Digital transformation has become the latest buzzword in the tech world, with businesses across the globe racing to keep up with the latest digital offerings. But if we cut through the jargon, what a successful digital transformation actually requires is a profound shift in the way technology is viewed in business.
But who incites this change? IT departments? Perhaps the CEO? The answer could be less to do with authority and more to do with the Project Management Office.
The PMO needs to drive digital change
Attempting to digitally transform is a vast project and, as with any large-scale project, the first step is having a leader who can establish a vision of change, and those that can offer their management expertise early on to avoid costly mistakes.
This is where the PMO can step into the spotlight. The PMO can break down transformation into smaller changes that are easier to digest for the rest of the team. They are the keepers of best practices, status, and direction regarding projects – all in one place. It has the organization, experience, and knowledge to alter behaviours, cross departmental lines, increase stakeholder support, and provide better insight into the changes needed for a successful digital transformation. So, who better to head up a successful digital transformation than the department responsible for project standards and success?
PPM or RPM: What’s the difference?
To spearhead digital transformation, the PMO needs to ensure that projects are standardized and in line with company policies. Project Portfolio Management tools and Resource Project Management tools have remained popular with PMOs but the differences between the two are rarely highlighted. While PPM tools are responsible for the bigger picture; setting objectives and keeping the project on budget and on time, RPM tools drill down into the specifics of project management to coordinate capabilities and workload. Portfolios are largely planned according to financial/expense budgets, whereas knowing exactly what resources you have available and determining their use means that the finer details like resource management aren’t overlooked. But what if we bridged these two aspects together with technology to make life easier for managers everywhere?
Get under the skin of a project
PMOs ensure projects are set up for success but, sometimes if the PMO is external, projects can be initiated with inadequate staff, unclear business value, and poor stakeholder involvement. Resources and the strategic use of them will be the true undercurrent that carries the success of all projects across the company. Trying to manage the project portfolio as one chunk will only fatigue and frustrate.
Managing resources more intelligently is a shortcut to project success. By focusing on the brain of the project you can allocate the individual skills of your team members to specific areas of the project.
Resource management: the ultimate necessity of project portfolio management
Resource management is often wrongly equated with staffing. But allocating people to projects is just one step within a whole range of tasks within resource management. Tactical resource management requires you to know:
- What resources are available when, and to what extent?
- What type of resource do I plan to use for my project, and to what extent?
- How do I handle operational changes during an ongoing project?
It’s the ‘extent’ part of the equation that technology can help you with, as this is the point where under-use and over-use of resources can cause time-delays and surging costs.
So, what’s the weapon of choice? We’d choose an RPM tool time and time again and here’s why.
Technology is not a cost, it is a differentiator
The right RPM tools will make teams more productive and give you full operational control – and not just at the moment things go wrong either. Technology that works in real-time, which runs alongside your projects, means you won’t ever be caught scrambling around desperately trying to patch over problems. And that’s exactly why we created Tempus Resource – a digital resource management tool that not only helps allocate people to the right tasks but uses powerful algorithms to forecast the outcomes of possible scenarios. It’s an evolved RPM tool like this that will help you make risk-free, data-driven decisions. If every Project Manager has better control over their resources, it won’t only be projects bound for success, but the entire PMO will be better placed to take care of crucial elements like best practice and legal compliance.
It’s also important to remember that digital transformations never truly end, so having a partner by your side while you’re transitioning will make your projects run smoother and faster as technical problems are dealt with on the spot – day or night.
To speak to us at Prosymmetry about Tempus Resource, project management, or any other business problem you might be having, contact us. We’re bound to have the perfect technology to help you build a more efficient, streamlined business.
