SMART PMO

For years organizations have struggled to deliver projects on-time and within budget. But with today's challenges to get more ”bang for the buck”, organizations have to monitor and control their projects more closely than ever before. In order to meet the challenges of doing more with less and the rapidly changing project management environment many organizations have established project management offices (PMOs) as a way to improve project performance, cut costs, and instill project management discipline.

PMO is about keeping projects on time and within budget while mitigating risk and balancing project and work management. PMOs face the rigorous challenge of keeping up with the rapidly evolving project management environment. With today’s technologies, more is required of our PMOs. They are faced with managing an almost endless demand, balancing project management work verses work management, executing deliverables before sponsorship and risks are clearly identified. In an effort to report real-time status of critical projects, PMO Personnel often spend a tremendous amount of time compiling status reports from multiple and disparate data sources. Using spreadsheets and disparate tools causes delay in obtaining the data that is critical to making the right decisions. Visibility into resource availability and utilization is paramount to the ability to manage projects effectively. In order to successfully improve project performance within an organization processes for managing scope changes, risk, quality, issues, schedules, resources, releases, and costs must be institutionalized and enforced processes.

Establishing and leveraging the PMO is not a new concept. However, the trend toward implementing PMOs to instill much-needed project management discipline and improve project performance is on the rise. PMOs can help leadership by providing the structure needed to standardize project management practices and facilitate project portfolio management, as well as establish repeatable processes.

What is SMART EPM for PMO?

SMART EPM for PMO helps organizations streamline, standardize and centralize their project management processes and reporting by providing a complete EPM solution that helps managers successfully manage and track programs from Demand Management to Product Delivery. From scope changes, risk, issues, resources, to schedules and costs, consistent processes enable on-time and within budget management of even the most complex projects. As an integrated solution with any one of the SMART EPM suite of management modules, which include Demand Management, Portfolio Management, Project Management, Operational Management, Collaboration Management and Business Intelligence, organizations gain a competitive edge by making decisions based on accurate and timely data and analysis.

SMART EPM is an award winning solution that enables organizations to fully configure their Microsoft EPM Solution in less time and cost, virtually risk free. SMART EPM™ for PMO provides a preconfigured Microsoft Office system solution that is the framework for Microsoft EPM for PMO. These preconfigured Microsoft Office solutions save the significant cost of arduous requirement gathering, system design and software configuration that is required for traditional Microsoft EPM deployments and provides several value-add features that specifically support PMO work management ecosystem.

Why re-invent the wheel?

Leverage LMR Solutions’ knowledge of PMO best practices, tool experience, and proven methodology and process knowledge from hundreds of EPM deployments, SMART EPM utilizes a process-driven approach unlocking the power of Microsoft Office Systems. SMART EPM for PMO provides preconfigured Microsoft Office and Visual Studios system solutions designed to provide processes and built-in analytics for PMO.

SMART EPM for PMO builds on years of industry experience to provide best-practice PMO processes out-of-the-box and the tools to successfully manage programs from Demand Management to closing. From scope changes, risk, issues, resources, schedules and costs, consistent processes enable on-time and within budget management of even complex programs. As an integrated solution with any one of the SMART EPM suite of management modules, including Demand Management, Portfolio Management, Project Management, Operational Management, Collaboration Management and Business Intelligence your organization will gain the competitive edge by making decisions based on accurate and timely data and analysis.

SMART EPM for PMO automates the entire life cycle of portfolio contents from capturing opportunities, proposing, evaluating, optimizing and managing investments. Analysis begins with capturing all the competing sources of demand to determine a baseline inventory. An effective portfolio evaluation requires more than just project management roll-up and compilation.

SMART EPM for PMO offers robust analysis with out-of-the-box metrics such as value to the business, true cost, risk, alignment with enterprise strategy, customer satisfaction and overall health. Portfolio analysis capabilities reveal areas for improvement such as investments that are low value, duplicate or unhealthy. Reallocation of resources away from poor investments to high value investments is then possible. Balancing the portfolio follows by checking key business objectives and distribution goals. Finally, the return on investment is calculated based upon spending cuts and reallocated resources to efforts better aligned with enterprise goals.