A clear roadmap for selecting, implementing and deploying PMO tools is essential in order to maximise business value. That was the message from Tarik Al Hraki and Sunil Benny at a presentation they gave for PMI recently.
Those three steps of selecting, implementing and deploying are key to underpin the benefits of your project management software, so if you are considering new tools (or improving the suite of products you currently have) then here’s how to put that roadmap to good use.
Selecting a product
The first step in the roadmap is selecting a product that is going to meet your needs. The essential point here is to consider what you want your PMO’s future to look like. Think about how your project management teams are changing and what their needs might be going forward. You’re looking for a web-based, flexible system that will support your business today but also in the future.
Now, Tarik said, project management tools are generally focused on processes. In the future teams will be more results-orientated, and the systems we implement today will have to cope with that change.
Implementing a product
This is the preparation and design phase. The system you use to support projects in your organization should be something that the whole business can use. It should be simple enough to be used by everyone because you cannot divorce project management from other work streams such as HR or Finance.
Ideally, your PMO tools should integrate with the other systems in use within the organization because they provide information to stakeholders, support the organization’s standards and help manage dynamic change across multiple teams.
When you are preparing to implement a tool, consider the following:
- Who will be using it? Assess your stakeholders and corporate culture. What percentage of that user group is going to struggle to get to grips with a new tool and how can you support them? A learning curve isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does mean you have to plan in time to carry out training.
- How will it be used? Consider the current technology you have available and also where you think it will be going, such as making sure that there is an app version available for the operating system your teams predominantly use.
- What processes will it support? Mind Mapping tools are perfectly placed to provide fast access to processes like decision making because they can show the project plan’s current status instantly.
- Can you be sure it will keep up? Look for tools that have a strong history of innovation and staying up-to-date in the market place. Sunil warned that there are a stack of disruptive technologies coming along and it’s important that you invest in tools where you have the confidence they will be adapting with you and the marketplace.
Deploying your product
At this point in the roadmap, you should have a clear idea of the project management software that you want to implement for the PMO plus an idea of how it will be designed and set up in order to get the most value. Now it’s time to consider how that deployment will actually happen.
Tarik said that there are three main strands to ensuring the change to using the new system is embedded effectively.
PMO Systems training
This involves informing people about what the PMO does, how it operates and what systems and processes you expect them to use, supported by the tool or independently. This could involve producing user manuals highlighting their role in the project management processes.
Technical tool training
Processes are one thing, but knowing how to use your software to the best advantage to make the most of those processes is something different. You will have to find time to train your team members on the features of the software that they need to know and use. For some, that could be as simple as helping them download the app to their smartphone and creating a user account. Others might need system administrator training so they can support the rest of the team.
Process mentoring
Finally, there need to be ongoing plans in place to coach project leaders and their teams. Without this, you are setting your systems and your tech up to fail.
Deploy your tool and any associated process changes to a small group for a pilot phase. Tarik suggested between 5 and 7 projects to give you enough scale to assess the effectiveness of the deployment process. You can learn from this and tweak your training and rollout plans accordingly.
Once you are happy that the project management software is operating as you’d expect, and you are confident in your plans to deploy it, roll it out across the project teams and PMO.
Summary
Tailoring the way you use your tools to suit your level of organizational maturity in projects is the way to ensure that your roadmap delivers a system that works the way you want, delivering the benefits that you expect. Business value has to be looked at more widely than simply a return on investment for the software itself: it is also a statement about the people, processes and maturity in project management facing the whole organization. Selecting, implementing and deploying your tools up properly will help you achieve that.