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Lessons Learned for Project Managers - Part XII
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PMOs and Law Firms: Lessons from the Field - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
May 28, 2008 | Author: admin | Filed under: Project Management Office
PMOs and Law Firms: Lessons from the Field - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (#4 in the series PMOs and Law Firms: Lessons from the Field)
By Ronald K. Thomas of Baker Robbins & Company
The following section includes summaries of various PMO implementations by firm types and PMO goals with commentary:
Global Firm
Goal: Implement a global project management organization to manage projects enterprise-wide.
Commentary: PMO created and director position established outside of IT. PMs manage technology projects enterprise-wide across global business units. Support from senior management made this PMO successful.
Delivering projects successfully contributed to the positive reputation and the reliability of the organization.
Large Firm with Multiple Offices
Goal: Create a project management office organization to manage projects (technical, nontechnical) affecting multiple business units. Set standards and methodologies that trained project managers can use from project to project.
Commentary: PMO organization created outside of IT with competent and skilled project managers reporting to a senior director.
Senior director’s vision and support from firm executive management were critical to the success of this PMO organization. Project portfolio software used to monitor and track project progress.
National Law Firm
Goal: Establish a project management office to deliver projects on time and on budget consistently using the same project methodology. Train senior managers, business unit managers and IT managers.
Commentary: PMO created outside of IT and director position established. Director did not understand the politics and organizational nuances of a law firm and its users.
PMO director’s lack of law firm knowledge, political infighting and power struggles between directors for control of projects doomed this effort. A consensus should have been reached between senior management and competing directors on how best to implement a PMO organization.
Law Firm with Multiple Offices
Goal: Organize a project management office for the IT department. Review and analyze existing PM processes and workflows. Report findings to senior management with a PMO recommendation.
Commentary: PMO was staffed with project managers who did not have the skills to effectively communicate and collaborate across business units. PMO director did not have the proper skill set and experience to manage a first time PMO. Power struggle for control of IT projects ensued between the IT and litigation support departments.
Unskilled personnel along with a struggle between IT and litigation support for control of the PMO caused this effort to fail. Senior management should have resolved the control issues between the IT and litigation support directors.
There are many exceptions to the scenarios discussed here. Each firm’s culture and organization contribute to the success or failure of a PMO. Learning from others’ efforts, however, can help your firm get started on the right track.
This article was first published in ILTA’s July, 2007 white paper titled “Project Management — Broadening Your Scope” and is reprinted here with permission. For more information about ILTA, visit their website at http://www.iltanet.org.
Ronald K. Thomas is a senior consultant and experienced project manager with Baker Robbins & Company. Ron authored the article, “Coaching the Team: Here Is a Game Plan that Works” in the February 2005 issue of Peer to Peer. He also facilitated an ILTA webinar on project management titled, “Setting Up A Project Management Organization: What Is It; Is It Right For You?” He can be reached at rthomas@brco.com.
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