{"id":838,"date":"2008-01-10T16:50:04","date_gmt":"2008-01-10T16:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/2008\/01\/10\/advocate-till-they-get-it\/"},"modified":"2019-08-07T14:36:27","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T21:36:27","slug":"advocate-till-they-get-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=838","title":{"rendered":"Advocate Till They Get it"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"thierry-poncelet-gavroche-107606.jpg\"Advocate<\/h1>\n

Advocating project management in any organization requires engagement and commitment from the key stakeholders with the most clout and visibility across the company.\u00a0 There are three groups of players who must drive the acceptance and practice of project management techniques and convention if you hope to achieve cultural buy-in.\u00a0 These key players include the Project Management Office (PMO) (the leader and the staff), senior management, and project managers.\u00a0 Each of these has a distinct role in driving project management acceptance and practice.\u00a0 They must also all work synergistically for their efforts to succeed.
\nThe PMO acts as promoter, campaigner, and upholder of project management practice across the enterprise.\u00a0 Senior executives must be proponents, backers, and spokespersons, while the project managers are the evangelists\u00a0 – always proselytizing for the success of the project.<\/p>\n

Project Management Advocacy<\/strong>
\nThe PMO employs individuals who act as enablers and facilitators in supporting project success.\u00a0 Regardless of what model your organization’s PMO follows, it must establish a culture of discipline by creating processes and tools that support decision-making, improve organizational accountability, and exhibit efficiencies.\u00a0 To deliver, EPMO staff must believe in the four R’s:\u00a0 Responsibility, Responsiveness, and Respect in their Relationships.\u00a0 They should be biased towards action and common sense, and push cost-benefit decisions.\u00a0 The PMO’s objectives are the company’s objectives, and maintain their role through visible support of the company’s goals and objectives.\u00a0 When the organization achieves success through timely delivery of projects that come in under budget and produce expected business outcomes, the EPMO has achieved its goals as well.\u00a0 Everything the PMO does every day should support this mission.\u00a0
\nThe PMO has the ongoing challenge of institutionalizing project management practices across an organization.\u00a0 This is achieved through ongoing endorsement of the corporate project management methodology, tool use, and reporting systems. It requires public promotion of project management successes, which is the best way to achieve organizational buy-in. Once these practices are accepted, the PMO has a greater challenge in exhibiting ongoing<\/em> value to the organization.\u00a0 To do this, the PMO must constantly look outside the project management paradigm.
\nPMOs can experience long-tenured success in any organization by prescribing discipline and process to support evolving business needs.\u00a0 A PMO leader can offer business management recommendations by being diligent in anticipating new business needs, having the ability to modify project management processes to meet other business requirements, and knowing when a process is needed — or more importantly, when it is not — to solve a business problem.\u00a0
\nPMO leaders need to establish positive, trusting relationships with executives, project managers and other staff to take the pulse of the organization and to recognize what business problems need to be solved.\u00a0 Sometimes, the PMO may find themselves outside the comfort zone of project management, and in other instances may be thrown together with unlikely associates to meet a business need.\u00a0 This requires flexibility, business understanding, and the ability to partner with others.
\nA triumphant PMO leader is one who continually seeks opportunities for overall business plan success.\u00a0 This individual must publicly support the cause of the PMO and make it apparent to the organization as a whole how and why the PMO lends value.\u00a0 She must be dedicated to project management discipline, intuitive about organizational need, and tireless in finding creative solutions.\u00a0 Regardless of how long a PMO has been in place at any organization, its future depends upon its ability to constantly deliver value-added opportunities for ongoing business accomplishment.<\/p>\n

