{"id":345,"date":"2007-06-08T18:17:36","date_gmt":"2007-06-08T18:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/2007\/06\/08\/are-you-a-poo\/"},"modified":"2019-08-07T14:38:53","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T21:38:53","slug":"are-you-a-poo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=345","title":{"rendered":"Are you a POO ?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FrodoLeading the change process to support a project-based organization (PBO) requires a focus on adding value and alignment, from strategy through to execution.\u00a0 Management roles and approaches to leadership in a PBO might range from a Project Office of One (POO) to a Strategic Project Office (SPO).\u00a0 If this is your concern, first take the time to describe an ideal project-friendly organization; then embark upon a journey of discovery, consisting of steps in a change management process, designing components of a project office, and relating concepts to successful implementations.<\/p>\n

The term project office is not without baggage.\u00a0 For some people it means overhead and bureaucracy.\u00a0 They want a lean organization where competencies and action are dispersed across the organization, not in a central (expensive) unit.\u00a0 These same people may ask if they can establish POs of one, meaning that each project manager embodies all the traits, skills, and knowledge that a project office could offer.
\n\u00a0
\nA “Project Office of One” (POO) is a worthy concept.\u00a0 An individual (or an organization) may adopt an approach to work and a culture that supports the essence<\/strong> of a project office but not its structure.\u00a0 Individuals learning to unfreeze, change, and refreeze the people around them offer tremendous value.\u00a0 The steps along a change management path can be taken by individual project managers.\u00a0 In fact, they may not have that title; they just happen to be doing projects or leading a change effort.\u00a0 They want the results they create through a set of activities to be great instead of average, and the outcome to contribute and fit with organizational goals instead of going on the shelf.\u00a0 The pieces that help make this happen are the process, experiences, and knowledge of best practices.<\/p>\n

A PO of one may not be an established norm or term in usage, but it can live in the hearts and aspirations of devotees.\u00a0 These people (sometimes compared to a Special Forces military person) place a high value on the right force delivered to the right place at the right time, perhaps even in a ‘non-corporate’ way.\u00a0 A hope is for this concept to provide inspiration.\u00a0 A further hope is that success then expands enterprise project management possibilities to higher levels of maturity.<\/p>\n

In the Lord of the Rings<\/em> trilogy, hobbit Frodo Baggins is told, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”\u00a0 He is the ring bearer who must act alone to destroy the ring.\u00a0\u00a0The wizard Gandaf is his project sponsor.\u00a0 A fellowship of colleagues is present for the project start-up.\u00a0 Then he’s on his own.\u00a0 The fellowship later creates a diversion that\u00a0enables him to complete his project.\u00a0 Frodo is an accidental project manager who needs to function as a project office of one.<\/p>\n

To function as a POO, assess the current situation, the potential, sense of urgency about current problems, politics and the amount of support among a powerful coalition, and if a critical mass of people can be harnessed to support a project office.\u00a0 Start with small wins, prove that the process works, and then build a broader base course of action.\u00a0 Instead of dogmatic or rigid application of methodologies, keep focused on adding value to the organization.\u00a0 Follow a set of steps starting with current reality, leading to a desired future state.\u00a0 Flexibility is key.<\/p>\n

Then you can proudly say, “I’m a POO!”<\/p>\n

Randy Englund, www.englundpmc.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Adapted from Creating the Project Office:\u00a0 a Manager’s Guide to Leading Organizational Change
\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leading the change process to support a project-based organization (PBO) requires a focus on adding value and alignment, from strategy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[51,1370,141,118,38,89],"class_list":["post-345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","tag-change-management","tag-leadership","tag-political-issues","tag-project-kick-off","tag-project-management","tag-project-office"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=345"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13731,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345\/revisions\/13731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}