This is wonderful suggestion – booking your PMO for a maintenance check. Naturally it depends on the type of services that your PMO provides. It’s worthwhile to create a capability heat map to see where it is and where you want to go. This way, not only can you perform the much needed maintenance but also develop a roadmap into the future. PS. I love this idea of maintenance. It’s just as applicable to other levels, e.g. your professional development, your firm’s health, etc. It’s another part of continuous improvement.
Te Wu’s comment on the below article by David Cotgreave for CIO
David Cotgreave for CIO writes: Did you ever run a car into the ground? You didn’t have the time or the money perhaps to get it serviced? It crept over the 12,000-mile service marker and every time you got behind the wheel you said, “I must book it in!”
12,000 miles became 13, 14 … 15 … 16 and then before you knew … 20,000 miles had passed and one day you were flying down the fast lane when something blew. You had to take the car to the garage then, right?
At this point, it costs much more to get it fixed than the service ever would have! Factor in the cost of the downtime, the inconvenience and the withering looks and raised eyebrows from the mechanics and you instantly see the wisdom of meeting those regular service intervals.
Chances are though that this has never happened to you. You’re probably smart enough to ensure that your car’s manual has a fully stamped, up to date service history. Furthermore, that’s probably the way you run the maintenance of your home … your personal finances … you probably get regular health checks with your dentist and doctor … and that’s no doubt the way you maintain the effectiveness of your PMO … ah!
Many organisations have a Project Management Office (PMO) to help deliver their IT projects successfully. More often than not they are working efficiently and like that car on its 11999th mile, will carry on working just fine right up until that moment when suddenly, out of the blue – it doesn’t. Like the car, it can be really useful just to drop it by an expert to run an experienced eye over it so that comes back performing better than ever. SNIP, the article continues @ CIO, click here to continue reading…..