Phase Zero Partners

Portfolio management doesn't need to be complicated. If you are running a small team, don't get overwhelmed thinking you need an enterprise PPM tool to get started. You don't, the basics will get you 80% of the value with 20% of the effort. Here's what actually matters: One master list - All projects, their current status, priority level, and who's assigned. A simple spreadsheet works fine. The key is having everything visible in one place instead of scattered across emails and meetings....

After my last post I had a few people reach out to see how we recommend starting a new PMO off so I thought this post might help. I remember the first time I got tapped to help build a PMO. I was excited and I could see the end state in my head. I wanted to get there as quickly as possible, so I just started putting all the end state processes into play. Zero to PMO Maturity in a week. It did not go well. I had to learn the tough lesson to fight that urge to immediately get to the goal, to...

You were good at managing projects. Now you're running a PMO. Nobody trained you for this jump, and that's more common than you think. The shift from doing to enabling is harder than it looks. You're used to driving tasks to completion. Now your job is setting up other people to succeed. It feels less direct, less controllable (sometimes completely out of control). It’s normal to want to change everything in the first month. Fight that urge.  Here is my take: Your first 30 days should focus...