The Project Management Office (PMO) is a centralized management structure for a group of projects in an organization, aimed at ensuring standardization,

reducing duplication and leveraging resources such as people, technology, and communication. The major role of the PMO is to define and maintain process standards by providing a framework to establish standard performance measures based on organizational goals and objectives, and providing tools and procedures to achieve this. This translates into three key areas: Establishing Project Methodologies Project Tracking, and Project Support Establishing Project Methodologies One of the major PMO roles includes providing a program baseline or the road map for implementation of a project.

The PMO makes an estimate of the size of the project, the time and resources the project requires and lays down the project methodologies through many PMO tools and instruments: Program Charter provides an overall vision of the program goals and objectives to the team members; Work Plans lay down detailed schedules of activities, milestones, and deliverables of the project team, and identifies the resources available; Governance Plan identifies the roles and responsibilities of each member of the project team; Work Breakdown Structure defines the specific deliverables due from each team member, at each stage of the project; Communication Plan establishes the protocol, procedure, and methods to communicate project information and issues among members of the team; Forms and Templates simplify communication, record-keeping and reporting; Risk Analysis lists out potential problems and chances of deviance from the project methodology, the probability of such occurrences, the possible impact, and possible solutions. When preparing the program charter, the most critical of PMO responsibilities is to ensure that the project bases itself on accepted industry standard methodologies such as PMBOK or PRINCE2. Project Tracking PMO Roles and Responsibilities extend to auditing or tracking ongoing projects at regular intervals to ensure projects are on course and follow the approved methodology. The PMO establishes a project management governance structure that includes key performance indicators and sets milestones for the project team. The PMO usually tracks projects in a three-step cycle: 1. Collecting Program Status Information, an update cycle of work plans, issues and changes, collected from project leads at routine intervals, usually every two weeks; 2. Consolidation and analysis of the data collected from program status information, comparing results with baseline and communicating status to the management for review; 3. Implementing Corrective Action, if required, as decided by the management through the process of change management. During the course of project tracking, PMO has the responsibility to gather and archive project experience and reusable data to improve project management methods in the future.

Project Support Apart from defining, maintaining, and managing the project processes, the PMO roles and responsibilities include providing support for the smooth execution of the project. The PMO provides a centralized customer focused office that not only plan, negotiate and analyze projects, but also redress the project related concerns of the client, sponsor, and staff; The PMO develops a team of competent project managers through training and mentoring. Such project managers ensure implementation and maintenance of the project methodology and retain the team members focus on the tasks in hand; The PMO provides training in project management and the applied project tools to team members; The PMO provides in-house consultancy services to the project team on project related issues.

The exact roles and responsibility of the PMO varies among organizations, depending on organizational needs and the nature of projects executed by the organization. A proper application of PMO nevertheless enables the organization to undertake quality work with lesser resources, lesser risk, and lesser costs. Responsibilities of Project Management Office There are times when it becomes nearly impossible for the management team, chief information officer (CIO) or General Manager to manage entire projects single handedly. Thus, many acclaimed organizations incorporate a project management office (PMO), typically under the supervision of the CIO to manage the organizations projects more effectively. The following are the four major responsibilities of a PMO: 1. Evaluation of new projects It is important for organizations to prioritize new and upcoming projects on the basis of the organizations strategic goals. The PMO plays a major role in this project evaluation process. Before releasing funds for a project, the PMO often assesses a projects technical archi tecture, budget, benefits to the organization, as well as risks associated with it. 2. Cost reduction and maintaining project standards Another major role of the project management office is to develop and integrate a standard process for project management. They often generate useful tools for this. By setting a standard for project management, the PMO makes it easy to for project managers to develop and maintain quality of production consistently. Moreover, through centralization of service, the PMO also helps to reduce implementation costs of projects. 3. Train project managers New projects may come with new challenges. Although project managers are generally qualified and experienced professionals, they may need to improve their skills or learn new things in order to handle a complicated project successfully. The role of the PMO is to make sure that the project managers can get proper training before handling new projects. This helps to improve the overall quality of the project as well as enhance the skills of project managers. 4. Assessing ongoing projects The project management office is also responsible for reviewing ongoing projects. The purpose of the evaluation is to maintain the quality standards in existing projects. Sometimes, project managers may fail to track potential risks, or may be unable to recognize the level of dependency for a certain project. The PMO can take on a major role in resolving this. It keeps in touch with the status of existing projects, and communicates with the CEO of the company whenever required. Unlike a project manager, the PMO can view the bigger picture of the organization. It is often wellinformed about the specific problems of each and every project. In a situation where a project manager faces problems with allocation of tasks, the PMO can help because it is aware of who the right person would be for the task.

Although a PMO is often viewed as purely a governing body for projects, they should also be seen as a helping hand and often a lifeline.

