The Strategic Project Office

Describing the initiation, design, execution, and control of a strategic project office, this book provides step-by-step instructions for establishing a PMO. The author emphasizes cost management, cultural change, risk assessment, resource allocation, and skills tracking to increase project value, organizational efficiency, and productivity. He explores various aspects relating to planning and implementing the strategic project office, and concludes by considering how to change the organizational culture to match the new organization. Concise and easy, the book covers the many pitfalls and minefields and provide strategies to avoid them.

The second edition of this award-winning reference provides step-by-step instructions for establishing and maturing a project management office (PMO). Concise and easy to read, The Strategic Project Office, Second Edition covers the four primary areas of knowledge and practice regarding the PMO: governance and portfolio management, resource optimiz

The second edition of this award-winning reference provides step-by-step instructions for establishing and maturing a project management office (PMO). Concise and easy to read, The Strategic Project Office, Second Edition covers the four primary areas of knowledge and practice regarding the PMO: governance and portfolio management, resource optimization, organizational change, and performance measurement. Winner of the 2001 David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award from the Project Management Institute, the first edition introduced the concept of PMO as a strategic resource. This second edition adds reporting on cutting-edge research on the status and roles of today’s PMO, highlights best practices, and includes case studies of award-winning PMOs. It explores the various aspects of planning and implementing the strategic PMO and provides readers with an assessment model for measuring PMO practice maturity. New in the Second Edition: New and updated information on the use of collaborative and social media tools in project management New chapters on Project Portfolio Management and aligning projects and strategy New information on using the Strategic Project Office as a strategy management center Updated content that reflects the latest version of the PMBOK® Guide A CD-ROM with time-saving templates and forms The first edition has been the foundation for much of my thinking about initiative management, and the second edition takes thought leadership to a new level. Crawford leverages years of experience to further improve an already excellent resource. The first edition of The Strategic Project Office sits on the top shelf of my bookcase. I’m sure that the second edition will have a similar pride of place ... when I haven’t loaned it out to members of my team as homework. —Paul Ritchie, PMP, Director, Global PMO, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Inc. Praise for the Award-Winning First Edition: ... provides a primer that is first-of-a-kind and best-of-class. Read it. Learn its lessons. Apply them. Improve your organization, your projects, and your global competitiveness. —PM Network, Books in Focus

Describing the initiation, design, execution, and control of a strategic project office, this book provides step-by-step instructions for establishing a PMO. The author emphasizes cost management, cultural change, risk assessment, resource allocation, and skills tracking to increase project value, organizational efficiency, and productivity. He explores various aspects relating to planning and implementing the strategic project office, and concludes by considering how to change the organizational culture to match the new organization. Concise and easy, the book covers the many pitfalls and minefields and provide strategies to avoid them.

Get a high-level overview of project management with this strategically focused book. You'll find practical guidance, useful advice, and valuable tools and techniques for navigating project management. The authors demystiy project management by defining many terms that project managers use that may not be familiar to you as an executive. They also equip you with the critical knowledge and background to implement sound project management methods, as well as gain a better understanding of project management and increase the success of existing projects. Order your copy today.

Creating the Project Office is written for managers who are searching for ways to transform their organizations into more effective and efficient project-based workplaces. As this important book reveals, there is no more effective way to make that change than to create a project office tailored to the needs of the organization. While a project office model leads to better products from projects, it is also a vehicle for generating overall organizational change -- by transforming the organization from function-based to project-based. This model incorporates projects into the very fabric of the organizational strategy and revitalizes organizations, creates competitive advantage, and increases shareholder value.

When Fortune Magazine estimated that 70% of all strategies fail, it also noted that most of these strategies were basically sound, but could not be executed. The central premise of Strategic Project Management Made Simple is that most projects and strategies never get off the ground because of adhoc, haphazard, and obsolete methods used to turn their ideas into coherent and actionable plans. Strategic Project Management Made Simple is the first book to couple a step-by-step process with an interactive thinking tool that takes a strategic approach to designing projects and action initiatives. Strategic Project Management Made Simple builds a solid platform upon four critical questions that are vital for teams to intelligently answer in order to create their own strong, strategic foundation. These questions are: 1. What are we trying to accomplish and why? 2. How will we measure success? 3. What other conditions must exist? 4. How do we get there? This fresh approach begins with clearly understanding the what and why of a project - comprehending the bigger picture goals that are often given only lip service or cursory reviews. The second and third questions clarify success measures and identify the risky assumptions that can later cause pain if not spotted early. The how questions - what are the activities, budgets, and schedules - comes last in our four-question system. By contrast, most project approaches prematurely concentrate on the how without first adequately addressing the three other questions. These four questions guide readers into fleshing out a simple, yet sophisticated, mental workbench called "the Logical Framework" - a Systems Thinking paradigm that lays out one's own project strategy in an easily accessible, interactive 4x4 matrix. The inclusion of memorable features and concepts (four critical questions, LogFrame matrix, If-then thinking, and Implementation Equation) make this book unique.

Lead change through strategic alignment of project and process performance Practical and filled with expert advice, Strategic Project Portfolio Management: Enabling a Productive Organization presents a clear framework for your organization to complete impactful strategic projects. Providing executive-level guidance to build a powerful and efficient process from initial adoption to portfolio alignment, this essential resource contains case studies from small to global multinational organizations, arming you with the insights to ensure your strategic projects are given the resources they need to deliver business impact. This important guide Shows executives how to align their projects and processes with their business strategy for compelling competitive advantage Provides cases from best in class organizations, showing how they were able to achieve results by using processes outlined in the book Reveals how technology is the key to developing new collaborative platforms and innovative work management environments that have not been possible until now Defines a framework for assessing project portfolio management competence within your organization and driving momentum for compelling improvements Explores how to go beyond project portfolio management to a holistic work management system Strategic Project Portfolio Management: Enabling a Productive Organization offers the practical recommendations, guidance, and real world insights you need to immediately begin driving better project management strategy.