PMO Strategies

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Before the chaos of 2020, there were changes in the air with our roles in the Project Management industry. Business leaders were beginning to expect more out of their project teams and those that were the most successful in the eyes of their business leaders had a seat at the table in driving not just outputs on projects, but the outcomes needed for the organization to achieve its strategic objectives. This trend continued into 2020, amidst the chaos of COVID-19, civil unrest, political unrest, and more that impacted how businesses delivered for their customers.  Many PMO and project leaders found themselves stepping up into business leadership roles to help their executives make quick decisions with little information in order to pivot quickly. As we approach are now in the last couple of months of 2020, many in our industry are wondering what's next and how they can continue to evolve to earn and keep their seat at the table in their organizations.  Our role is changing, as Sunil Prashara - CEO for PMI and I discuss in episode 068, and to avoid being left behind, it's incumbent upon all of us to embrace the increasing demands being placed upon us and learn how to up-level our own skills to lead our organizations into the future.  In this episode, I'm speaking with the fabulous Elise Stevens, about her new book, Unlocking the Opportunity, and the top skills for PMO and project leaders now and into the future.  I'd love for you to join me for Elise's book launch party and Q&A panel discussion on November 11, 2020 at 4:00 PM Eastern / November 12, 2020 at 7:00 AM Brisbane time. I will be joined by Elise Stevens, the host, Candida Tocci, and Dr. Wilma Slenders.  Power the Modern, Agile Enterprise  Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that enables teams to be insanely productive by transforming the way they plan, manage, and complete work. More than 20,000 companies worldwide rely on Wrike to manage complex projects and ensure deadlines are met. By bringing everyone into a single digital workspace, no matter where individual contributors are located, teams can achieve aggressive growth goals, while improving efficiency and maintaining quality. LEARN MORE   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! This episode is dedicated to the many people that have reached out to me recently saying that they've just been hired to new PMO roles and believe the guidance I shared with them helped give them an edge over the competition. It warms my heart and inspired me to share some insights and ideas with you to consider if you're looking for a new role in PMO or PPM or if you're just getting started in that new role and want to know what to do first.  Following these steps right when you start will ensure you don't hit the many mistakes that PMO leaders make that we covered in last week's episode here.  In this episode, you'll learn: what resources will help you ace that interview how to set yourself apart from the usual candidates what to do during your first weeks and months what NOT to worry about right away how to put your best foot forward and get off to a strong start I can't wait to hear what you think of this episode and if you want to dive deeper into my step-by-step program to help you build that PMO right from the start, you can join this free masterclass on my 6-Step Process to Build a High-IMPACT PMO by clicking here or if you're ready to dive deep with hands-on support and guidance from me, check out my IMPACT Engine PMO training and implementation program here.    Unleash the full power of your PMO to lead your organization into the future (and finally earn your seat at the table). Whether you're building a PMO for the first time, trying to get your PMO back on track, or just want to ensure that your PMO is as high-IMPACT as possible, this training will get right to the heart of what really makes a difference in the eyes of your business leaders, where to focus YOUR energy for the best results, and how to accelerate your PMO performance. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hey there, IMPACT Driver! Many times when my new students come to me they are in desperate need of some help rescuing their PMO quickly so that they don't end up on the chopping block come budget time.  It can be a very stressful place to be AND you may not even know how close you are to being reassigned, replaced, or having the PMO disbanded completely. Now, I do not say that to scare you, but I've seen it too many times...PMO leaders get blindsided because they miss some of the warning signs that their PMO needs to shift directions quickly.  In episode 069, I talk about top mistakes I see PMO leaders making, and in this episode, I'm sharing with you 5 fast fixes you can do to get your PMO back on track, build credibility quickly, and accelerate PMO performance in the eyes of your stakeholders.  In this episode, you'll learn: obstacles to PMO success 5 fast and effective fixes to get your PMO back on track the step many PMO leaders skip and how that hurts them what to do if you have a small team or are a PMO of one how to align your PMO value with what matters most and so much more! I can't wait to hear what you think of this episode and if you want to dive deeper into the steps to take to implement these fast fixes, check out my free masterclass on How to Rescue Your PMO Fast.   How to Rescue Your PMO Fast Register for our free masterclass here to learn how to implement my fast fixes today! REGISTER NOW Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) I built my first PMO in the 90s (yes, in the last century!) and the truth is that I had no idea what I was doing! BUT, I had a Get. It. Done. attitude and a desire to learn and boy did I learn! A lot. I made a lot of mistakes and I learned a thing or two over the following two decades of putting PMOs and PM best practices in place.  