Strategic PMO Solutions: Delivering Project Success for Maximum Impact 

When you come across the term “project management,” what comes to mind? If we were to pose this question to a random selection of people, we’d probably get quite a range of answers back. That’s because, in theory and in practice, project management encompasses many strategies, styles, and concepts. On top of that, there are varying schools of thought, certifications, and tools that someone interested in this field or who seeks support in this area can engage with. With all that said, one thing is for sure – there isn’t necessarily one right way to manage a project. What you can do, however, is develop a strong approach to figuring out what your unique project needs for success.

FMP’s approach to project management goes beyond process – it is a dynamic philosophy driven by agility, expertise, and innovation. This enables us to provide a variety of clients with project management solutions that are customized to their unique characteristics and specific needs, instead of applying a one-size-fits-all process. To achieve this, we adapt proven methodologies and processes, such as Agile and Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), to meet our clients’ short- and long-term objectives. 

Managing a portfolio of projects doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Effective project management must include selecting, implementing, modifying, and evaluating tools that enhance efficiency, collaboration, and strategic impact across any project environment. Let’s look some ways that these methods work in practice through FMP’s PMO (Project Management Office) services.

• Project Governance and Standardization: At the outset of any project, establish all processes, governance boards, methodologies, and tools. Ensure there is agreement and understanding around these items to minimize misalignment and confusion down the road.

• Stakeholder Engagement and Management: Kick off every project with stakeholder identification and analysis to form a comprehensive understanding of your clients, their organizational structure, and their goals and challenges. Prioritize relationship building and support change management by establishing communication channels and engaging in continuous engagement and feedback loops.

• Custom End to End Program/Project Management: For projects of all sizes, it’s important to implement tailored mechanisms to set up, implement, monitor, and sustain progress. While there are best practices and tools that can be applied to a variety of environments, keeping a flexible attitude that is open to customization and adaptation ensures project management continuously meets your needs, even as priorities, resources, and the operating environment shift.

• Enterprise Risk Management: Create a framework for holistic assessment, monitoring, and mitigation of risks. Identify your risks, digging in to uncover those that may not be immediately obvious. Ensure that your risk management strategies and mechanisms align with your strategic objectives, so that your activities are always working towards your goals.

• Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Define metrics to measure what success looks like to you. Then, create and implement dashboards, data analysis and visualization tools, and review processes to make tracking progress easy and accessible.

• Resource and Financial Management: Ensure you have the right people and resources available at the right time to maximize efficiency and cost effectiveness. An investment in workforce planning and employee skill development enables you to have the necessary talent to complete the tasks at hand. Engage in project budget and cost management to track, report on, and optimize resource allocation and spending. This will allow you to make adjustments in capacity management as needed and forecast and prepare for future needs.

• PMO Maturity and Continuous Improvement: Conduct a maturity assessment to better understand your current state, so that it can be compared against the idealized state defined by your goals and industry standards. Use this evaluation to define gaps and identify opportunities for innovative improvements and realignment with changing business priorities and objectives. This type of assessment should be ongoing, as you should always be looking to continuously adapt and improve your solutions and approach.

FMP has successfully delivered PMO solutions to a variety of clients. If you’re interested in learning more about how our approach has led to impactful results, please reach out to us at [email protected].    

Project management is a dynamic and growing area of focus, and the application of PMO principles is fundamental to the success of any program or initiative. Without it, organizations risk losing valuable time and resources. FMP comprises forward thinkers that continue to evolve and grow our capabilities in this area so we can help our clients pursue innovation while getting the most out of their resources. What does effective project management look like to you? What are some of the key components for success?

Marni Falcone has over 15 years working on and leading human capital projects for the public and non-profit sectors. Ms. Falcone’s areas of expertise include competency modeling, applied training and development, competency/skill gap assessment and analysis, job/competency analysis, and employee selection. Ms. Falcone is also a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), the International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC), and the 2022 President of the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington (PTCMW). Ms. Falcone received her MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

Emma Wright joined FMP in November 2020. She is a Senior Consultant in the Learning and Development Center of Excellence and is the FMP Blog Editor. She supports a variety of initiatives across multiple clients, including program management, awards and recognition, strategic communications, and training and development. She hails from Alexandria, Virginia, and you can often find her crafting, out at a concert, or eating at her favorite DC restaurants.