Agile

THE AGILE PMO – PRACTICAL VALUE DRIVEN CHANGE LEADERSHIP IN PROJECTS AND PORTFOLIOS

Training is also available (i) in-house, (ii) in multiple geographies [UK; Europe; South Africa; Australasia; India; SE-Asia] and (iii) online. Please contact info@unicom.co.uk

Presenter: Michael Nir, President, Sapir Consulting US

Date: 31 January, Amsterdam

BACKGROUND:

Do you know what organizations embracing agile methods often find?
Changing the teams is the easy part;

Calcified and rigid program and portfolio structures (aka PMO) stand in way of business agility. They demand handing reports on time, collect irrelevant output metrics and bombard teams and individuals with numerous annoying work procedures and templates to complete. And what are they good for? – absolutely nothing.

Seriously!

Conclusive research findings show that approximately 50 percent of Project Management Offices (PMO) are disbanded in two years. Yet, we repeat the same mistakes in our PMO implementations – wasting money, resources and moreover – wasting time!

No wonder that terms like PMO police are common among development teams and project managers.
PMOs complain that teams are reluctant to change, but do they change themselves?

It is time we change our Program, Portfolio and Project Management Office.

In this practical workshop we focus on the value driven PMO as an integrator, enabler, differentiator, and change agent in business, development and the organization in general. We analyze the essential model for PMO value enablement which answers:

  • What does it mean to be an Agile PMO – see more below;
  • How to ensure effective streamlined delivery – hint: abolish waste;
  • How to effectively select and prioritize opportunities;
  • How to manage resource allocation from a top down approach in an effective manner – hint: target critical resources

We discuss theory, learn in teams and pairs, explore a case study, and work through a challenging hands-on simulation to understand resource complexities.

Key take away – a PMO must deliver value constantly. Value isn't template, tools and processes rather it is the ability to finish the right projects faster

The term Agile PMO refers to two concepts:

  • A PMO that is inherently agile, adaptive and value driven – committed to creating value in all its activities.
  • A PMO that interfaces between Agile product delivery and the traditional Waterfall organization.

In the workshop we discuss both concepts, paving the way for a PMO that is lean both in itself and as a transformation entity.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • To learn how to avoid common pitfalls of PMO implementations;
  • To explain key points of increasing value delivery through a lean value driven PMO;
  • To detail the Agile PMO selection and prioritization process;
  • To describe a hybrid resource allocation approach;
  • To present the Agile PMO leadership requirements.
  • To identify key next steps to transfer the learning to the work environment.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

  • Project managers, Program Managers, Portfolio Managers, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Agilists, PMO teams, managers and leaders wishing to increase their effectiveness, embarking on the value driven journey as well as learning how to become more Agile;
  • Project management community stakeholders interested in learning how a PMO contributes value to an organization and how to integrate between Linear and Agile project management approaches;
  • Senior managers who want to know why Agile teams are experiencing difficulties with the traditional environment and how to solve these difficulties
  • We use cookie cutter, traditional PMO control processes to stifle our project management efforts; focusing on time, cost, and scope, rather than leading our projects to deliver value successfully!

Presenter:

As a Lean Agile DevOps Leadership Professional and Executive Coach, Michael's initiatives with one Fortune 100 company are saving over $12 million in program costs, with completion dates more than a year ahead of schedule.

Michael Nir, President Sapir Consulting US, is an executive agile Lean DevOps expert; known for his passion, creativity and innovation; His Masters in Engineering and, training in Gestalt balance his technical know-how with emotional intelligence. Michael inspires people and teams to change, experientially and emotionally, while climbing the hill AND reaching the summit.

Vivek Jayaraman