MPMM Method123 Project Management Methodology

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Identifying the Vision for a Project Office

15 December 2007

Identify Vision

The PMO vision, mission, and values will together summarize the overall purpose, benefits and direction of the PMO. It provides the bridge between the permanent, strategic role of the PMO and its tactical role of defining and solving current and future problems. Specifically:

Vision. The vision is a picture of what the PMO will look like in the future.
Strategic Mission. The strategic mission is a permanent, unchanging statement of the purpose and benefits of the PMO.
Tactical Mission. The tactical mission is the implementation of the strategic mission within a particular timeframe. The tactical mission may describe the current year, or two, three, or five years in the future. It is updated each year.
Values. A statement of the values of the PMO defines how it will approach its work and offer its services.

The PMO Manager and team discuss these issues, review any available vision, mission, or values statements from the organization, and draft the PMO vision, mission, and values statement.

Vision

The vision is an unchanging statement of how the PMO will look when it is up and running. The PMO Manager creates a picture of the PMO 3 years, 5 years, and even 20 years into the future. Here is an example:

"The PMO for ABC Company is an effective team of experts who identify, manage, and eliminate problems so that projects succeed, delivering high quality results on time and within budget."

Strategic Mission

The strategic mission is an unchanging statement of the benefits the PMO will offer the organization, particularly at the highest level. The PMO Manager should create a strategic mission that will be true as soon as the PMO is up and running and remain true many years into the future. Here is an example:

"The PMO for ABC Company makes sure that projects succeed so that strategic initiatives and programs are completed as soon as possible and at the lowest possible cost. We provide excellence in project management that gives ABC Company a growing strategic advantage over its competitors through rapid development of new products and reduced product development costs."

Tactical Mission

The tactical mission is the near-term version of the strategic mission. For companies focused on quarterly and annual profits, it focuses on the goals of a single year. For companies that look further ahead, it may present a plan for two, three, or five years. The tactical mission is updated annually. Here is a partial example.

"In its first year of operation, the PMO will define solutions to the top three problems listed in the Statement of Intent and offer services to solve these problems.

Lack of clear scope definition. This will be resolved through the provision of training services, planning support services and a details review of the project during the initiation and planning phases.”

Values

The values section is optional. It is highly recommended, but should be dropped if it will not be taken seriously due to the culture of the organization. Here is an example:

"The PMO Team will:

Gather and report accurate, unbiased information
Support all projects and project managers to the best of our ability
Maintain high quality of service, and work as efficiently as possible"

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