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The project management office has taken on mythical qualities for boosting efficiency, reducing costs, and improving project delivery. Yet, as this month's articles show, the reality is that the mere presence of a PMO is no quick fix for success. Deriving benefits requires mature processes, a keen sense of mission and vision, and the ability to retool after project failure.
 Large, complex programs are inherently difficult. Keeping a large team, often spanning multiple companies, countries, and hundreds of resources, on task requires huge discipline and dedication. Done right, as Marcus Wildsmith explains, a PMO will address issues before they occur. When things go wrong - and they will - the PMO can be the source that provides the data and insight to make the right decisions for getting operations back on track. Read article ›
 When a project management office isn't fully serving the organization's needs in regards to its project portfolio, that's probably a sign that it needs to grow in terms of its capabilities. Sonia Libaert-Cox lays out a strategy for increasing your PMO's operational maturity. Read article ›
 When a major project doesn't hit its mark, it's natural for participants to want to run for cover. After all, who wants to own up to their role in a failure? But the self-aware organization fully exploits failure by uncovering not only what remains of the project's scope and budget but also to capture what has been learned. Tanya Cunningham shows how these lessons are invaluable in helping the involved teams retool their processes and people for improvement in the next go-around. Read article ›
 When Avi Duvdevani, a 28-year veteran of New York City government leadership, joined the New York City Housing Authority as CIO, his first goal was to put in place a governance model for implementing a major enterprise resource planning project. As he shares in this brief saga, oftentimes IT initiatives turn out to be less about managing the technology and more about managing the business process change. Read article ›
 Successfully implementing an enterprise project management tool is a significant cultural adjustment and requires deliberate planning and organizational change management. In this case study, published in the new book, CIO Leadership for Cities and Counties, Avi Duvdevani and Sean Laffin examine five questions every enterprise should answer as a critical first step. Read article ›
 One differentiating practice that could have ramifications for the long-term health of the solar panel manufacturing industry is rapid start up and quick-yielding photovoltaic factories. Solar module manufacturers need to build factories as if by cookie-cutter. Susan Rosenthal shares what it takes to run major capacity upgrade programs, guidance earned during her participation in an international project to launch 15 solar module factories simultaneously. Read article ›
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