BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: Things Your PMO is doing Wrong
Author: Michael Hatfield, PMP
Publisher: Project Management Institute
List Price: $34.95 U.S.
Format: Soft Cover, 73 pages
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 978-1-933890-55-5
Reviewer: Edward Raibick, PMP
Review Date: May 2023
Introduction
The Project Management Institute book titled Things Your PMO is Doing Wrong discusses the struggles and mis-steps that organizations encounter when establishing a Project Management Organization aka. PMO. It highlights the steps often taken, from the initial phases through maturity and provides warning signs, pitfalls and critical insight to the short-comings of each of the well-intended implementation steps.
Also discussed are the mis-alignment of a PMO’s Earned Value Management System (EVMS) and alignment to an organization’s financial reporting organization and systems.
Finally, it offers recommendations and best practices for circumventing the pitfalls of a short-sighted PMO implementation.
Overview of Book’s Structure
Part 1 Tactics that Don’t Work
- Chapter 1 – Leveraging Organizational Power reviews the pitfalls of exercising authority to force compliance at an organizational and PMO level.
- Chapter 2 – Training and Certification discusses the down side of forced training with uncommitted participants.
- Chapter 3 – Forcing the Tool looks into the “black box syndrome” and forcing compliance through the PMO system.
- Chapter 4 – Procedures and Guides discusses generating documents, and documentation enforcement to drive compliance at the demise of PMO maturity.
- Chapter 5 – Consultants reviews the gaps of consultation that uses the one-size-fits-all approach to establishing a PMO in complex environments.
- Chapter 6 – Inertia and the Need for Drivers discusses the consequences of poor technical and leadership communication.
- Chapter 7 – The Graded Approach discusses the issues and downfalls of a graded approach system
More…
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How to cite this review: Raibick, Ed. (2023). Things Your PMO is doing Wrong, book review, PM World Journal, Vol. XII, Issue VII, July. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pmwj131-Jul2023-Raibick-Things-PMO-Doing-Wrong-book-review.pdf
About the Reviewer
Edward Raibick, PMP, SCM
Texas, USA
Edward Raibick, PMP is a Senior Security Program Manager with extensive experience in software engineering, managerial and IT Project Management. Edward holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Internet and IT security, a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and an Associate in Specialized Technology degree in Electronics. His career includes over 10 years with the IBM Corporation and over 15 years with Texas Instruments. His consultant projects include major clients such as Experian, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Edward is a member of the Project Management Institute, Dallas Chapter, having acquired his PMP certification in 2011. Edward is also currently the Director of the Dallas PMI Chapter Book Review Program.
Ed can be contacted at raibick@sbcglobal.net
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