A leading IT consulting services firm, with offices in North America and Australasia, sought to harmonise and streamline project governance throughout its entire portfolio. The company aimed to enhance operational efficiency by facilitating the standardisation of tools and expertise, along with offering support and enforcing adherence to best practice project management protocols. To achieve this objective, a global Project Management Office (PMO) was created in the ‘directive and supportive’ mode of operation. This initiative brought together 40 project managers and 12 project coordinators under a unified framework designed to elevate project delivery standards and outcomes.

Highlights of the operational changes achieved:

• Business workflow documentation for every key process from project initiation to change management and dispute resolution

• Implementation of a continuous improvement program for the project processes, leading to ISO9001 certification for the PMO quality management system

• Development and implementation of semi-automated project status reporting tools

• Introduction of the pivotal role of Project Coordinator, appointing one coordinator for every five project managers. This strategic move aimed to centralise administrative responsibilities across multiple projects, thereby relieving project managers of administrative burdens. Consequently, project managers could dedicate their efforts entirely to achieving successful outcomes for client projects, enhancing overall efficiency and client satisfaction.

Highlights of the business improvements achieved:

• Increased customer satisfaction with project outcomes, measurable through regular standardised polling of the customer teams

• Increased billable utilisation as tools and processes kept project managers away from non-billable administrative activity

• Improvements in the perception of project manager’s work within the organisation

• Improved project manager retention