Project Management Office Charter - ODU

Old Dominion UniversityOffice of Computing and Communication ServicesProject Management Office CharterVersion: 1.0Last Update: February 18, 2010Created By: Anthony Fox, PMPOCCS Project Management Office CharterPage 1

Table of ContentsIntroduction . 3PMO Mission . 3Objectives and Goals . 3Business Drivers . 3Project Parameters . 4Business Objectives . 4Assumptions . 5Constraints . 5Success Criteria. 5What the PMO is NOT. 6PMO Metrics . 6Expected Benefits . 6OCCS Leadership. 6Project Managers. 7OCCS Staff . 7External Customers. 7PMO Stakeholders . 7PMO Team . 8Revisions . 8Approvals . Error! Bookmark not defined.OCCS Project Management Office CharterPage 2

IntroductionThe Office of Computing and Communications Services (OCCS) Leadership and stakeholders areincreasingly requiring OCCS to continuously improve its ability to successfully and efficiently complete ITprojects, as well as provide IT services to the University. Also, the economic situation of theCommonwealth of Virginia has dictated that everyone do more with less.In response to these ever increasing challenges, the CIO has authorized the creation of a ProjectManagement Office (PMO), which is a strategic, functional unit which promotes and advances ProjectManagement principles and services for IT projects at Old Dominion University. The PMO providessupport for managers of information technology projects at the University and for the informationTechnology Advisory Committee (ITAC), which reviews proposed IT projects classified as medium or highrisk.This living document defines the mission, objectives and goals and functions of the PMO. It identifiesthe PMO sponsors and primary stakeholders as well as the services it offers. This charter is not theproject plan for implementing the PMO, but instead a statement of the PMO’s function. It also shouldnot be interpreted as a Service Level Agreement for services and support functions provided to OldDominion University.PMO MissionThe Mission of ODU’s OCCS PMO is to champion consistent project management practices which willallow OCCS to effectively prioritize and manage projects and resources that will help Old DominionUniversity fulfill its mission and strategic goals.Objectives and GoalsBuild Project Management maturity at the organizational levelManage IT project portfolioServe as ODU’s authority on IT Project Management practicesKeep OCCS leadership and the project community informedIT Project ManagementBusiness DriversDeveloping an effective PMO will help OCCS support the University’s and OCCS’s initiatives, specifically:OCCS Mission to “provide high-quality and cost-effective computing and communicationsservices that meet the needs of the University community”Strategic Initiative: Make available and maintain IT tools for business improvementOCCS Project Management Office CharterPage 3

The PMO will help satisfy OCCS’s compliance with University Policy 3508 – InformationTechnology Project Management as well as OCCS’s IT Standard 04.6.2 – Project ManagementStandard.The creation of a PMO will also help keep ODU in compliance with the Higher Education Financeand Operations Restructuring Act, which requires us to establish, maintain and operate underProject Management.Project ParametersBusiness ObjectivesIn order to support both the University’s and OCCS’s initiatives, OCCS must focus on developing and/orimproving a number of capabilities. The PMO, under the guidance of the CIO and OCCS Leadership, willbe responsible for the initiation, planning, implementation, execution and monitoring of the followingcritical areas:Build Project Management maturity at the organizational levelo Project Governance: Establish and continuously improve a standardized projectmanagement frameworko Maintain Project Repository: Establish centralized location to store project artifacts forproject history and reviewo Act as a resource for project teams throughout the project lifecycle to ensure adherenceto project management standards and best practiceso Maintain a “Lessons Learned” archiveManage IT Project Portfolioo Project Requisition Standardization: Develop standard for customers to requisitionprojects that have sufficient detail information about the project (goals, businessobjectives, performance requirements, etc.)o Portfolio Definition: Partner with OCCS leadership to determine the essentialcomponents of the OCCS project portfolioo Portfolio Prioritizations: Develop comprehensive criteria to enable OCCS leadership toensure optimal deployment of OCCS resources (funding, people and time)to thoseprojects which align with the University’s priorities, goals and strategic planso Monitoring: Develop process to monitor project progress, status and successServe as the organization’s authority on IT Project Management practiceso Project Management mentoring: Be available to interested parties (internal andexternal) to advocate good Project Management practiceso Best Practices: Implement a process to analyze project successes and failures to raiseawareness, encourage best practices and educate stakeholders on the benefits ofproject management to our organizationo Project audits: Develop process to allow for review of project delivery processo Serve as the official source for project templates and other toolsOCCS Project Management Office CharterPage 4

