June 2010
 Hey Bob, do you have a sec for a quck question? It's so quick I can't even take the time to stand up and ask you over the edge of our cube!
 LOL. Sure thing. Was that quick or lazy...?
Yes. OK, smart guy. I've been hearing a lot of buzz on your side of the cube about Centers of Excellence. cOEs, I'm sure.
Cool! I love the COE concept. I am a big proponent of it and overall organizational maturity.
Of course you are! So I gotta question...
Fire away!
I'm familiar with Project Management Offices (PMOs), which sound to me like they are COEs in many ways. What, exactly, are the differences between them?
LOL. Oh goodness. Well my short IM response would be attend my webinar at the end of the month. But... It is a well knonw fact (or should be) that IBM's PMO was really the first COE of its kind.
Aha! See...
That would be “known” not knonw
I am so with you. So, can you give me the IM distillation of what a COE has that a PMO doesn't? or vise versa? Not to take away from your webinar...which I most certainly attended!
Let me try this approach. A COE is an effort that may focus on one or many components of maturity like standards, metrics, competency, governance, change management, services and more.
So a PMO may be part of a COE?
I say “may” because it is a cultural evaluation that drives which components need to be done and with what resources, budget, time etc... Want to know why?
Of course, Bob.
So polite! I am probably boring you to tears...LOL.
Hey, I started this. But I'm using IM in case I do get bord. LOL.
Let's take competency for example.
Lets.
Competency may have an input of standards and measurement of people which a PMO might be involved with for the standards part... but...there is an HR component and a performance manager component and the PMO traditionally would not be involved.
I see. So a COE is actually staffing itself and the PMO (if there is one) and providing the HR function, which is typically outside the PMO's role. Or rather it “may” be providing the staffing and HR function...
The COE is traditionally made up of people with jobs already. So PMO people may participate. If the COE is fairly advanced, the COE may have people (real jobs/roles) runnign aspects of the COE. They don't usually start that way though.
Not unlike some PMOs though, right? A PMO can have people who are doing other project-related jobs that are still involved in providing standards, governance, tec. for projecgt efforts.
Yep.
So what's the blippin' difference?!
Well, I never said there was... The reality is, a PMO is a type of COE. It looks at all of those things we talked about. What a PMO is not, is a COE for Business ANalysis, or Quality Assurance or Development etc...
You didn't? Did I say that? That makes sense. This I get. Does that mean I'm a Smart Guy now, too?
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jkzcvvjkdfsjl;asdfjflajklf;dja;fjdla;jf;ajdl; back atcha!
Yes my friend, you are indeed a smart person! In the end, the COE is a means to maturity.
Thanks! Talk to you later. Maybe I'll even stand up and see you!
TTYL |