Now that I teach and coach others the art of successful project management and PMO implementation, I am seeing some of the same mistakes I used to make when I was first starting out. I see PMOs that had a real chance of success getting bogged down in the not so important, while opportunity passes them by (as does their next promotion). While there are many things we can do wrong, there are MANY MORE things we CAN do right. Here are the top ten mistakes I wish I had known to avoid when I was in your shoes (and most importantly, what to do about it). I hope this saves you from learning the hard way, as I often did. Suffering from “Me Too” Syndrome Your execs go off to a conference or read an article and next thing you know, “we have to do that because everyone else is.” Sound familiar? Yeah, well, just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean it is going to make the most sense for you. You better be crystal clear on exactly what business problem you are trying to solve if you are going to make the time, money, and energy investment worth it. For more on this topic, check out Why do PMOs exist? Getting Caught Up in PMO Types or Maturity Sadly, many PMO leaders start building a PMO and putting templates and processes in place before they figure out what services will actually get the biggest bang for the buck in the organization. This is even more likely if this isn't your first PMO. You have some experience, you know what worked before, and you want to leverage that expertise to guide your organization through this PMO journey. Don't do it! You must figure out what your customers need help with first. You must identify the pain points that you and your PMO can solve. Then DO THAT first. Start with asking the right questions. Are you going to provide project management support? Will you provide governance and portfolio oversight?  Do they need coaching of PMs that aren’t reporting to the PMO? Think about who you want to be when you grow up…do you want to be the policing organization that everyone fears, or that my friend Lee Lambert calls the PMO Gestapo, or do you want to be the support organization that everyone turns to when they need to Get. It. Done? There's also a problem with maturity models. Every PMO is different and climbing an artificial scale of predetermined PMO value that doesn't align with your stakeholders' needs is a waste of time. Every PMO is unique and more is not better. Sometimes what you really need to do to provide value is do LESS and maturity models are all about more and more structure and process that may be unnecessary. The key is to solve the business problems and evolve your PMO services and capabilities as the needs of your organization evolve. For more on this topic, check out 4 Questions to Ask When Starting a PMO. Blaming the culture It’s very easy to say the reason your PMO isn’t working is because you don’t have the support or people don’t “get it” and it’s not your fault. It feels like you just keep pushing that boulder up the hill and it keeps rolling back down. I totally get it. I’ve lived that slow and agonizing nightmare of change resistance around every corner. What I learned, however, was to focus on what I could control and the rest would come along…eventually. Yes, you must practice patience, but even more importantly, we must learn how to do change WITH people instead of TO them. People are not resistant to change. They are resistant to change being DONE TO them. So,

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! If you’ve been in my community for a while, you’ve heard me talk about the shifting role of the PMO and the requirement to pivot to become a strategic business partner that your organization needs to thrive in the future. You’ve heard me say that the role of the PMO is to drive ever-higher return on investment for the organization’s strategy as quickly as possible and that this is the key to earning your seat at the table. And…that message is being shared by business leaders globally… For this week's episode, Sunil Prashara, CEO of the Project Management Institute (PMI), joined me to share his vision for what is to come for PMOs and project managers with a very clear call to action to PMO leaders to build what he refers to as the Gymnastic PMO to lead our organizations into the future. The opportunity for us is here for the taking and I think you’ll hear some things in this episode that will help you see how to make that pivot and become that IMPACT Driver your business leaders need.         In this episode you’ll learn: how business leaders see the PMO and project management how the role of the PMO is evolving the key functions PMOs will need to perform to thrive the important role of automation in our ability to level up what you can do to earn your seat at the table I hope you listen to this episode again and again (and share it with your colleagues) whenever you need a little inspiration or reminder of just how important you are to the future of your organization.   Unleash the full power of your PMO to lead your organization into the future (and finally earn your seat at the table). Whether you're building a PMO for the first time, trying to get your PMO back on track, or just want to ensure that your PMO is as high-IMPACT as possible, this training will get right to the heart of what really makes a difference in the eyes of your business leaders, where to focus YOUR energy for the best results, and how to accelerate your PMO performance. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! This is a riveting episode with Scott Payne, President of PM Master Prep.  Scott and I dive deep into how the best organizations design their training programs for maximum impact.  We will explain how the best organizations abandon the traditional off-the-shelf training approach and follow a more agile, engaged approach.  What you learn here will help you create a more focused, impactful, and sustainable project management team.  This is a can’t miss episode! In this episode you’ll learn: Secrets that all great project management training programs share (and bad training programs are missing) The real purpose of your PM training program Critical mistakes you must avoid to keep your PM training program from becoming flat and uninspiring How to make your training program pay for itself! Step-by-step actions you will use to realize the untapped potential of your project managers   Meisterplan is a project portfolio management tool that lets companies create realistic and achievable portfolios. With Meisterplan, you can see project details, capacity, and financials all in one dashboard. Start making better project portfolios with a free 30-day trial.  LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Jennie Fowler over the last few years and I’ve been impressed by how she’s built and run a highly successful, highly IMPACT-ful Strategy Realization Office (SRO) for her company for over 7 years. The more I talk to her and hear her talk about their journey, the more I see the connections between what she’s been doing and the very things I learned as a PMO leader inside organizations for over 15 years. Jennie is sharing her journey of transitioning from a PMO to a Strategy Realization Office during the PMO IMPACT Summit and her session is one that you do not want to miss! In today’s episode, we are exploring what’s next for PMOs and how you can make some critical shifts that will be necessary for tomorrow’s PMOs to be a key player in how organizations deliver on their strategy. Check out this episode to learn: the unique characteristics of tomorrow’s PMOs reasons PMO failure rates are so high how to avoid being a PMO failure statistic if the SRO model is the right answer for your PMO the importance of uncovering your superpower   Make sure to catch Jennie at the PMO IMPACT Summit and say hi to her in the mobile app! Cora PPM contains a comprehensive suite of functionality that provides the strategic capabilities to optimize capacity, analyze scenarios, track benefits, inform all stakeholders, and integrate across the enterprise. Acting as the bedrock for delivering major transformation programs. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi, IMPACT Drivers! Today I’m talking to Rick Morris about the portfolio management dream. You hold the keys to your organization's strategy delivery when you have a portfolio management practice in place. So, how do you get there in a way that makes it a dream come true instead of a nightmare? In this episode, you’ll learn: Why Rick calls it "a dream" and if it's actually doable the barriers to portfolio management you must conquer tips to expedite portfolio management and why it's necessary if PPM hurts or helps project management Make sure to catch Rick at the PMO IMPACT Summit and say hi to him in the mobile app! Transform Visibility and Alignment Strategy-Led PPM for Business Outcome Focused PMOs. Place the right bets, turn quickly, and deliver faster with this innovative approach to top-down portfolio and capacity planning with KeyedIn. Looking at adopting a more agile method due to the on-going crisis? Concepts like iterative development, continuous improvement, and prioritizing a dynamic backlog, when applied to portfolio management can deliver a host of compelling benefits that KeyedIn brings to life. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills (Leadership) Hi IMPACT Drivers! There’s no question that leadership today means facing a unique set of challenges. Leaders must find a way to empower and motivate dispersed employees and facilitate cross-functional collaboration, operating in an environment like never before. With remote work as the new norm for so many, effective leadership is critical. In this episode, I’m talking to Amir Younes, Vice President of Client Success at Wrike. During his time at Wrike, Amir has built and led an internationally recognized client success team and has helped take Wrike from a $35M company to $100+M. We’re talking about leadership in a time of crisis so you can learn how to unite, empower, and inspire teams from anywhere. In this episode, you’ll learn: 3 essential leadership qualities for managing during a crisis how to build high performing teams amidst the chaos how to effectively manage your time as a leader what processes you should automate to create efficiency a unique way to think about leadership vs management   Learn more from Wrike: Wrike Virtual PMO Summit - Article   Power the Modern, Agile Enterprise  Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that enables teams to be insanely productive by transforming the way they plan, manage, and complete work. More than 20,000 companies worldwide rely on Wrike to manage complex projects and ensure deadlines are met. By bringing everyone into a single digital workspace, no matter where individual contributors are located, teams can achieve aggressive growth goals, while improving efficiency and maintaining quality. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) Hi, there IMPACT Drivers! Have you heard of Disciplined Agile? I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Scott Ambler, the Vice President, Chief Scientist of Disciplined Agile at the Project Management Institute (PMI) and he’s introduced me to Disciplined Agile and I LOVE IT! It’s the perfect approach to putting common sense into common practice. It’s not a framework or methodology, but more of a toolkit of guidance and resources to help you make good decisions to have a more Agile approach to implementing your PMO, products, and projects. Scott is diving deep on this topic at the PMO IMPACT Summit and has agreed to give us a brief overview of Disciplined Agile and how that mindset applies to the PMO for this week’s podcast. In this episode, you’ll learn: what Disciplined Agile is all about how the principles of Disciplined Agile create opportunities for PMOs why Disciplined Agile is so important to the future of project work how the Disciplined Agile mindset applies to the PMO   Imagine it, achieve it, and make an impact with Clarizen’s enterprise collaborative work management solution. Clarizen offers the only adaptive solution on the market for enterprise collaborative work management. Their solution enables you to work in whatever manner you want – whether waterfall, agile, or a combination of the two. Companies find immense value in the visibility the solution brings across many workstreams at a company – regardless of where the work is being done.  People quickly turn ideas into strategies, plans, and actions to adapt and respond faster to market changes. Project leaders can move faster with better data, eliminate work chaos with complete transparency, and work smarter with better results. LEARN MORE Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS