The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation [Hardcover]

Parviz F. Rad (Author), Ginger Levin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2002 | ISBN-10: 1574443402 | ISBN-13: 978-1574443400 | Edition: 1

The Project Management Office (PMO) is a rapidly emerging concept in project management that has evolved in terms of its application, sophistication, and proven results. Most literature on the subject focuses on a specific facet or purpose of PMO. The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation provides an all-inclusive description of the PMO and allows project management professionals to select the features most appropriate and relevant to the issues at hand, while keeping the full PMO picture in perspective. The authors illustrate how the PMO can be used to reduce costs of projects, decrease time to market for new products, increase corporate profits, and ensure project success.

This reference covers all aspects of PMO in a format that is easy to read and understand. It discusses the motivations for adopting a PMO, including project performance, project manager competency, the organizational desire to excel, and much more. Both short-term and long-term functions are identified and discussed. WBS-like structures are developed for use in the process of evaluating project performance during the life-cycle of the project.

Ideal for senior project management professionals and as an advanced project management training program, the book presents two related models that deal with the evaluation of project performance from the vantage point of the client as well as the project team. With so many industries becoming project team driven, The Advanced Project Management Office will help project managers ensure project success and improve their company's bottom line.

Check out a video of Ginger Levin discussing The Advanced Project Management Office:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=TRgVjR4v130&gl=GB

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 1 edition (April 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574443402
• ISBN-13: 978-1574443400
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #864,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sadly overpriced and irrelevant, May 7, 2003

By 

Susan D. Ward (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation (Hardcover)

In spite of its claim to "illustrate how the PMO can be effective in reducing costs of projects, decreasing the time to market for new products, increasing corporate profits, and ensuring project success," this small, overpriced book actually does none of these things.

A collection of unrelated articles, all written in a dry, overly academic style, the book totally fails to address the proposition that a Project Management Office (PMO) adds value to an organization. There are many statements to the effect that "the PMO can ..." perform this or that function, but no assertions about the function itself, or whether it can just as easily be performed in organizations that do not have a formal PMO.

It is surprising that more than half of the eight chapters have no relationship to PMO functions at all. They discuss various project management issues, some of which are interesting, but all of which are better covered elsewhere in the literature. These topics are not what one expects when purchasing a book purportedly discussing the PMO function.

The book is completely devoid of real world examples, so we are left with the authors' assertions as to the efficacy of their ideas. There is also a paucity of real action items. The chapter on "Implementing the PMO" obsesses on where this group should report in the organization, and has no practical step-by-step advice on how to go about actually creating a PMO. This chapter does, however, contain an interesting, albeit irrelevant, discussion on managing "Projects with Virtual Teams."

As someone charged with actually creating a working PMO in a large organization, I was extremely disappointed with this book. It offers almost no practical information on this topic.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About *project*, not *program* management offices, August 25, 2002

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation (Hardcover)

his book is about setting up a project management office, not a program management office. Although to many the distinction is either subtle or moot, there are key differences. A project management office is an organization that manages a single project and is usually disestablished after the project is complete. A program management office is an organization that is either established to manage a portfolio of projects or a major contract that has a complex statement of work requiring a number of simultaneous projects. A program management office can also be a permanent organizational function that provides continuous oversight of all projects from start to finish.

The forgoing distinctions do not diminish the value of this book, but merely set the expectations of potential readers. In fact, this book contains a wealth of excellent advice about establishing and managing a project office. It also goes deep into details regarding required skills, roles and responsibilities. I especially liked the discussions on project performance management and maturity models.

Another point in this book's favor for project managers who want to establish a project management office the right way is other books about "PMOs" are more focused on program management, which is too broad in scope.

I like the way the author approaches the topic, which is structured and clearly described, and the way the book covers all of the major issues, factors and details.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disapointment, July 6, 2005

By 

ZJS (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation (Hardcover)

As a PMP and member of a new PMO attempting to establish the value and credibility of a PMO within our organization I found this book to be a bitter disapointment. This book was singularly lacking in practical advice as the to implementation of a PMO. Regarding the subject matter, there was nothing "Advanced" about this book at all.