Phase 1
The key objectives for Phase 1 should be to determine if communications, leadership, and management are clearly in place. Some key questions to be asked at the end of Phase 1 should include the following:
- Does the project have a documented Vision Statement?
- Is leadership clearly in place?
- Has the plan been developed and customized to meet the needs of the organization?
- Have the plan and risks been reviewed to determine viability of completion of the project by the end of the Phase 4?
Phase 2
Phase 2 should focus on developing a governance process as well as any methods and standards to be implemented by the end of the project. Some key questions to be asked at the end of Phase 2 should include the following:
- Has the Governance process, to include prioritization and review of projects, been defined?
- Has a Governance Committee structure, if needed, been decided?
- Has a change management process been defined?
- Have the standards and processes to be implemented been clearly defined?
- Is the progress on the standards and processes measurable?
- Have the plan and risks been reviewed to determine viability of completion of the project by the end of the Phase 4?
Phase 3
By the end of Phase 3, the development of standards and processes should be complete or nearly complete. Any tools to be used for time management and resource forecasting must be finalized by this week. In addition, the processes to support time recording and forecasting must be developed. Key questions to be asked at the end of Phase 3 include the following:
- Are the standards and processes complete or nearly complete?
- Will training material (and the trainers) be ready for the following week?
- Have the target trainees been notified of upcoming training?
- Has training been scheduled?
- Have the new standards and processes been “tested” to ensure functional feasibility?
- Have the new tools, if any, been tested to ensure functional feasibility?
- Have the plan and risks been reviewed to determine viability of completion of the project by the end of the Phase 4?
Phase 4
If all has gone by plan, Phase 4 is not only the end of the project but the beginning of the PMO operation. Communications to all stakeholders is critical during this Phase. Key questions to be asked throughout the Phase should include the following:
- Are the standards and processes complete?
- Is the Governance process and committee in place? Has the initial Governance meeting been scheduled?
- Have administrative functions (and staffing) for the new PMO functions been determined?
- Has a project close-out meeting been scheduled? This is critically important because there will always be “something more to do.”