Role of a PMO The role of a PMO is to improve the level of project management in an organization. It is responsible for:

Identifying and solving problems using online project management To identify problems, the PMO performs assessments, that is, evaluations of the overall state of project management. The first assessment is performed during the Create a business Case process and the results are reported in the Business Case template. Additional assessments are performed as needed, including during PMO Planning. In addition, the PMO may review and audit individual projects to identify any problems they may have and then take specific actions to resolve those problems. Providing ongoing services to ensure that problems stay solved and do not recur Because new projects are always starting, it is not enough to simply solve problems with existing current projects. The PMO must proactively offer a suite of services that will meet the current, as well as future projects. These services fall into four distinct categories. General Services disseminate project status information and reduce costs through standardization. Supportive Services provide the training and support to help project managers succeed on their projects. Controlling Services assess and review the status of project management and projects to define problems and recommend corrective action. Directive Services are used to directly manage projects. Cost reduction through efficient, centralized services The PMO can increase project efficiency through the centralization of services such as staff, supplier, customer and equipment management. Centralizing these services also standardizes how they are implemented, thereby reducing the costs incurred by using different methods on different projects. Making sure that stakeholders have up-to-date, accurate information The PMO will Update Plans and produce Report Status for projects, programs and portfolios. Depending on the level of sophistication of the Knowledge Base, this may be a manual activity or a thoroughly automated function. Supporting ongoing improvement in project management Organizations and their projects are constantly changing and the PMO must change with them. When the original problems are solved, new problems or opportunities are identified and the PMO can then support ongoing improvement in project management.

The exact role of a PMO will depend on the needs and culture of the organization it serves. Defining the exact role begins in the very first step of PMO Initiation and that role is given its initial definition in the PMO Charter. The process of defining the PMO's role is ongoing: It continues through the PMO Planning process; and it is revisited during the processes of performing assessments and PMO Improvement. It is essential that the role of a Project Management Office (PMO) be well defined and well understood by everyone in the organization. When a PMO's role is poorly defined, either some jobs wont get done, or there will be duplication of effort. A poorly defined PMO will result in an organizational perception that the

PMO is either over-extending its mandate or failing to perform. When this happens, the PMO's effectiveness is severely compromised. A PMO's role is defined by its core activities and by its contrast to the activities of project, program and portfolio management.

The Core Activities of a PMO A successful PMO will perform these core activities:

Assesses and improves project management throughout the organization Standardizes project management practices throughout the organization Improves communication so that senior executives and stakeholders know project status Improves communication and decision-making, so that projects achieve strategic objectives

The PMO is a "cost center" that does not directly generate revenue for the organization. So to justify its own operating costs, it must show that it produces change in other offices, divisions and projects within the organization. This is sometimes referred to as having a role as an integrator. To integrate means to bring in, or to bring together. The PMO brings project management standards and best practices into the organization and brings together different projects and project stakeholders so that they all use similar best practices. When all projects operate using similar best practices, the overall project success rate increases and project costs decrease. When the PMO performs its core activities, it improves both the organization's effectiveness and its efficiency in project management, thereby justifying its existence. The project management office works to improve project management for all projects. Note that:

Some organizations may not have defined a portfolio or set up a portfolio management office. Some organizations may not have defined programs or set up program management offices. Not all projects need to be overseen by programs. A PMO can support projects whether or not they are part of a program and whether or not a portfolio is defined. If a Portfolio Management Office exists, it is likely to have oversight of the Project Management Office.

For further information, see Multiple PMOs. Technically, both programs and portfolios can also include "operations" (non-project work), but that is not shown on this diagram. PMO vs. Project Office The role of a PMO is very different from the role of a project office that manages a single project, as shown in this table:

Detail of Role Responsibility

PMO

Project Office

Responsible for no particular projects, or Responsible for just one project directly responsible for many projects, but not just one project An ongoing business activity A time-limited activity that will close at the end of the project

Duration

Reporting

Collects and delivers project information Organizes and delivers information about all projects in an organization, to about just one project, to the project sponsor and stakeholders executives and stakeholders support, guidance and Provides support, guidance and direction to Provides direction to just one project manager many project managers Ensures that all projects follow standards Ensures that the one project it is responsible for, meets its strategic mandated by executives objectives.

Assistance

Strategic Alignment

PMO vs. Program Management Office A PMO focuses on supporting a wide range of projects and programs, whereas a Program Management Office supports just one program. For example, a PMO is likely to take the role of training provider for all project managers within the organization, whereas a Program Management Office may support the training needs of a single program of work. In terms of reporting, there is distinct overlap between the PMO and the Program Management Office. PMOs and Program Management Offices both aggregate and disseminate status information. A PMO delivers this information to all organizational executives and stakeholders, whereas a Program Management Office delivers the same information only to executives and stakeholders of the particular program they manage. For example, a manufacturing company might have a program to upgrade its financial and inventory systems. The PMO would report the status of this program, as well as all other programs, to the corporate executives. Whereas the Program Management Office would report the status of their single program, to the Program Sponsor.

