Journyx Project Management Blog

So you want to build a PMO organization that can turn on a dime or even a penny? Do you want to be able handle every unexpected turn of events? Then you want to be a nimble and agile CPO who leads an equally nimble and agile organization. A recent McKinsey survey revealed that 85 percent of responders believed that being a nimble and agile organization is very, if not critically, important to achieving success. McKinsey noted:

“A broadly favored mechanism for fostering agility and speed is establishing a clear link between corporate strategy and employee performance goals. State-of-the-art IT is not considered particularly important for addressing the issue.”

So once again it comes down to one simple fact: It’s the people, not the technology, that makes the difference. The only fly in the ointment was that they also found that there wasn’t any consensus as to what these organizations looked like.

That’s enough to spur on some ideas on what a CPO can do to build a nimble and agile PMO. While there might not be a consensus among pundits about how to achieve nimbleness, common sense provides us with some good insights. If you want to be known as the Nimble CPO you will need an organization that is built for change, one that maintains sufficient “wiggle room” to effectively respond to the unexpected. The following suggestions may help you get there.

Keep the Organizational Structure Flat

Nothing can bog down an organization like having too many layers of middle management. While some structure can help leverage productivity, too much can stifle all progress. The closer the general is to the troops, the more quickly new orders can be accurately communicated. The Nimble CPO stays close to the action and never allows himself to be detached from the operational realities of his teams. The CPO needs no less than dotted-line access to every project leader. In addition the CPO should be up-to-date on the status of every major initiative in process and planned. One way to do this is to personally prepare a Monthly Milestones Status Report that recaps every major initiative’s progress.

Find more suggestions at Chief Project Officer.