The Virtual Project Management Office

Successfully Launch and Operate a Virtual Project Management Office New technology and global businesses and organizations are making virtual project management offices (VPMOs) more important and more prevalent than ever. Successfully operating a VPMO requires project managers to employ additional skills and address different challenges from those necessary to operate a traditional PMO. For example, the virtual project manager must have effective soft skills to build trust among a dispersed team and to select the best forms of communication. He or she must also ensure compliance with the unique policies, procedures, and laws relevant to maintaining a VPMO. This book offers best practices for successful virtual projects and the most effective ways to create and implement a PMO in a virtual environment. It's a valuable resource for companies considering a VPMO and those already operating one. You'll find: - Proven implementation plans - Guidance for building a business case - Laws and ethics governing VPMOs - Tips and advice from experts Plus! Dozens of practical tools to use in launching a VPMO or improving an existing project management office.

Globalization and increased outsourcing have redefined project management. The complex dynamics involved in today's long-distance projects require a new skill set and knowledge base unlike anything needed before. Here, leading project management expert Marcus Goncalves presents a complete guide to implementing the virtual project management office (ePMO). Leveraging his information technology expertise and PM experience, Goncalves offers cutting-edge techniques for managing projects across borders, working with colleagues and clients from different cultures, and utilizing the necessary telecommunication/Internet technologies ePM managers and their virtual teams and remote PM offices must have. Implementing the Virtual Project Management Office complies with the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guidelines and extends them to ePMO. After analyzing the benefits of ePM versus conventional project management, Goncalves presents an in-depth discussion of ePM practices, scenarios, and challenges, aided by real-world examples and insightful case studies. Providing a full focus on the management and execution of virtual projects, Goncalves demonstrates the time- and cost-saving advantages, showing how to begin realizing those advantages immediately. He gives you: Guidelines for building virtual project teams Step-by-step best practices for keeping an eProject on course Techniques for measuring project performance and earned value eTools for controlling project quality Ways to integrate speed, change, and innovation for ePM success A customer-driven approach to ePM Goncalves provides comprehensive information on developing a state-of-the-art virtual project management office, from the necessary structure and environment to the technology. He also defines what concurrent ePM is and the need for change management during the process. The bonus CD features sample policies, forms, budgets, checklists, and software (including the award winning Mindmanager, from Mindjet) to assist in your ePMO implementation.

Successfully Launch and Operate a Virtual Project Management Office New technology and global businesses and organizations are making virtual project management offices (VPMOs) more important and more prevalent than ever. Successfully operating a VPMO requires project managers to employ additional skills and address different challenges from those necessary to operate a traditional PMO. For example, the virtual project manager must have effective soft skills to build trust among a dispersed team and to select the best forms of communication. He or she must also ensure compliance with the unique policies, procedures, and laws relevant to maintaining a VPMO. This book offers best practices for successful virtual projects and the most effective ways to create and implement a PMO in a virtual environment. It's a valuable resource for companies considering a VPMO and those already operating one. You'll find: - Proven implementation plans - Guidance for building a business case - Laws and ethics governing VPMOs - Tips and advice from experts Plus! Dozens of practical tools to use in launching a VPMO or improving an existing project management office.

Successfully Launch and Operate a Virtual Project Management Office New technology and global businesses and organizations are making virtual project management offices (VPMOs) more important and more prevalent than ever. Successfully operating a VPMO requires project managers to employ additional skills and address different challenges from those necessary to operate a traditional PMO. For example, the virtual project manager must have effective soft skills to build trust among a dispersed team and to select the best forms of communication. He or she must also ensure compliance with the unique policies, procedures, and laws relevant to maintaining a VPMO. This book offers best practices for successful virtual projects and the most effective ways to create and implement a PMO in a virtual environment. It's a valuable resource for companies considering a VPMO and those already operating one. You'll find: - Proven implementation plans - Guidance for building a business case - Laws and ethics governing VPMOs - Tips and advice from experts Plus! Dozens of practical tools to use in launching a VPMO or improving an existing project management office.