PMO vs. Portfolio Management Office

A PMO and a Portfolio Management Office are both concerned with all projects within the organization. However, their roles operate at very different levels in the organization. A PMO functions at a middle-to-lower management level, ensuring the proper management and success of each project. Whereas a Portfolio Management Office operates at the highest executive level, managing organizational resources and ensuring that they are directed towards strategic objectives. The Portfolio Management Office also takes on the role of minimizing organizational risk while maximizing return on investment (ROI). An organization can have a Portfolio Management Office as well as multiple Program Management Offices and Project Management Offices. For a project management office to work at optimum efficiency, everyone involved in the organization must understand the PMOs roles and responsibilities. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities will streamline the completion of projects by eliminating the need to back track on tasks acted upon too quickly or having to hold back on progress based on imagined red tape. With well-defined roles and responsibilities the streamlining process will take on a compounding effect as economies of repetition take hold. When consistency in the process is seen by teams working downstream from the PMO, they will gain a strong grasp on when the PMO should be consulted and when they need to act on their own. The resulting economy of repetition from that consistency will predictably result in an efficient project. Now, defining those roles and responsibilities isnt a task that can simply be copied from another corporations model. The first step in defining the PMO is to take an inward look at your organization and determine what it is you want the PMO to accomplish and how you want the team to go about accomplishing those goals. Every organization has different characteristics than the next whether it be size, structure, culture, or any number of different nuances that can affect the make-up of the PMO. When defining what makes your organization unique, youll come to recognize what style of a PMO will fit best. A project management office can act in varying degrees from that of a supportive role to having direct control over all projects through a dedicated project manager for each initiative. Once you have evaluated your companys internal needs, you can begin to look at defining the PMOs roles and responsibilities. It is important to recognize that there are some common roles that all PMOs will play. In its simplest form any PMO should play a role in; Reducing the risk of projects Ensuring that projects can and will keep on budget Seeing that projects are finished on time Improving the quality of projects started and completed

Those 4 main fundamentals can be broken down and examined in a number of different ways, but the most important factor that will allow the PMO to accomplish the above tasks is information management. Risk analysis, resource management, time scheduling, and skill development cannot be accomplished without proper management of information. A well-oiled PMO is essentially an information management machine that operates in continuous cycles. The project management office needs to effectively collect, analyze and store data on past, current and future projects. Historical information and case studies will initially be used to write procedures, templates and directives which will become the current best operating procedures. As new projects are set in motion and eventually succeed or in some cases fail, studies of what worked and what didnt will lead to the lessons that can be learned for future projects. That data will become part of the PMOs repository and will help to update or write new best operating procedures. In addition to managing data and writing procedures to determine how projects are to proceed, the PMO should be getting regular updates on current projects and interjecting in any projects that are behind schedule or exceeding budgets. Recognizing why projects are not on track is an important responsibility of the PMO as understanding the why, will lead to being able to provide the tools to get the project back heading in the right direction. The roles and responsibilities of the PMO are usually focused downstream on ensuring the success of projects and new initiatives, but, it should also be clear that the PMO also has duties that go upstream with providing reports to the executive team on the progress and results of projects. The often overlooked aspect of the PMOs duties is its responsibility to itself. An internal audit of the project management office should be done regularly using a set of key performance indicators to ensure that the PMO is effective. Many project management offices crumble because they fail to recognize faults from within. When reviewing the results of PMO audits attention should be paid to the structure of the PMOs roles and responsibilities with consideration given to any need for alterations in the structure.

In most organizations the PMO has five main responsibilities:

Set standards for how projects are run

The PMO builds up a common set of practices, principles and templates for managing projects. Standardization means project managers can move more easily between different projects and new project managers get up to speed faster. Creating project management templates means standard components can be reused which saves time and money as they are not created for each project fresh.

Ensure project management standards are followed

While the PMO sets project management standards, it also must ensure they are followed by performing regular assessments of projects. This process can feedback into the standards definition.

Gathering of project data and production of information for management review

The PMO will track the status of all projects in the organization based on updates from the project managers. They will standardize the way this information is compiled and reported to management. The normal way to present the information is using project dashboards which provide a clear way to keep track of the status of projects.

Source of guidance and advice for project managers

Most PMOs develop into a centre of excellence for project management and can provide guidance and coaching to novice project managers or new project managers who need to understand how the organization runs projects. In many organizations we work with, the people running projects are not always formally trained project managers and the PMO plays a key role in assisting this group.

Managing and facilitating the portfolio management process For organizations that have implemented a project portfolio management approach (PPM), the PMO manages and facilitates this process. This can include:

Capturing project requests and ensuring each request has sufficient information to assess the project. Keeping an up-to-date repository of projects underway and requests pending review. Implementing scoring and prioritisation models to help assess which requests should be approved. Managing a resource capacity plan or resource forecast to help understand resource availability for projects.

