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1. Introduction A Project Office is a department responsible for improving project management within an organization. It's a permanent department within an organization, not a temporary function. It's there to coordinate projects and ensure they have the right tools, standards, methodologies and templates needed to boost their chances of success. 2. Types of Project Office There are 3 types of Project Offices namely The Supportive Project Office: This is the most common type of Project Office. Its purpose is to empower Project Managers and teams to deliver projects. It doesn't control or direct projects. Instead it supports projects by offering training, mentoring, administration and reporting. The Controlling Project Office: Supportive services may not be enough to put projects back on track. By offering controlling services (such as project reviews, audits and assessments), the Project Office can influence project delivery. It may also enforce project standards and proce...

The Project Charter describes the project vision, objectives, scope, organization and implementation plan. It helps you to set the direction for the project and gain buy in from your stakeholders as to how the project will be organized and implemented. It will also help you to control the scope of your project, by defining exactly what it is that you have to achieve. To define a Project Charter, these are the steps which needs to be taken carefully: Step 1: Identify the Project Vision Vision : The first step taken when defining a Project Charter is to identify the project vision. The vision encapsulates the purpose of the project and is the defined end goal for the project team. Objectives : Then based on the vision, list three to five objectives to be achieved by the project. Each objective should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART). Scope : With a clear view of the Vision and Objectives of the project, it's time to define the project scope. Th...

Inorder to define the scope of a project, you need to be a mind reader and need to have excellent analystical skills. The reason is that definition of Project scope comes early in the project,when no one really knows what the are the doables and undoables so everyone has a different opinion when asked. But if you don't define the scope early on, it will change during the project. You'll have moving goalposts which make it impossible to shoot for a success. So read these tips to get benefit from... The "project scope" covers all of the deliverables that must be produced to complete a project. You need to describe them in depth as early in the project as possible, so everyone knows what needs to be produced. Take these 5 Steps to scope your projects: Step 1: Set the Direction Start off by setting the direction for the project. Do you have an agreed Project Vision, Objectives and Timeframes? Are they specified in depth and has your customer agreed to them? Does everyon...

Sometimes it happens that you dont get proper reward and recognition comparable to your efforts you put in your organization, may be it just cause by your strong focus on the projects you carry out, keeps you away from conveying the value you providing to your company. Inorder to get and sustain the repute of a successful Project Manager, you need to make and boost your personal brand so that others see you in the same way as you do yourself. Here I m stating 10 most important tips which can help you in acheiving your this particular goal. 1. Right relationship management with in the Organization The first step is to identify that from whom do you want recognition? is it your Manager or CEO? or someone else who has the stakes, you need to build your relationship with them, ideally on both a personal and business level. Make them aware of your role, how critical it is to the business and why they should care. 2. Build and follow their expectations Let them realize why your deadlines ar...

To be a successful Project Manager you need to do more than just delivering projects on time and under budget. You need to deliver the business benefits expected by the customer from the project. The purpose of a Business Case is to justify the project expenditure by identifying the business benefits you're going to deliver. Here's how to create a Business Case in 4 simple steps: Step 1: Identification of the Business Problem Projects are undertaken to solve a particular business problem or opportunity. So you need to investigate that business problem or opportunity and describe what it is, how it's come about and the timeframes in which it needs to be addressed. Only with this knowledge, will you truly understand the purpose of the project and the timeframes for delivery. Without this knowledge, it's like building a house without a solid foundation. Step 2: Identification of the Solutions Now that you understand the business problem/opportunity in depth, it's time ...

Congratulations !!! you've got a new project. What do you do next? How do you start up the new project quickly and efficiently? Read on to find out tips and hints on how to start a new projects Every time you're given a new project, take these steps to ensure you're on the right track from the start: Taking Responsibility: Before you agree to take on the responsibility of managing a project, make sure there is adequate sponsorship, and that you have adequate funding and resources to complete it on time. Your gut feel should be that the project is achievable and that whatever happens, you'll have the full support of your Sponsor through the project. If it's not feasible or you lack support, then solve these two problems first, before you start out. Clarifying the Scope: The next step is to review the scope of the project to ensure that all of the deliverables to be produced during the project are adequately defined. You don't want to get part way through the pro...

Are you interested in using project standards and best practices for your projects? It's not as easy as you might think. While there are a variety of standards on the market, they are usually published as a book which makes it harder to implement. So read on, to find out: A Project Standard is a documented set of guidelines to follow for undertaking projects. The two most popular Worldwide Standards are PMI® and Prince2® . They provide generic guidelines for all types of projects, regardless of the industry. These two Standards use different terminology and have different Project Life Cycles, so we suggest choosing only one standard to follow for your projects. To help you choose which standard to follow, PMI® Standard was written initially with the American target market in mind, so use this Standard if you are an American-based culture. Whereas Prince2® was written initially with the UK market in mind, so if you're an English-based culture, use Prince2®. Once you've mad...