The Project Management Office (PMO) is a rapidly emerging concept in project management that has evolved in terms of its application, sophistication, and proven results. Most literature on the subject focuses on a specific facet or purpose of PMO. The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation provides a

The Complete Project Management Office Handbook, Second Edition identifies the PMO as the essential business integrator of the people, processes, and tools that manage or influence project performance. This book details how the PMO applies professional project management practices and successfully integrates business interests with project g

The project manager in the United States welcomes the team to an important meeting. For him, it’s early morning. But it’s midday for the team members in Ireland, late afternoon for those in India and late evening in Australia, where they are working from home and will go to bed after the call. For those who manage global programs or projects, this scenario is a common challenge. Although virtual teams offer many advantages, they come with obstacles as well: Meetings can be hard to schedule, and language barriers can create communication hurdles. Due to limited or absent face-to-face contact, team members might feel isolated or sense a lack of collaboration with co-workers.

Researchers have long debated over the challenge of structuring an organization's project management office (PMO) so as to optimize its value. And one core issue in exploring this concern is how the PMO's structure (either centralized or decentralized) shapes the way project managers--particularly those working on virtual projects--communicate, collaborate, and lead. This article examines how a PMO's structure affects a virtual project manager's performance in relation to received training, standardized processes, outlined communication and collaboration approaches, and established leadership behaviors. In doing so, it defines the concepts of virtual project, centralized project management organization, and decentralized project management organization, looking at each in relation to previous studies showing the factors which influence successful project outcomes. It overviews the author's research methodology to survey 73 project managers on how PMOs affect project manager performance. It then reports the findings and analyzes this information in relation to the author's research hypotheses, identifying how a virtual project manager's PMO either enabled or obstructed efforts to implement a virtual project. It also suggests how organizations can help virtual project teams improve their performance, listing the leadership skills that required for managing virtual project teams.

Virtual Project Management: Harnessing Benefits, Conquering Challenges, Utilizing Tools & Achieving Integration. In an era defined by digital connectivity and remote collaboration, the realm of project management has undergone a revolutionary shift. "Virtual Project Management " is your comprehensive guide to navigating the intricacies of managing projects in virtual environments. This book brings to light the benefits, challenges, indispensable tools, and seamless integration strategies that are essential for thriving in the virtual project landscape. Book Key Points: 1. Embracing the Virtual Advantage: Benefits Beyond Boundaries: delve into the remarkable advantages that virtual project management offers. Explore how it enables flexibility, expands talent pools, and facilitates global collaboration, ultimately leading to enhanced innovation and productivity. 2. Navigating Virtual Challenges: Overcoming Distance and Diversity: Examine the challenges unique to virtual projects, such as communication barriers, cultural differences, and time zone disparities. Learn proven techniques to bridge these gaps and cultivate a harmonious virtual team environment. 3. Essential Tools for Success: Technological Empowerment: Explore a comprehensive array of cutting-edge tools tailored to virtual project management. From project tracking and collaboration platforms to virtual reality-enhanced simulations, discover how technology optimizes efficiency and streamlines processes. 4. Integration for Seamless Execution: Fusing Virtual with Reality: Gain insights into the art of integrating virtual project management seamlessly into existing organizational frameworks. Explore strategies to align virtual projects with overall business goals, ensuring a cohesive and synergistic approach. 5. Cultivating Virtual Leadership: E-Leadership Evolution: Uncover the principles of e-leadership – the art of leading from a distance. Learn how to build trust, foster engagement, and nurture a shared sense of purpose among virtual team members through effective leadership techniques. 6. Communication Mastery: Transcending Digital Divides: Dive into the realm of virtual communication, discovering techniques to overcome the challenges of limited face-to-face interactions. Learn how to foster clear, open, and meaningful communication that resonates across virtual channels. 7. Productivity Amplification: Unlocking Virtual Productivity: Explore strategies to optimize virtual team performance, from setting clear objectives to measuring progress. Learn how to cultivate a culture of accountability, motivation, and productivity in a virtual work environment. 8. Strategic Integration Framework: Harmonizing Virtual and Real: Discover a comprehensive framework for seamlessly integrating virtual project management into the core of your organization. Learn how to align virtual projects with business strategies, ensuring a holistic and successful approach. Conclusion: " Virtual Project Management " is your roadmap to mastering the dynamic world of virtual projects. From harnessing benefits to overcoming challenges, from utilizing cutting-edge tools to achieving strategic integration, this book equips you with the knowledge and insights needed to lead virtual projects to unparalleled success. Embark on a journey that transforms virtual challenges into opportunities and positions you as a visionary leader in the ever-evolving landscape of project management.

In a 1945 speech, Winston Churchill stated, "We are shaping the world faster than we can change ourselves, and we are applying to the present the habits of the past." Was Churchill predicting the future of project management? Have we changed how we communicate and lead projects? Have leadership and management theories and models evolved to keep pac