Program Management and PMO Advisory Services (Wipro Technologies) Businesses must consistently demonstrate significant value from their IT investments a challenge that has led many to turn to program, project and portfolio management offices (PMOs) to boost IT efficiency, reduce costs, and improve project delivery timelines. Wipro Consulting Services' Program Management and PMO Advisory Services help address todays business challenges including: Increasing visibility into projects, programs and operations

Managing large, complex programs Creating a proactive service-oriented organization to deliver cost-effective solutions Aligning business demand to resource capacity Identifying early warning indicators to ensure the right investment decisions Continuously improving program management maturity Traditional Program Management Offices (PMOs) manage and provide IT operations support, provide oversight for large program implementations, and ensure compliance. Involving the PMO in strategic portfolio planning and enterprise portfolio management helps increase visibility into IT spending while controlling delivery. Our PMO Services include: PMO/ EPMO/Global PMO Strategy roadmap formulation and creating business cases for transformation. Assessment of existing PMOs based on industry best practices such as OGC, P3O, P3M3 and PMI OPM3 PMO transformation through process design, strategy implementation, and training mentoring Designing a common structure and framework for managing programs, including detailing the functions to be executed by the PMO, key roles and responsibilities and metrics to be adopted Target Operating Model (TOM) Design and Future State PMO Design BAU support and PMO process implementation and rollout

PROJECT MANAGER (GOOD ONES V/s BAD ONES)

Number one, professional development certifications, I find that the really good project managers are constant learners. Theyre interested in learning. Theyre constantly looking at how to better themselves. Theyre learning about teams. Theyre learning about different ways to improve their baseline skills and their interpersonal skills. We all talk about the certifications. Weve seen examples of this all across our organizations where you can see people who, they have all the certificates on the walls and they have their certification but maybe theyre a really bad project manager. So, weve all seen that, but I do still believe that those who are good, the people on my list, are constant learners. They invest in themselves and professional development and their certifications. Number two, theyre conscious and aware. That meaning theyre conscious of themselves, aware of themselves and others. Theyre always trying to set their teams up for success and being aware, what are they really good at, what they are bad at, recognizing when someone on the team is struggling and needs support. Looking at maybe when someone is shut down or maybe not providing information or being able to be conscious and aware of the plan and what estimate s people are providing that maybe doesnt seem correct. So, its being in tune, being conscious, aware. Number three, they have mentors and they have mentees. Learning is a give and take, so for sure having people who have been there, done that whether its technology youre learning, a subject area, maybe project management that youre learning. But always have that person who has been there, done that that you can learn from. Having mentees, Ive always found and seen and experienced for myself when Im teaching someone else, like a mentee, then Im learning. Im learning from them as well. So, theyre learning from me. Im learning from them because they always provide a different perspective. Again, learning is a give and take. Relationships, good project managers believe in, and theyre really good at, building and nurturing relationships, because relationships of the people within our team and outside of our team thats the way we really get things done. We know how critical the people are on our team, so the good project managers are really good at building and nurturing relationships. Or if theyre really bad at that, then they find their go-to people who do have those relationships and they leverage those relationships. Number five, social, online and offline, again, its great to be involved, not only learning and seeing other peoples experience, but also giving and taking best practices within the community. So, being social and active both online and offline. Number six, being mobile, project managers rarely sit at their desk. So, if a project manager is sitting at their desk, theyre probably one of the bad ones because that means theyre not interacting. Theyre not out and about. Theyre maybe not meeting, collaborating, socializing with their team, or maybe theyre stakeholders. So theyre mobile and being mobile is not just being out. But its being effective at being on the go so theyre able to correspond, communicate, respond effectively and promptly while theyre on the go.

Number seven, available and responsive, but appropriately, so being available for people. So if you are on the go, or if you are one of the project managers who spend a lot of time at your desk, then youre available for others to access you, to ask questions, give you input. Being responsive, and not just ignoring emails, not ignoring calls, but actually returning emails and phone calls promptly, but appropriately with boundaries. Some people dont set the appropriate boundaries, so maybe they become bad project managers because they cant get anything done because theyre not good at setting boundaries, saying no, setting scheduled time to get work done. And having appropriate systems in place for people to access them and respond appropriately. Number eight, collaborative, I feel like its really important for project managers to collaborate with people so theyre getting input. Theyre getting input. That doesnt mean necessarily that the input they take theyre going to do, but to get different perspectives, not look a t things from one perspective which is their own. So, the really good project managers Ive seen collaborate and take information from others. Also, other good project managers Ive seen are decisive. They can take information and they can make decisions. They can make them promptly, appropriately, which goes into number ten, resolute, being resolute in getting things done. So, making decisions is not necessarily getting things done, but being resolute is. Good project managers get things done on their team by being resolute. So whether they get them done or they, again, know their go-to people and know how to get things done on their team. Number 11, they communicate. They communicate effectively. They know their team members. They know their stakeholders. They have a communications plan set in place. They communicate effectively themselves, whether its in language, having a strong, effective language. Whether they give presentations, whether they send email, however they communicate, they communicate effectively so that people know what information theyre trying to get. So, a good project manager communicates effectively to indicate what information theyre trying to give others and more importantly what information they need back. Thats a great communica tion feedback loop. Number 12, they delegate. So, they know how to delegate appropriately. A lot of times project managers have been promoted through the ranks so maybe whatever area that they were in, which was their expertise, its kind of difficult to get away from it. So, when they get promoted, they try to do the old job plus the new job or maybe multiple jobs and theyre trying to do too much. So the project manager becomes the bottle neck. Its important to know how, when and to whom to delegate to e ffectively. Number 13 is knowing how to lead teams and manage the projects and know the different between. Because lot of times people try to manage the team, manage the people, and people dont like to be managed. People like to be led. They like for someone to set the vision, fuel the passion and if they do that, if you can influence the team, then they will follow you.

Again, these are some of the areas that you can evaluate for yourself. This is not a comprehensive list of the all. These are just some areas to think about. These are some of the things that I commonly find that the good project managers do that you can see for yourself. Again, check out the people you think are good project managers. Make your own list and see where you stack up between the good and the bad, and you add some little seasoning and spice to the table steaks. If youve evaluated yourself against these three areas or better yet made your own list and now youre trying to add the seasoning to your table steaks, then sign up for our software at ProjectManager.com. Implement some of the things that you can do to be a good project manager. There are all kinds of skills, qualities, and talents you must possess to be a successful project manager. You need to be able to see the big picture, break it down into smaller pieces, and assemble it together again. You need to be a leader, motivator, inspector and persuader. But, all of these qualities mean nothing unless you have Credibility. Thats right. Ill just come right out and say it r ather than have you wait until the end to hear it: the single greatest quality every project manager must possess is credibility . Now, its up to you if you want to read on to find out why its important and how you can gain (or destroy) your credibility Credibility is defined as the quality of being trusted, convincing, or believable. Trust me when I say there is a lot of trust me in project management. Maybe the following will sound familiar

Trust me, the client will do what they say theyre going to do, or, Trust me, well get through this rough patch of the project, or, Trust me, Ive done this a million times before.

How many times have you found yourself asking your team to trust you? Probably too many times to remember. If you are requesting someones trust, are you quite certain you have proven yourself to be trustworthy? For people to trust, they need to see a track record of reliability. Think about the first time you went for a small loan at a bank. They required all kinds of paperwork and a co-signer before they would loan you the money. Why? Because they didnt trust you. Thats right; you didnt have a track record of borrowing money and paying it back in a timely fashion. Once your credibility was established, the bank offered to loan you all kinds of money with just your signature, because they now trust you will pay your loans back.

The same thing happens in our relationships with project team members. There is a certain level of positional credibility that comes with the job, but it still takes time to establish personal credibility within the dynamics of a team. People have to judge for themselves whether to take you at your word or not.

How Do You Gain Credibility?

There are a number of things you can do as a project manager to gain credibility with your team. The following are a few suggestions:

Do What You Say You Are Going to Do

Following through is easier said than done. If youve ever been a parent you probably are guilty of making an empty promise in return for obedience. If youve ever been invited to a social event you didnt want to go to, maybe you are guilty of promising to go just to get the hostess off your back. It requires thoughtfulness to back up your words with actionsall the time. Your team is always watching how you behave. If you say youre coming in early the next morning to knock out a tough part of the project plan, then make sure you show up early. If you say youre going to talk to the client about them bypassing the change control process, make sure you talk to them. Credibility starts with following through on your smallest commitments and migrates all the way up to your major promises. Not quite sure you can follow through? Then dont commit to it just yet. Theres nothing wrong with keeping your mouth shut and doing a bit more research before committing, and then following through on your promise.

Dont Talk Too Much Picture a bell curve. Your credibility is the horizontal x-axis. The amount
that you talk is the vertical y-axis. At the zenith of the bell curve is the optimal amount of talk to credibility ratio: the more incessantly you talk, the less credibility you will have.Case in point. I worked with a fellow that by all accounts should have been 458 years old. Why? Because his stories didnt add up. He could not have accomplished what he said he did in 50 years. He told stories of being a concert violinist, best-selling author, renowned chef, and of paintings of his that were on display in museums. He claimed to have quelled oppressive governments in foreign countries (seriously), turned around hundreds of companies that were on their last leg, and that he was the ideal husband and family man. At first, he inched along the upward slope of the bell curve, establishing moderate credibility. When he didnt stop talking and you realized most of what he said wasnt true, his credibility quickly slid down the downward slope of the bell-curve. Project managers need to talk. You need to talk a lot. The key is to find that optimal point at which you become and stay credible, by moderating how much you say and what you talk about.

Listen to Your Own Conversation A very helpful practice is to listen to your own
conversation. Do you find yourself saying, Yeah, but this time its going to be different, a lot? It might mean that your credibility is waning, but you havent admitted it to yourself. Reflect on your dialogue with project team members. Theyll remember everything you say, so you should too! Remember what you say and to whom, and make adjustments if you find yourself back-pedaling on a regular basis. This will help enormously to gain credibility.

3 Sure Fire Ways to Destroy Your Credibility

It takes years to build up a storehouse of credibility. When you have arrived at that zenith, however, it is a great asset to have. If and when you do make an honest mistake, that storehouse of credibility will bring you through the storm. However, there are certain things that will destroy your credibility within a matter of moments. You can destroy your credibility:

By Accident Certain things are out of the project managers control. You must rely on others to do
what they say they are going to do. You can follow up, cajole, and persuade as much as possible, but ultimately it is the responsibility of the resource to get the job done. Your superiors will understand for a little while if you are unable to deliver on a project because of other peoples shortcomings. However, these little accidents will ultimately undermine your credibility if they continue to occur.

By Covering Up You are sure to ruin your own credibility if you deliberately conceal
information. Lets say something goes wrong on a project. A key deliverable is missed which sets the project back two months behind schedule, and even though you know about the delay, you fail to alert anyone or make plans to complete the missed deliverable. Thats bad enough, but if, six weeks later, you say you dont know anything about it, or dont remember talking about it or receiving any emails in regards to the delay, your credibility vanishes instantly.

By Being Manipulative Another way to instantly lose credibility is to be manipulative.

One technique of manipulation is convincing someone else that its in their best interest they get something done, when the reality is its in your best interest. Best case scenario if someone has been manipulated is that no harm has been done to them. Its more likely, however, that they were prevented from doing something else that really needed to be done, and now it reflects poorly on them. Congratulations, you got your way, but you also just flushed your credibility down the toilet.

I hope you are convinced that credibility is the single most important quality of a project manager. You can be the best project planner, risk mitigator, or cost controller. But, all of these things mean nothing unless your team trusts you. Build a solid base of credibility and your project management career will flourish.

There are some people in our professional lives that we just do nt like. They do and say all the wrong things and ultimately cause our projects to be late. You can choose to blow up and get angry, or deal with them in a professional manner. Below are some reasons why people push our buttons and how we can deal with them professionally. I was furious! Jim drove me crazy every time I had to deal with him, but today was over the top. Not only did he run the IT department and have control over a sizable part of the company, he was responsible for managing client projects and keeping them happy. I was a project manager on the services side of the company and once again, he stuck it to me! The deadline for project completion was tomorrow. Everything was a go up to this point. The application was complete, testing had been conducted, documentation and training was up to speed, and we even had release notes for the upgrades to the application. I really couldnt have asked for a smoother project. The final piece was to move the application into the production environment, but before that was to happen, the client lined up a cadre of people to give it one final review. They were going to run it through its paces to make sure nothing was broken before it was released to the masses tomorrow. Well, not only did Jim have control and influence in the company, he also had a couple of major character flaws. He was a control freak, coupled with a love for making arbitrary, last-minute, illogical decisions. The day the clients team was to arrive for their final review, word got back to me f rom his resources that Jim vetoed moving the application into production! This was not good. I hung up the phone and stormed down the hallway to his office. What do you mean youre not moving this into production today? I asked. Thats right, he said. I cant free up my resources today to make that happen. Theyre finishing up another project and its running behind. Well get around to yours tomorrow. Tomorrow? Did you say tomorrow? Youve known about the importance of making this date for weeks, Jim. As recent as YESTERDAY you said youd be able to make this happen. Now, youve changed your mind and its not possible? Dont you know they have a team of people t hat are coming in to test out the new application? Yep, he said. I guess theyll just have to wait until tomorrow. Thats when I lost it. I could feel the blood rush to my head, my heart was pounding out of my chest, and adrenaline was flowing. I jumped out of the chair and waved my finger in his face. Needless to say I wasnt using my inside voiceas I told him what I thought about him and the way he ran his operation.

Heres the problem. Thats not who I am as a person. Im usually very calm, collected, and composed. People typically come to me whenever they need to be talked down from jumping off the ledge. I crossed the line when it came to Jim because this guy pushed my buttons! Everything he stood for was everything I stood against.

Why Did I Allow Others to Push My Buttons?

I didnt like who I became that day and did some pretty serious introspection on why I allowed Jim to push my buttons. Below are some of my observations: I was on a deadline Project managers are the people in the company who take deadlines seriously. Meeting deadlines is an integral part of their job. Whats more, project managers dont commit to deadlines in a vacuum. I know I dont. It only took me a couple of times early in my career to commit to a deadline without consulting with the appropriate resources. We all know how those projects ended up.It was the same with this project. I had carefully planned the project out, made sure everyone was in agreement, and felt as if it was achievable. This included Jim. Things do come up at the last minute, but I felt Jim was exerting control arbitrarily. It reflected poorly on me This was probably what pushed me over the edge the most. I take great pride in stewarding a project from beginning to end and navigating troubled tim es. Im constantly going to seminars and learning new ways of doing things, so that I keep up with the latest trends and tools in project management. When I cant meet an important deadline, I take that seriously. It made my life complicated In the heat of the moment, all the phone calls I had to make once I left his office flashed through my mind. I would need to break the bad new to the client. Id have to let my companys account manager know of the delay, who would undoubtedly escalate it to his boss, who would promptly call me to say how dissatisfied they both were. I would certainly have to let the VP of the Service department know so that he didnt hear it from someone else. Rather than spending my afternoon as planned, and working on the presentation for my next kickoff meeting, I had to do damage control. It was the perfect storm of emotion, frustration, aggravation, and disappointment when Jim broke his news. He had pushed all my buttons.

How I Prevent Others From Pushing My Buttons Now

I vowed to myself that I would never allow my emotions or anger to get out of control again. Below are five things Ive done since then, when faced with similar situationseven with Jim! 1. Take a Deep Breath Theres much wisdom in counting to 10. When you feel your blood begin to boil, take it down to a simmer by taking a deep breath and thinking through the situation. Im not in control of what Jim does to me; however, I am in control of how I react to Jim. Theres a split second between the stimulus that Jim puts out and when I would start to react. I lengthen that time considerably by taking a deep breath and thinking through the ramifications of blowing my top.

2. Remove the Emotion I felt as if Jim was doing this to me personally, that he had something against me and was on a mission to make my life miserable. The more I watched Jim operate, the more I realized that wasnt the case. He treated everyone the same way. He would over commit, back himself into a corner, and then flip-flop on his word. Once I realized that, I was able to take the personal affront out of the equation. I could objectively look at the situation and ask myself, Whats the worst thing that could happen? I would then reason through alternatives with a clear head. 3. Have Jim More Involved in the Relationship with the Client Something else that worked well to keep Jim to his commitments was to personalize his relationships with clients. Up to this point, each was known to him only as The Client. Now, I refer to the client as Ron, Stephanie, Beth, Ben, or Denise. As a result, Jim did become more consistent about honoring his commitments. A word of caution, howeveryou cant turn Jim loose on the client by himself. You need to be involved in any and all of these conversations to make sure reasonable expectations are being set. 4. Plan for the Worst to Happen Project Management 101 is all about contingency plans. I expected Jim to pull a stunt like this each time. I planned future projects to have additional time to get through this drama. 5. Escalate This is a last resort, but you can certainly escalate as necessary. Actually, this was my first resort in the confrontation described at the outset. I pulled the team and executives responsible for the account (and Jim) together, and let them know of the decision Jim had made. Thankfully, this was unacceptable to them, and Jim was encouraged to change his mind. Testing went on as planned the next day. We all have a Jim or two in our professional lives. Ask yourself why you allow them to get to you and then follow these five suggestions to get their fingers off your buttons!

What are the objectives during the planning phase?

They are to define the project, and then to develop and validate a plan to deliver the project, on time and within the budgetary targets agreed with the sponsor or customer. What do we mean by validate? It is to model and validate, for example, that: all significant tasks are identified and scheduled to meet the timescales needs and targets all major dependencies are recognised and reflected in the plan all resources (types and required quantities) are defined and the resulting resource requirement is fully analysed and achievable (including resource provider commitment this is absolutely key), and risks have been identified and the associated mitigation activities are included in the plan.

Breaking down the planning task: define the project and then plan the project All projects should follow a lifecycle the major purpose of the lifecycle is to ensure that we bring discipline and in particular the correct order to project work (to avoid nugatory effort or unwanted re-work) the lifecycle will split the project into major stages / phases. The start and / or completion of each stage should be aligned to major points of commitment within the project lifecycle, e.g. to the delivery strategy, or the solution strategy or design. The first and most important phase in every project is always the definition and planning' phase. To plan a project successfully we must do two major things: Define the project, need and objectives, determine and confirm the delivery strategy; and make strategic decisions regarding the solution (to the need), and then, only once we have validated these decisions with the appropriate stakeholders plan the delivery of the project in detail - using either traditional or Agile methods. The above tasks do not need to happen completely sequentially, but there are obvious relationships between them that will influence sequencing. In short, we need to do the above as effectively and efficiently as possible, without bringing major risk to the project by not conducting this activity itself in a disciplined manner or by not allowing enough time and resource to conduct these tasks and share (confirm) the results with the appropriate stakeholders. An Integrated Plan It is fundamentally useful if the analysis of resource requirements is strictly aligned to or driven by the schedule of activities in the past this was often referred to as an integrated planning process another way of putting this is that ignoring this principle is in itself a significant risk to any project, which happens when people attempt to shortcut' the real planning work on projects, often for the wrong reasons and typically with consequences that can be measured in both cost and time. Organisation, roles and responsibilities Within the planning process, it is also fundamentally important to define the responsibilities (not just the roles) of all key parties relative to the plan not doing so to a level of detail that results in clarity is a major source of issues on projects. Responsibilities of Governance A task that relates to organisation, is that of defining and communicating the Governance structure. This should define all roles and authorities in relation to governance of the project. Key events (such as formalisation of the project strategy) should be examined against the governance structure, to ensure that

