The Atekpc Project Management Office
9-308-049
OCTOBER 11, 2007
F. WARREN MCFARLAN MARK KEIL JOHN HUPP
The AtekPC Project Management Office
A rain had started in the early evening of March 3, 2007, and the streets of Metropolis were cold and grey where the AtekPC headquarters were located. As John Strider, CIO for AtekPC, packed up his briefcase at the end of the day, his thoughts returned to the new Project Management Office (PMO) that he had approved several months ago. During his tenure of over twenty years at AtekPC, Strider had never witnessed the kinds of pressures that were now facing the personal computer (PC) industry. Strider recognized that the industry was in transition and that his Information Technology (IT) organization would be involved in some critically important projects in the days ahead, as AtekPC sought to take a leadership role in these changes. It was that thought which brought to mind the PMO initiative. If it were implemented right, this PMO could be a big help to AtekPC, but Strider had concerns about what might happen if they tried to push too hard with this idea. Instead of a help, it could become another item on his growing list of problems. There were so many questions on his mind: How much PM is enough PM? How much PMO support is enough PMO support? When do you get to the point that the PMO structure and process is enabling productivity and contributes to a more successful outcome with fewer mistakes and a higher quality result— whatever you define success to be at the beginning? And when does PM involvement become administration for its own purposes? When do you cross the line? Strider thought that he understood what this PMO could do for AtekPC, but the initiative was still in its infancy. It needed time to prove itself. On the one hand, his management team had hired some experienced people with real talent to spearhead the PMO program. On the other, they were new to the PC business and to AtekPC. They didn’t understand how powerful the culture was here, he thought.
OCTOBER 11, 2007
F. WARREN MCFARLAN MARK KEIL JOHN HUPP
The AtekPC Project Management Office
A rain had started in the early evening of March 3, 2007, and the streets of Metropolis were cold and grey where the AtekPC headquarters were located. As John Strider, CIO for AtekPC, packed up his briefcase at the end of the day, his thoughts returned to the new Project Management Office (PMO) that he had approved several months ago. During his tenure of over twenty years at AtekPC, Strider had never witnessed the kinds of pressures that were now facing the personal computer (PC) industry. Strider recognized that the industry was in transition and that his Information Technology (IT) organization would be involved in some critically important projects in the days ahead, as AtekPC sought to take a leadership role in these changes. It was that thought which brought to mind the PMO initiative. If it were implemented right, this PMO could be a big help to AtekPC, but Strider had concerns about what might happen if they tried to push too hard with this idea. Instead of a help, it could become another item on his growing list of problems. There were so many questions on his mind: How much PM is enough PM? How much PMO support is enough PMO support? When do you get to the point that the PMO structure and process is enabling productivity and contributes to a more successful outcome with fewer mistakes and a higher quality result— whatever you define success to be at the beginning? And when does PM involvement become administration for its own purposes? When do you cross the line? Strider thought that he understood what this PMO could do for AtekPC, but the initiative was still in its infancy. It needed time to prove itself. On the one hand, his management team had hired some experienced people with real talent to spearhead the PMO program. On the other, they were new to the PC business and to AtekPC. They didn’t understand how powerful the culture was here, he thought.