Our Portfolio
Digital PMO
Every Organisation that is ensuring that projects and programmes are run in a repeatable, standardised way will have implemented a Project Management Office (PMO). However, the PMO is evolving as the requirements of the Digital age impact and programme / project delivery changes as a result.
Radical changes are taking place in the workplace where projects are being delivered by agile mission driven teams and the organisation needs speed, agility and adaptability. The average, process-orientated project manager is ill equipped to deal with the demands of today’s digital transformation ambitions that often involve rapid, iterative processes and new and evolving technologies. Project management is still a critical function and it is evolving to meet today’s demands.
Many organisations struggle to create an effective PMO, and particularly one for the Digital age, and without this we find that there is a lack of ownership and accountability for the Digital Transformation Programme of work. Without this focus, projects and tasks come in late, over budget and do not meet the business objectives that were originally communicated. Communication is poor and untimely and Stakeholders do not feel involved. Lack of Resource and Capacity Management become a real issue and priority setting is not aligned with the business outcomes. There are a lack of standards, in terms of tools and processes, and Knowledge Management impacts information sharing and the overall eco-system. Yes, many of these things can be go wrong and be missing in any project but they need to be addressed as Digital age project management requires organisations and individuals to be agile and quick to adapt if they are to survive, let alone compete in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive business environment.
Successful Programmes require investment in a strong Digital PMO, to provide the necessary assurance and control, and deliver the agreed objectives across the ecosystem, including realisation and measurement of business value, effective and efficient resource management, and on-time delivery to time, cost and quality. In summary, A Digital PMO is a project management office (PMO) that uses new digital tools and technology enhancements, digitises and presents information to stakeholders. It’s based on real-time data that can be gathered at the touch of a button.
You can draw upon NWT’s capability based on extensive experience of delivering complex transformation programs for our customers, across all industry sectors. We will be able to structure the Digital PMO to match your requirements and more importantly, we have the ability to deliver critical function capability from day one. Clear objectives for the Digital PMO will be required to define what it should manage and deliver. It will also be important to establish the right mix of people and processes to deliver a return on the investment made in the Digital PMO.
Traditionally, a PMO underpins the project delivery mechanisms by ensuring that all business change in an organisation is managed in a controlled way. PMOs have a range of functions, and the services they offer often depend on the maturity of the department and the skills of the people working in the PMO. At a minimum, the PMO supports the various projects, and gives direction about funding, prioritisation and resourcing. The more mature PMOs provide the necessary governance, transparency, Knowledge Management and key processes to the rest of the programme, including:
- Change and Scope Management
- Release Program Management
- Planning and Scheduling Management
- Demand Management
- Cost Management
- Quality Management
- Resource Management
- Integration Management
- Risk/Issue/Dependency/Assumption Management
- Innovation and Continuous Service Improvement Management
- Programme Reporting
- On-boarding
- Operational Readiness Management
- Quality Assurance
All of the above contribute to an end-to-end outcome based service but this will depend on how you want the programme to run. We often find that other capabilities are required with the Digital PMO such as the ability to monitor commercial impacts where other providers contracts may not be aligned with how the programme is being delivered.
In the Digital World the PMO needs to become an innovative, strategically aligned, and flexible PMO, designed to support the business outcomes and not just the technology features. It needs to recognise that the stakeholders are no longer just the individual programmes and projects, but also the business leaders, partners and CxO leadership. Senior decision makers have developed long term and better informed technology perspectives and understand how technology can support their business. Whilst inheriting the role of the traditional PMO, the Digital PMO needs to enhance the traditional service it provides to ensure that business cases are scrutinised and delivered, and solutions are being delivered that show demonstratable evidence of results with reduced risk and the highest gain.
NWT understand the PMO and its history of evolution. We have been talking for many years about the need for companies to move to a Digital PMO so they have the internal support required to be successful. The key to the Digital PMO is data and the presentation of the key information to each relevant stakeholder, at any time, on any device. It is real-time data processing and analytical interpretation, made available in a timely fashion to inform business decision-making and allows business owners to retrieve relevant digital transformation data at anytime from anywhere. There are many key challenges in adopting a Digital PMO which are very similar to the Digital Transformation journey as you contemplate the integration of the new and legacy worlds. This requires careful thought and planning, advice and guidance, knowledge and experience, and a partner in NWT that can help deliver a new world approach.
New World Examples
Book a meeting with our Digital PMO team to discuss how NWT can help you