This is your complete 'how to' book on establishing the Project Office as a methodology for managing multiple development initiatives within your organization. The book presents the PO (Project Office) as a model for use in a wide variety of organizations, especially in R&D environments. As more and more forward-looking firms adopt the project form as their preferred way to organize development work, the need for you to coordinate the use of scarce resources and align initiatives becomes quite evident. This hands-on guide provides you with the essential techniques, templates and tools used by successful managers and consultants to achieve maximum project control and performance of dedicated persons, and groups. The book looks at the PO as a line function, responsible for the coordination and the infrastructure necessary to manage multiple projects. This practical resource covers all major PO responsibilities, including project portfolio management, project oversight, methods and tool support, staffing and competence development, and promotion of the project culture. You learn that the objective of the Project Office is to complete all projects to best achieve the overall goals of the organization. The book provides guidance in preparing long term plans to enable appropriate decisions concerning the allocation of resources; overseeing the execution of projects on time and within budget; developing processes and systems to satisfy the ever changing product needs; providing stability, professional development and administrative efficiency for management and support personnel; and assuring a smooth transition between start-up, execution and termination phases.
Introduction - Project Portfolio Management, Project Management, and Line Management. The Project Portfolio. The Project Office.; The Multiproject Challenge -Introduction. The Multiproject Environment. Self-Fulfilling Prophecies. Common Responses to Project Delays.; The Project Office - The PO Context. PO Information Structures. PO Processes. PO Roles. Relationships among the PO, the Line Function, the Project Sponsors, and Other Project Stakholders.; Processes - PO Process Definitions. ; Tools - Information Needs. Characteristics of a PO Information System. Functionality of a PO Information System. Commercial Tools.; Balancing the Project Portfolio -Introduction. Project Formulation. Portfolio Balancing. Net Present Value and the Gated Project Approach. Real Options.; Quantitative Management - Measurement Fundamentals. Using Metrics. Selecting Metrics.; Deploying the Project Office - Layers of Change. Where to Start. Incremental Deployment. Maturity Models. Communication Strategy. Limiting Bureaucracy. The Need for the Line Function: How Much Project Management is Enough?; Appendix A: IDEFO Notation. ; About the Author. Index.;
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Eduardo Miranda
Eduardo Miranda is currently a Program Manager at Ericsson Research, Quebec, Canada. He received his B.Sc . in system analysis from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, his M.Eng. in engineering management from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and M.Sc. in project management from the University of Linkoping, Sweden.