the right parties are responsible for and involved in key planning decisions. This structure should also provide the natural route for escalating and managing issues - something that must be done with minimum delay if a project is to be delivered on schedule. Major Task 1 define what the project is intended to a) achieve and b) deliver All projects start out as an idea, opportunity or need an idea to improve or take advantage of something (e.g. a new market) or a need, for example to replace, upgrade or introduce something (e.g. a road or a system). In short, ideas can be explored or developed, by studies etc, and subsequently confirmed (approved and committed to) by a business case or equivalent, assuming the results of studies etc are positive and feasible. Where we have a business case it should contain much of the vital definition of the project, and may also address sufficient of the delivery strategy in order to validate the claims made in the business case relating to the financial return (or benefits) that the investment (business case) will deliver. Goal, Objectives and Benefits: All projects that include change or business improvement, should have explicitly stated and formalised goals, objectives and planned benefits. These should be captured, using simple business language, and shared with and validated by all appropriate stakeholders (subject to the governance structure of the project). The sponsor and project manager should expect iteration or even conflict to occur while engaged in this task this is the time to understand and to rationalise the project's objectives etc until an optimised set can be supported by allthe key stakeholders. Moving forward with this area either untested or with unresolved issues will, at best, cost far more to resolve downstream - at worst it can have a much larger impact. Key note: the objectives of the project are what the project is looking to achieve for the owning or sponsoring organisation; it is not the deliverable (i.e. produce a new system) that is simply the deliverable or the chosen solution . Moving on, the other key input to the business case from this phase are the planned benefits that the project will deliver. This will determine whether the project is a success or otherwise, and therefore it must be formalised within the business case. From that point onwards there should be a specific work stream to optimise, plan for and manage (realise through structure and clear accountability) the target benefits associated with the project (this is a whole area in itself and needs to be an integral part of the project from start to end in truth this is not a practice you see widely today although many organisations are trying to move in this direction). Key requirements: At this stage, the project team should start to also formalise the key requirements of the project. Key requirements should be limited to those, without which, the deliverable would be useless to the users / owner. The goal must be to not include nice to haves' at this stage and therefore great discipline may need to be applied to this activity.

Major Task 2 develop and validate the delivery plan This can comprise many elements, depending upon the project type and key project decisions, e.g. make or buy etc. In truth, the delivery plan should only be produced once the delivery strategy has been developed. In some environments, this should be formally approved by the appropriate authority. It must also be examined rigorously from the perspective of risk . Key strategic project decisions are the most important we make on projects, and have the maximum capacity to influence risk, both positively and negatively. An example could include the partners or suppliers we involve on the project always a great source of potential for risk. As a minimum, it should contain an analyzed project schedule, a resource plan that is driven by the schedule (i.e. changes to the schedule are automatically reflected in the resulting resource plan), not a spreadsheet' type approach. These elements are often referred to as the first princ iples of project management sadly, these first principles are too often overlooked. The output of this phase should contain or in a sense summarize (auditably and quantitatively) the results of all planning decisions, including risk mitigation and planning. Ideally it should also be based upon estimates that do not rely upon single point estimates of time and effort alone. Such approaches typically produce a plan that has limited probability of being achieved - something we often refer to as the 'happy plan'. Planning must include the identification of risks to any aspect of the delivery process or the planned benefits - these can be commercial, organizational, political or any other type of risk - there are often many risks outside of those that relate to the technical aspects of the project. It is typically as sign of weakness of risk management if the only risks that have been identified are technical. Risk mitigation strategies and actions should then be developed and incorporated (integrated) into the mainstream plan. The plan must also contain relevant processes and activities to assure that all quality targets of the projects are achieved. Again, in many circumstances this will result in an important work stream in itself. Together, all the work streams or statements of work collectively define the scope of work of the project. In many environments this will be managed via formal change control. The plan should be formally reviewed by all core team members and relevant stakeholders, for completeness and validity. This is then published and often referred to as the baseline plan.