Keep OCCS Leadership and Project Community informedo Provide weekly portfolio reports to CIOo Provide executive reports for academic and administrative leadershipo Maintain a PMO websiteIT Project Managemento Provide management, oversight, governance and quality assurance to projects assignedto the PMOAssumptionsAn experienced Project Management Professional will develop and maintain methodologies andstandards consistent with those outlined by the Project Management Institute (PMI)Stakeholders will buy into the defined project methodologies and processesTraining/mentoring on established methodologies and tools will be provided for staff at everylevel of the organizationOCCS leadership will hold themselves, staff and customers accountable to the standards andprocedures developedOCCS executives and leadership will be vocal and positively support project management effortsand work in collaboration with the PMO to make this a center of excellence for OCCSConstraintsBuy-in of PMO by those that are resistant to change or have their own ideas of how thingsshould be doneTendency to employ ‘old’ ways and work without regarding the ‘bigger picture’Current project workload may lead to taking shortcutsLack of external executive administrative sponsorshipSuccess CriteriaOCCS executive leadership provides the PMO with unanimous, visible and vocal supportOCCS leadership supports the process of Project/Portfolio Management. Managers recognizethat some groups and individuals will embrace the change better than othersProject Management is recognized as a core competencyThe PMO designs a scalable and flexible Project Management System (process and tools)o The PMO leverages industry standards and best practiceso The PMO is flexible to adjust its operation based on continuous organizational andcommunity feedbacko PMO constantly redefines its strategy based on the University’s and OCCS’s strategicplanso Eliminates duplication of data and processes among project managersIntroduction of PMO functions in a ‘rolling wave’ mannerImplementation of a Rewards and Recognition programOCCS Project Management Office CharterPage 5

What the PMO is NOTAs it is important to define what the PMO is and its functions, it is of equal importance to clearly statewhat functions and/or services are not within the scope of the PMO. This is not a complete list, but astarting point for further discussions.The responsibility of successfully managing projects rests with the project manager of thatproject; the responsibility of the projects’ success rests with management support and technicalexpertise. The PMO can help the project manager be successful, but the PMO is not taking overthe accountability for individual project success.The responsibility of the management of resources will continue to remain with OCCSmanagement and project managers.The focus of the PMO is to implement project management discipline, not to require arbitraryproject documentation. Project documentation exists for the benefit of the project and OCCS,not for the fulfillment of some documentation standard.PMO MetricsMetrics will be developed that will measure those aspects of PMO performance that are directly relatedto its Mission. Some of the key questions that should be answered by the metrics are:Has communication about projects increased?o Internal Know what projects take precedence over others Are the necessary resources made aware of their needed participationo External What is my current project status?Is the OCCS staff continuing to increase its professional approach towards management of theorganization’s IT projects?o Documentationo ProcessAre projects more successful over time?Is OCCS able to report what projects are being worked?o Overall portfolioo Executive reportso Prioritieso Reports made available on webExpected BenefitsOCCS LeadershipOverview of what is being worked on in OCCS and by whomo Weekly portfolio reporto Executive reportsOCCS Project Management Office CharterPage 6

Mechanism for providing facts to show what the OCCS department has accomplished, as well asproviding justification for requests for additional funding, resources, etc.Increased ability to show value to the University communityProject ManagersStandard processes and tools maximize chances of project success, resulting in less rework andreduced cost of deliveryEnhanced capability through training and mentoringIncrease in collaboration and knowledge transfer between project managersOptimized use of OCCS StaffOCCS StaffEnhanced project execution through the establishment of a consistent frameworkEfficiency gains through the use of standard processes and toolsGreater understanding of tasks and prioritiesExternal CustomersIncreased communication with OCCS about overall priorities and project statusIncreased probability of implementing projects that meet customer requirements and needsIncreased customer satisfactionPMO StakeholdersStakeholderOCCS CIORelationship with PMOExecutive SponsorOCCS DirectorsPMO OversightDirector, Technology Policy &Project Management OfficeDirector of the PMOOCCS Project ManagersCustomerOCCS StaffCustomerInformation TechnologyAdvisory Council (ITAC)CustomerUniversity communityCustomerOCCS Project Management Office CharterExpectations of PMOShow continual growth and improvement,demonstrate project value, clear andaccurate picture of what is being done inOCCSEstablishment of effective process formanaging projectsEnable OCCS to be accountable foreffectively managing portfolios, projects andresourcesSet the PM standard, providetraining/mentoringSupport mission to deliver successful ITprojectsProvide essential project information toensure that they can make accurate, factbased decisions on projectsProvide an user friendly interface to request/approve IT projects, improvecommunicationPage 7

PMO TeamTitleDirectorPMO Project Manager(s)ResponsibilityExecutive leadershipPMO Leadership, development, mentoring,portfolio managementRevisionsRevisionNumber1.0Issue Date01/11/2010RevisedByalfoxDescription of changesInitial DraftOCCS Project Management Office CharterPage 8

OCCS Project Management Office Charter Page 8 PMO Team Title Responsibility Director Executive leadership PMO Project Manager(s) PMO Leadership, development, mentoring, portfolio management Revisio