Micro projects are no small task. While they have fewer moving parts, it can be hard to figure out which one goes where and in what order. No matter how good a PMO is, unless you have the right tools and techniques in place, you may find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place. Our proprietary AMO model fixes that and helps you get ahead with micro-projects full steam.
And this short article will tell you how.
The 3 key challenges that traditional PMOs must squash
It’s always sink or swim for PMOs. Think of it as having the proverbial gun to your head.” The in-between simply does not exist. They either have the time and resources or they don’t. These days, the demands of project management offices are increasing, and this means that technology must keep up with these demands as well.
Little or insufficient funding
Traditional PMOs often have it rough when it comes to funding. Think back on all the projects you have been a part of. How many times has your project been delayed or under-delivered, or has your entire project management gone out of whack? If the answer makes you squirm inwardly, you have a problem whose bud needs some nipping.
Little to no authority
Hierarchy, bureaucracy, and red-tapism. Every PMO must deal with them at some point, to some extent. You neither have the authority to make the calls that matter nor the signatures from the higher-ups to get something done on time. Paper-pushing and bottleneck recovery are all that a PMO becomes about.
No standardization of workflows and processes
Bad workflows and bottlenecks go hand-in-hand. Think of them as a roadblock that can prevent your PMO from crushing your deadlines. You would be cruising along one moment, and the next you will find yourself hitting a wall — all because you failed to identify and plug the gaps in your processes. Unless a PMO has a firm grip on their workflows and your processes, it’s not going to get far in their project execution.
How AMO can help
Our intricately designed AMO model helps you tame all these challenges before they turn into serious problems. You are probably wondering if an AMO is just fancy-speak for a PMO or if they are the same. They are not. We have a page here that goes into detail about the differences between an AMO and a PMO, which you can right-click into a new tab for later reading—or not.
AMO breaks down a project into its smallest components and determines what is important and what is not, as well as what is required to complete a project successfully. It then helps PMOs figure out what needs to be done and in what order.
Breaking it down into micro projects
AMO helps PMOs take a micro view of a goal as opposed to a macro view that looks at the bigger picture. By breaking it down into smaller, much more manageable nuggets, PMOs can build daily and weekly plans that cumulatively add up to the end goals. These short bursts of project management ensure a good grasp of quality and control. You decide the tasks and who does what, and you schedule them so you know when they are due and whatnot. You build and deploy changes iteratively by taking smaller bites or a bigger, broader goal.
Traditional PMOs often have it rough when it comes to funding. Think back on all the projects you have been a part of. How many times has your project been delayed or under-delivered, or has your entire project management gone out of whack? If the answer makes you squirm inwardly, you have a problem whose bud needs some nipping.
Driving iterative improvements
The key to a successful AMO is starting small and making iterative improvements. By doing so, you can minimize the risk of your project while being able to go back and adjust things as needed. By following this strategy, you can build a strong foundation for your project that allows it to be strong enough to withstand changes down the road. It also brings agility into your project, as you can scale forward and backward to meet your needs.
Proactive and not reactive
Employing Agile Management Office guidelines helps your PMO look at the bigger picture but through a smaller lens. What this means is that AMO identifies workflows and processes that are not only well-optimized but proactive in nature. Being able to identify existing processes that are dragging your progress down, you can optimize them or replace them and improve your workflows as you go.
Test-driving concepts and changes
When you go the AMO way, you start at the base and keep piling on micro changes. This puts you in a perfect vantage of seeing what’s working and what needs to be changed before advancing to the next level. It helps PMOs test concepts and new changes with stakeholders and customers. Every milestone your agile team achieves functions like a “restore point”. If something isn’t working as intended, instead of going back to the drawing board and starting entirely from scratch, you only have to go back to your last “restore points” and start over.
Final word
Agile Management Office can arm PMOs to crush their goals better by breaking them into micro projects. AMO helps you work around your budget constraints and assign resources only to the core and bare minimum essentials, focusing only on the current leg of your project plan. It gives project teams the agility of upgrading their process or swapping them out on-the-fly and maximizing their chances of reaching the finish line on time.
If you think your team is ready to go agile, why not get in touch with us to see how you can go the AMO way and crush your project goals?
Want to find out more about how AMO can help with your project management capability? Have a look here (https://agilemanagementoffice.com/consult/) how our team can help yours reach their full project management potential. If you want to know more, contact us on contact@agilemanagementoffice.com