The Challenge: Juggling 200 balls across the globe.
Imagine a professional services company with a 200-strong Project Management Office (PMO) spread across the globe. Each PM is embedded with client teams or acts as a front-end program manager, juggling diverse projects with unique needs. The challenge? Optimizing resource utilization to ensure both cost-effectiveness and employee satisfaction.
The problem: a lack of centralized data. Traditional methods struggled to track individual skill sets, experience levels, and project demands. This led to two major issues:
- Over/Underutilization: Some PMs were overloaded, leading to burnout and potential quality issues. Others were underutilized, hindering efficiency and morale.
- Missed Opportunities: Without a clear view of PM expertise, the company couldn’t capitalize on specific skill sets for optimal project fit.
The Solution: Building a Symphony from Soloists
Our strategy and operations consulting team approached the challenge with a holistic view. We knew the solution wasn’t just about project management software, but about empowering both the PMO and its people. Here’s what we implemented:
- A Single Source of Truth: We established a centralized data repository capturing each PM’s experience, expertise, interests, and education. This 360-degree view allowed for optimal resourcing decisions, aligning project needs with PM capabilities and aspirations.
- Process Excellence SWAT Team: We created a dedicated team to tackle peak workloads and develop process improvements. This team not only streamlined internal operations but also fostered a culture of continuous improvement.
- The Global PM Braintrust: To leverage the collective expertise of the PMO, we designed a highly specialized resource pool. These PMs acted as internal consultants, sharing best practices and process improvements across geographically dispersed teams.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: We designed and developed a comprehensive monthly dashboard. This translated complex employee data into actionable insights, allowing the PMO leadership to monitor performance against KPIs and make strategic decisions based on real-time data. Finally, we established regular, single-platform meetings for global PMO leadership, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across borders
The Impact: A Symphony of Success
The implementation of our solution brought about significant improvements in the firm’s organizational structure and compensation strategy:
- Increased Resource Efficiency: By optimizing resourcing, we significantly reduced both over- and underutilization, leading to a more balanced and productive workforce.
- Improved Project Delivery: Matching PM skills to project needs led to better project outcomes and increased client satisfaction.
- Enhanced Employee Satisfaction: Empowering PMs with the right projects and opportunities boosted morale and engagement.
- A Culture of Innovation: The Process Excellence team’s work streamlined internal operations, fostering a continuous improvement mindset throughout the PMO.pen_spark
The Takeaway: People, Process, and Data: A Winning Formula
This project demonstrates the power of combining a people-centric approach with data-driven decision-making. By creating a single source of truth, fostering collaboration, and empowering PMs with the right tools and resources, we transformed the client’s PMO from a collection of soloists into a high-performing symphony orchestra.