PMO Support Staff<\/strong>
\nOngoing support of project management mastery is critical to the viability of project management at any organization.\u00a0 Continuous growth of project management as a core competency is achieved through ongoing endorsement of an organization’s project management methodology through PMO staff.
\nWhen establishing a PMO, PMO staff must advocate for the value and benefit of project management practice.\u00a0 A company does not need to be in crisis for PMO staff to successfully advocate the value; in fact, any organization that perceives project management as extra work is missing real opportunities.\u00a0 PMO staff must convince others that project management is a means of getting the work done efficiently rather than an administrative burden.\u00a0 The immediate challenge of introducing a project “charter” and status reports to the organization is incredibly difficult; the objective is to bust the perception of the project teams and sponsors that it is “extra work”.
\nThe trick for getting early buy-in is the PMO’s ability to demonstrate — in a way staff can see, touch, and feel — that the new requirements are necessary.\u00a0 The focus must be on the value of the practice and on proving that what is being asked of them does not actually represent additional effort. It must be presented so people understand the project management discipline will not keep them from actually doing the project, but will make the work easier and produce better results.\u00a0 Once staff understands the direct correlation between project management practice and successful results, they will quickly adopt the practice on their own.\u00a0 This is true regardless of organizational state — everyone seeks new opportunities to get the job done faster and better, in a predictable way.
\nThe last thing staff want is new administrative burden dumped on them.\u00a0\u00a0 By establishing the project management methodology slowly, with the insertion of only a couple of forms and processes, and active campaigning throughout, a PMO is able to show the project teams the value of these efforts.\u00a0 Use wins to establish the maxim that “project management isn’t extra<\/em> work; for project teams: it is<\/em> the work.”
\nCareful selection of PMO staff is critical.\u00a0 Successful advocates must have a strong technical understanding of project management practice and also be exuberant about what they do. Members of the PMO must fully commit to the practice of project management, in every way.
\nPMO staff must be fully dedicated to the ongoing evolution of project management and must be willing to promote their project management beliefs to others in a supportive and facilitative manner.\u00a0 PMO support staff must be hand-selected; it is critical to choose individuals who hold both technical project management expertise as well as the strong character traits needed to support organizational demands.<\/p>\n

Senior Executives and Organizational Commitment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Executive sponsorship has been identified as one of the greatest contributors to success when managing change, while the lack of that sponsorship is probably one of the greatest reasons for failure.\u00a0 Sponsors must be visible and active, both in their ongoing actions in support of project management as an organizational practice and in their role supporting specific projects.\u00a0 Both roles require commitment and engagement; senior sponsors will not succeed as advocates if they do not maintain both.
\nSenior leaders play a critical role in the introduction and acceptance of project management in any organization.\u00a0 In fact, their endorsement, or lack thereof, will direct project management to succeed or fail.\u00a0 Senior executives are always under the spotlight.\u00a0 They must practice what they preach to gain staff acceptance.\u00a0 Senior managers who preach project management but do not practice it will lose credibility; they must lead by example.\u00a0 To achieve corporate buy-in on project management practices, senior executives must exhibit project management knowledge, display acceptance, and be enthusiastic.\u00a0\u00a0
\nThe easiest way for upper management to display this behavior is by showing an interest in projects, participating in project team meetings, extending support to projects in need, and acknowledging project successes.\u00a0 When a business leader encounters a project manager in the elevator, he or she should ask how the project is going; lend a hand if the project is in trouble; or reveal enthusiasm if the project recently hit a key milestone.\u00a0 It does not take a lot of effort or time to show interest and to promote enthusiasm.\u00a0 It is amazing how a senior executive’s well-chosen comment can bolster a project manager’s confidence and spirit during a quick elevator ride.<\/p>\n

Project Nourishment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Executive sponsors responsible for a specific project must engage early and often to successfully nourish project success.\u00a0 They must be familiar with project management disciplines, know the organization’s project management methodology, and be aware of key project management tools.\u00a0 Most importantly, they must understand and accept their role as executive sponsor and be held accountable in a real, measurable way for the success of project and business outcomes.\u00a0
\nMost executives are not fully aware of their role as project sponsors, and as a result, look to the project team to implement without them.\u00a0 This creates an interesting and awkward chemistry, as most project teams assume sponsors know what to do and know when to insert themselves.\u00a0 Ironically, many sponsors assume they will be called upon if needed, thus setting up a vicious cycle of unmet needs on both sides.
\nResponsible for successful project completion, the sponsor must fully understand the project’s goals, the targeted business outcomes, the major deliverables, and the associated deadlines.\u00a0 She supports project-funding processes.\u00a0 She monitors project activities and manages the expectations of who will do what, based upon the project’s unique needs.\u00a0
\nEstablishing clear roles and responsibilities among the project’s key stakeholders and team members is one important role of an executive sponsor. If you are an executive sponsor, be specific and direct with your project manager. Do not assume your project manager knows how you operate or will be able to anticipate your expectations.\u00a0 Even if you have worked with the project manager in the past, the character of each project is unique, oftentimes requiring new roles and responsibilities.\u00a0 Remember, there are no hard and fast rules; simply sit down and figure it out.\u00a0 Roles should be defined based upon the unique needs of each project.
\nHere are a few key questions to consider when defining roles and responsibilities:<\/p>\n

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