The Strategic Project Office

The second edition of this award-winning reference provides step-by-step instructions for establishing and maturing a project management office (PMO). Concise and easy to read, The Strategic Project Office, Second Edition covers the four primary areas of knowledge and practice regarding the PMO: governance and portfolio management, resource optimization, organizational change, and performance measurement.
Winner of the 2001 David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award from the Project Management Institute, the first edition introduced the concept of PMO as a strategic resource. This second edition adds reporting on cutting-edge research on the status and roles of today’s PMO, highlights best practices, and includes case studies of award-winning PMOs. It explores the various aspects of planning and implementing the strategic PMO and provides readers with an assessment model for measuring PMO practice maturity.
New to the Second Edition:


New and updated information on the use of collaborative and social media tools in project management
New chapters on Project Portfolio Management and aligning projects and strategy
New information on using the Strategic Project Office as a strategy management center
Updated content that reflects the latest version of the PMBOK® Guide
A CD-ROM with time-saving templates and forms


The first edition has been the foundation for much of my thinking about initiative management, and the second edition takes thought leadership to a new level. Crawford leverages years of experience to further improve an already excellent resource. The first edition of The Strategic Project Office sits on the top shelf of my bookcase. I’m sure that the second edition will have a similar pride of place … when I haven’t loaned it out to members of my team as homework.—Paul Ritchie, PMP, Director, Global PMO, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Inc.
Praise for the Award Winning First Edition:

… provides a primer that is first-of-a-kind and best-of-class. Read it. Learn its lessons. Apply them. Improve your organization, your projects, and your global competitiveness.—PM Network, Books in Focus

J. Kent Crawford, PMP, is the founder and CEO of Project Management Solutions, Inc. (PM Solutions), a management consulting and training firm headquartered in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. The company specializes in applying the project management discipline throughout organizations to improve enterprise business performance. Prior to establishing PM Solutions, Crawford served as president and chairman of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). Crawford is a recipient of the PMI Fellow Award and the award-winning author of The Strategic Project Office: A Guide to Improving Organizational Performance (for which he won the 2002 David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award from PMI), Project Management Maturity Model: Providing a Proven Path to Project Management Excellence, and Optimizing Human Capital with a Strategic Project Office. His latest book, Seven Steps to Strategy Execution, provides the framework for organizations to execute and deliver corporate strategy through the use of Strategy Performance Management.
Jeannette Cabanis Brewin is editor-in-chief for PM Solutions.

The Strategic PMO: Aligning Projects and StrategyOverview The Link between Strategy and Projects Strategy and Projects Research Study Why Align Projects with Strategy? How Alignment Resolves Project Management Problems Strategy & Projects: Research Findings The Strategy & Projects Framework Best-Practice Examples
PMO Business Case, Organization Structure, and Functions The Evolving Enterprise Many "Ps" Make a Strong Business CaseOrganizational Structure for Projects Types of PMOsFunctions of the Project Management Office Project Support Software Tools Processes, Standards, and Methodologies Training Consulting and MentoringProject Managers Integration of the Project Management Office Evolving PMO Functions
The Starting Gate: Assessing Your Current ConditionMaturity and the PMO A Maturing Profession Defining Maturity and Capability Preassessment Evaluation Baseline Maturity Assessment PM HealthCheck: Understanding an Organization’s Project Management Maturity Identification of Issues and Risks Gap Analysis Conclusion An Iterative Process Talking Points
PMO Planning, Preparation, and Strategy The Project Charter: Agreeing on a Destination Objectives and Milestones: The Map to Your Destination Specific Measurable Agreed Upon Realistic Time-ConstrainedUsing Gap Analysis to Set MilestonesDelivering Value with Specific Short- and Long-Term Objectives Implementation Strategy Phase I: Establish the Foundation Phase II: Startup with Short-Term Initiatives Phase III: Rollout with Long-Term Solutions Phase IV: Support and Improvement A Project Office or a Project Management Culture? However … Five Ways to FailMeasuring Success: How to Know When You Have Arrived Metrics Communications Planning Best Practice: Communications Purpose Origination and Timing Project Communications Plan Guidelines PMO Value-Adding Strategy: Rein in Runaway Projects Early Warnings In-Progress Problem Indicators Pulling on the Reins
Establishing a Project Management Methodology and PMO Governance Defining Our Terms Five Steps to Establishing a Methodology What Are the Elements of a Methodology? Consistency/Repeatability Scalability to Projects of Varying Size and Complexity Overview of a Sample Methodology The Processes The Templates Quality and PM Methodology Quality of Deliverables: The Product Quality of the Project Management Process How Good Is Your Methodology? Governance: Balancing Order with Creativity Defining Governance Process Governance Methodology and Standards People and Structure Governance A Governance Framework Best Practices in Governance
Project Portfolio Management and the Strategic PMO The Evolution from Project to Portfolio The Business Case Overall Benefits PPM in the Strategic PMO: Where Strategic Planning Meets Project Execution The Strategic PMO: An Organizational Home for PPM Governance and PPM Assessing Organizational ReadinessThe Fundamental Components of PPM Six Key Processes Four Areas of Integration How Do Organizations Implement PPM Practices? Start Small and Keep It Simple Best Practices for PPM
The Strategic People Management Office: Human Capital and the PMO The Resource Crunch People Make the PMO Staffing the Strategic PMO Strategic PMO Director Project and Program Managers Project Support Project Teams Other Team Members A Note on Mentoring Project Mentoring Competency Identification Training and Mentoring Performance Measurement and Rewards Career Paths and Leadership Development Best Practices for People Management in the Strategic PMO Rolling Out the Strategic PMO: All Aboard The Executive Role Identifying the Executive Sponsor Management Participation: The PMO Steering Committee How to Select a PMO Steering Committee
The Technical Infrastructure: Using IT to Facilitate Project Collaboration and Performance Measurement Why Do You Need PMO Software? Software Functionality and PMO Complexity Project Management Approach PMO Level Portfolio Management Software Issues Additional Software Concerns What Are the Best Practices for Selection?Rollout: Putting the Tools to Work
Changing Organizational Culture Climate or Culture—Which Do I Change? Organizational Needs: Flexibility and CreativityCreating a Project Culture: From the Top Specific Guidance on Changing Your Culture Measuring for Results Change Processes The Scenario Approach A Project Management Approach to Change Readying the Troops for Battle Overcoming Barriers to Change People and Power Organizational Politics, Roles, and ResponsibilitiesThe Impact of Change on People The 15-15-70 Rule Using Language to Create Community You Made It: Signs of a Project Culture
Knowledge Management and the PMO: Tracking Benefits and Learning from ExperienceKnowledge Management: The Short Course Knowledge Repositories Key Success Factors in KM Barriers to KM Success Capturing Lessons Learned—and BeyondProject Closeout: The Knowledge Goldmine Post-project Review Why Are We So Bad at This? The PMO as a Community of Practice Benchmarking Tracking Performance: Knowledge Is Power Where to BeginA Model for Performance Measurement Developing Performance Measures Measurement PlanningPiloting the Measurement ProgramSome Cautions about Doing Internal Research Projects Conclusion
Appendices: The State of the PMO 2007 to 2008 Selected PMO of the Year Winners (2007 and 2008) Project Management Assessment and Recommendation Report