what's documented real.
I'm not in a PMO. My company has several separate PMOs, and I work with project managers in one of them--a large group that handles migration projects. They handle the overall management of the project and I have the Quality piece which involves working with a subset of the project team. I'm close enough to the PMO that I know what goes on in the group and the politics. About a third of the project managers are highly paid contract project managers who are very knowledgeable and professional.
In fact there's a senior project manager job open in that group that my coworker thinks I should apply for. My spouse thinks she's trying to get rid of me but we actually get along very well. I don't have my PMI certification yet and I'm clueless on a lot of the advanced pmilingo so I don't think I'll try this time.
Widgets is developing a PMO. I wonder if anyone in management there is as supportive of a PMO as they say they are. Do they have the patience to explain why they want a project, explain EVERYTHING that's required, and then go through a CHANGE MANAGEMENT process when they change their mind later?
Yes, real project management should help any company do their projects faster, cheaper, and better. Coding off real requirements! Figuring out what might go wrong before it does! Planning with all the groups involved so nothing is missed! Actually leaving time for testing so the project meets quality standards that are specific and measurable!
There is some bad news about PMOs. Having a PMO doesn't mean that high level managers can't make bad decisions and then tell the PMO to "make it so." Sure the project managers will provide documentation that may lead to questions about how a commitment fits into the business plan, but project managers are implementers, not decision makers.
Still, having a PMO is going to help the people working on the projects a lot! Good night and good luck to PMOs everywhere.
What to do? I've decided to commit to blogging twice a week, probably on Mon/Tues and Fri/Sat. I like writing something other than my 9 to 5 content--meeting minutes, build/deployment descriptions, etc.--so I want to continue. Also, there are interesting things going on at my workplace and at my former workplace that I want to comment on. I'm going to take notes during the week and write off them when writing time comes.
Project Management Offices.
The answer to every workplace's problems is a PMO--well, maybe. The PMO is home to a group of project managers who attempt to document and manage whatever projects a company's management decides should be done. Document as in figure out and write down why the project is being done, what's required, who does what, and how it should work in the end. Manage as in trying to make what's documented real.
I'm not in a PMO. My company has several separate PMOs, and I work with project managers in one of them--a large group that handles migration projects. They handle the overall management of the project and I have the Quality piece which involves working with a subset of the project team. I'm close enough to the PMO that I know what goes on in the group and the politics. About a third of the project managers are highly paid contract project managers who are very knowledgeable and professional.
In fact there's a senior project manager job open in that group that my coworker thinks I should apply for. My spouse thinks she's trying to get rid of me but we actually get along very well. I don't have my PMI certification yet and I'm clueless on a lot of the advanced pmilingo so I don't think I'll try this time.
Widgets is developing a PMO. I wonder if anyone in management there is as supportive of a PMO as they say they are. Do they have the patience to explain why they want a project, explain EVERYTHING that's required, and then go through a CHANGE MANAGEMENT process when they change their mind later?
Yes, real project management should help any company do their projects faster, cheaper, and better. Coding off real requirements! Figuring out what might go wrong before it does! Planning with all the groups involved so nothing is missed! Actually leaving time for testing so the project meets quality standards that are specific and measurable!
There is some bad news about PMOs. Having a PMO doesn't mean that high level managers can't make bad decisions and then tell the PMO to "make it so." Sure the project managers will provide documentation that may lead to questions about how a commitment fits into the business plan, but project managers are implementers, not decision makers.
Still, having a PMO is going to help the people working on the projects a lot! Good night and good luck to PMOs everywhere.
posted by changingagain at 8:24 PM
1 Comments:
Yay for Spring and graduations!
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