running a successful pmo postcomm

8/3/2019 Running a Successful Pmo Postcomm

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CASE STUDY:RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT OFFICE, POSTCOMM

INTRODUCTION

Postcomm (thePostal ServicesCommission), adelivery partner ofBIS, is theindependent

regulator for thepostal market. Its

purpose is to make sure licensed postaloperators including Royal Mail meet theneeds of their customers throughout the UK.

The Programme Management Office (PMO),established in 2004, is run by Louise Smithand Emma Prince (pictured), and has beenrecognised as a proactive, effective, andsuccessful unit. This case study sets out thekey principles that Postcomms PMO is runby, highlighting the PPM processes that

work well, and sharing lessons they havelearnt along the way.

Postcomm has delivered a wide range ofprogrammes and projects including ITinitiatives, business change, and policyprogrammes. Its PMO is relatively smallcompared to others, but the principles ofhow it has organised and managed itself,and established its key processes byadapting the help and knowledge basealready out there, are transferable andrelevant to all PMOs regardless of size.

KEY PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESS OFPOSTCOMM PMO

Agree the purpose of the PMO. Ensureabsolute buy in from seniormanagement

It is vital that the CEO and senior staffare: fully aware of the principlesunderpinning a project based workingenvironment; are keen for theOrganisation to work on this basis; and,are fully supportive of the processesinvolved. Without this support, it is muchharder to bring other staff on board.

Postcomms PMO enables theorganisation to identify, plan, assess,monitor, and resolve any resourcing,budget, change and quality risks orissues that may adversely affect thesuccessful delivery of aproject/programme.

Agree the responsibilities and level ofactivities the PMO undertakes

The PMO works closely with the CEO todetermine which of the activitiesidentified in the Forward Work Plan,together with any new work identifiedduring the course of the year, should betaken forward as projects.

The PMO actively monitors and adviseson all aspects of projects and

programmes - from project initiationthrough to delivery and project close-down - focusing on cost, timescales andquality of deliverables. This is achievedthrough close working with Directorsand PMs to develop a better knowledgeof planning, monitoring, and resourcingprojects.

The PMO exercises on-goingsupervision through monthly checkpointmeetings with PMs to review theirproject plans, update existing risk

registers, and identify new risks. ThePMO can escalate issues to theorganisations Programme Board or theCEO, depending on the severity orproximity of the issue .

The PMO produces an overallprogramme plan detailing all projects.

Agree the PPM processes PMs arerequired to undertake and ensure thereis sufficient help available e.g.induction, templates, guidance

Project Management forms part of theHR induction pack for all new starters,and the PMO has set out theresponsibilities of the PMO and for all


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those involved in projects on theintranet. One-to-one induction sessionswith the PMO are held with all staff,excluding PA and secretarial supportstaff, in their first week of joiningPostcomm. The induction is supportedby a briefing pack, including templates

and aide memoires.

The key deliverables that are required ofPMs are: PID; MS Project Plan; riskregister; budget and contract log;monthly status reports; project closedown and post project evaluation;Programme Board sign-off via the PMO.These standards enable both the PMOand PM to undertake theirresponsibilities effectively. PMs mustalso be prepared to attend theProgramme Board to provide verbal

briefings if required.

Ensure a risk management structure isin place that sets out guidance andresponsibilities to all PPM staff

Postcomm PMO has developed its ownManagement of Risk (MoR) frameworkthat provides a structure for managingrisk. It has been adapted from theOGCs Management of Risk: Guidancefor Practitioners. It gives clear guidanceto staff on their responsibilities and the

risk process to be followed. It alsoallows for early risk identification andmeasures to reduce the likelihood of therisk materialising. All staff, fromCommissioners and Directors, to staff ingeneral are expected to develop a betterknowledge of the risks facing Postcommand their impact upon businessobjectives.

Ensure assurance and reviewprocesses are in place and understood

The PMO provides quality managementguidance (both written and via one toone meetings) to staff on the productionof business cases, PIDs, project plans,and risk registers. The PMO reviews alldeliverables against defined qualitycriteria before they are signed off as fitfor purpose.

POSTCOMM PMO PRACTICES THATWORK WELL AND WHY

Project Boards: For each project,a Board is established, made up ofa cross section of staff from a range

of Directorates. This ensures that teams ar

not working in isolation from each other, andhelps ensure a wider perspective ismaintained.

Project status reports: Eachmonth, PMs are required tocomplete a one page pro- forma

report. This is mainly in the form of a tickbox yes or no report, but also asks PMsto identify the key deliverables achieved inthe past month and highlight the key datesand deliverables in the future. It is kept briefso that it is not onerous to complete or read.It also allows PMs to put forward any issuesthat they consider should be escalated tothe Programme Board . All the status reportsfeed into an overall summary ProgrammeBoard report prepared by the PMO, whichshows at a glancewhere there are anyissues to be discussed at the Programme

Board.

Monthly review meetings with PMs:The PMO meets with PMs individually

each month for 30 minutes to an hour,depending on the complexity of the project,to discuss project progress generally, and toreview the risk register and progress againstmitigating actions. This is a very usefulforum to pick up any areas of concern, andenables the PM to flag up any issues thatthe PMO might be able to help with, orescalate as necessary. It also helps the

PMO put individual projects into the widercontext and identify potential duplicationsand conflicting work packages.

LESSONS LEARNT

One of the most important lessonslearnt is to ensure that all new staff areintroduced to the PMO function straightaway through the induction process, soare familiar with the requirements fromthe start.

There is an assumption that SROs andsenior management are familiar with aproject based working environment,which is not always the case. It is vital toensure that Senior Management buys into the PMO function, and mandatorytraining would ensure they have theseskills.

Support from Senior Management wouldbe strengthened by the creation ofDirector-level Board champions tosupport the PMO process at ProgrammeBoard meetings.

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Postcomm's relatively small size meansthat it's PMO function has been able tooffer an unusually high level of supportto PMs, although in some cases this canlead to an over dependency andexpectation that the PMO will take onaspects of what should be the PMs

responsibilities (PID preparation, riskmanagement etc). It is important tomake clear that although support andadvice is readily available, it is ultimately

the responsibility of PMs to takeownership of the work themselves.

Some PMs are better than others atkeeping track of expenditure. It is,therefore, very important to developgood links and work closely with the

Finance department to keep on top ofbudgets and ensure that variances areflagged up in good time.

This case study has been jointly developed by Postcomm and the BIS & Delivery Partner PPMCommunity. The community is made up of people from across BIS, its agencies, NDPBs, anddelivery partners. It was set up to bring together likeminded PPM people to share experience,network, and help ensure we can better deliver projects and promote the benefits of PPM.

Want to f ind out more about the BIS & Del ivery Partner PPM Communi t y? Then go to

ht tp: / /www.berr .gov.uk/aboutus/corporate/ppmcommuni ty / index.html
http://www.berr.gov.uk/aboutus/corporate/ppmcommunity/index.htmlhttp://www.berr.gov.uk/aboutus/corporate/ppmcommunity/index.html

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