Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme, Fourth Edition

Part III. Organizational Considerations

I have completed my discussion of the three approaches to project management: TPM, APF, and xPM. In the previous two parts, I discussed when to use the traditional, adaptive, or extreme approaches and how to use each one. There are two remaining topics that I believe are critical to your understanding of the place of projects in the organization:

• The first is project portfolio management. Many organizations are changing their focus from the individual project to the collection of projects under way or proposed in the organization.

• The second is the Project Support Office (PSO). If any of the three approaches are to succeed in the organization, it will be because the organization has an effective support function in place.

Part III consists of two chapters. In Chapter 20, I take a look at the project portfolio with specific focus on what it is, how it is formed, and how it is managed. Chapter 21 discusses how organizations can support the project effort. I discuss what the PSO is, what functions it performs, what roles and responsibilities it has, how it is organized, and how to form one.

Part III is intended to give you an awareness of these two contemporary aspects of the enterprise — the project portfolio and the Project Support Office. Both can contribute to the success of TPM, APF, and xPM. It is important that you understand the roles, responsibilities, and functions of each, because they will impact your ability to be successful with project ...