Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO: Multiplying ROI at Warp Speed [Hardcover]

Gerald I. Kendall (Author), Steve C. Rollins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1932159029 | ISBN-13: 978-1932159028

This bestselling, comprehensive book provides a roadmap for achieving high value enterprise strategies and superior project management results. It provides methods for best project selection, faster completion, optimal project portfolio management, measuring the PMO explicitly, and rapidly increasing project ROI.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 434 pages
• Publisher: J. Ross Publishing (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932159029
• ISBN-13: 978-1932159028
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fluff, no real substance June 20, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

The majority of this book touts the advantages of a PMO without providing much substance on how to create one. It also assumes that the PMO has authority over the sales and marketing; hence spends a big portion talking about the supply-side and the market-side projects. This book also has too many questionable "surveys" done by the authors and assumptions that are derived from those surveys. Statement such as "From our survey of xxxxx, x% of CIOs believe xxxx" are frequent throughtout the book.

This book seems to have been written to promote the authors' consulting business. Throughout the book, there are "examples" of how companies who implemented the "4x4" process made major improvements and the executives that implemented the process got promoted. Obviously, the book does not describe the "4x4" process; you have to bring the authors to implement it in your organization.

This book has so much reference to Goldratt (author of "The goal" and "Critical Chain") that you are better off just reading Goldratt's books.

If I had been completely new to Project Management and PMO, I may have learned a little bit about a PMO after reading this book's 400+ pages, but for someone who has some knowledge of Project Management, this book was a total waste of my time and money.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for project-based organizations August 14, 2004

By D. Laffineuse

Format:Hardcover

A very complete book on the subject of project management offices (PMO). It presents a complete and practical how-to guide to selling, establishing, running, and controlling PMOs in organizations, with a constant eye on the business value (ROI).

The section on strategic planning was an eye opener for me in terms of the value that a PMO can bring to the organization in supporting the selection of the `right' projects, i.e. a well balanced project mix that maximizes the return on investment of the portfolio. It is my experience that few organizations think in those terms and it often results in project selections being made based on the clout of their `champions' or by simply jumping from emergency to emergency, strategic projects becoming more the exception than the rule, with the negative bottom line impacts that it implies. Obviously there lies also the greatest challenge of the PMOs given that they have to carve a role for themselves in the high spheres of management where those decisions are made. They also need to instill in management the rigor of project selection, above and beyond mere intuition or customer pressures. This is truly where the strategic value of the PMO is.

Another compelling aspect of the book is the incorporation of the principles of the theory of constraints (TOC). For the organizations that are interested in reaping the benefits of critical chain project management (CCPM) for instance and applying TOC to maximize project flow in their organization, this is a plus. This is one of the rare books that addresses PMO in the context of TOC.... The readers should quickly be able to envision the bottom line impact that an efficient and strategic PMO (at the portfolio level) combined with the well documented results of CCPM implementations at the project level could have in their organizations. Read more ›

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading, mis-informed, missed the mark December 18, 2003

By Reb16

Format:Hardcover

Much of the coverage is incomplete and misleading. Souder, in his 1984 work entitled Project Selection and Economic Analysis provides a much more useful, cogent and useable account of selecting and rating projects; if ROI is to be used as the key selection tool! The book touts the benefits of Critical Chain with zeal; but with limited if any defensible evidence. For those new to professional project management, the book provides much cheerleading but little value related to delivery of projects within the context of a viable well managed, competitive business environment. The book's reference list is anemic. Assessment of the broad scope and depth of information related to PMOs and Portfolio Management is questionable. While somewhat dated, PACE by McGrath and Portfolio Management by Kleinschmidt et.al. provide far more definitive, proven, actionable, and valuable insight and direction.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding; comprehensive; dead on target! December 23, 2003

By rjcaseysr

Format:Hardcover

Outstanding, comprehensive and refreshing capture of ideas and an actionable approach to the imperative of reversing the documented failure of four of five projects to achieve cost, schedule or content objectives. Just one of the techniques emphasized-Critical Chain-has demonstrated powerful leverage and consistent project management success in literally 100s of well-documented implementations across myriad private industry, non-profit & government settings here in the US and around the world. These successes are reinforced by my personal dissertation research and results of successful Critical Chain applications in major Defense Department weapon system acquisition development and production programs run by giants like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as well as weapons system sustainment programs run at US Navy/Marine maintenance depots. I totally agree with Dr. Harold Kerzner, highly respected educator and widely read author of books on project management, who recommends that this book "become the standard for PMO development for years to come."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How to sell then set up a PMO that works July 1, 2003

By Mike McKay

Format:Hardcover

This book really helped me to sell the concept of a PMO, made easier by the chapter with the executive proposal set out as to what senior execs can expect and how the PMO and its projects are linked to the strategy of the organization.
The absolute clarity on what the PMO should do, the road map and the roles & responsibilities of participants was 'eye' opening to say the least, saved me so much time.
Who ever thought of the PMO getting involved in Marketing, to provide the balance between supply side and market side projects ? The indentification / development of the Unique Selling Proposition and the Compelling Marketing Offer as projects that the PMO would permanently carry out, whow !!!
Last but not least a list of questions at the end of each chapter to ensure I learnt the subject, great idea. Thanks guys.