I was recently approached by a PMO director seeking advice on how to make large initiatives more Agile. Apparently, the PMO was trying to improve its effectiveness by adding some Agile elements into the existing process. This seems to be a very logical way to improve project or program management process. The problem is that this approach never really works, because of the fundamental differences between traditional project management and Agile. As Agile Coaches, instead of jumping into the solutions on how to make the improvements, we need to first help the PMO find the answer to the real question, ‘What is the role of a PMO in an Agile organization?’
Traditionally, the PMO as an organizational body plays an essential role at the project, program, and portfolio level. The PMO is the hub of communications from top down, bottom up, and across the development teams. It owns the process standardization, tracks project costs and drives project schedules. However, in an Agile environment, there doesn't seem to be a clear definition of what the role of a PMO is.
I believe the PMO is uniquely positioned to becoming an great Agile coaching center, especially in coaching the organizational leaders. It is a goal that worth striving toward. And here is why.
The Need on Enterprise Level Agile Coaching
One pattern in Agile adoption is that it usually works well and shows great results as long as it is isolated from the rest of the company. Usually a few teams working a product that has no or little interdependence to the rest of the enterprise system or product portfolio. Problems arise when the leaders see the results and give the marching order to apply the same practice to the rest of the company. In my opinion, the root cause of Agile scaling failures is the Corporate Immune System. (John Mariotti has a very good article on this topic.) When a large scale Agile transformation takes place in an organization that is not ready, the organization’s immune system fights back. In order to make meaningful progress in the Agile transformation at a large scale, the leaders need to be genuinely supportive of the transformation, especially in difficult times. And that requires more than open minds. It requires the leaders to overcome the fear of letting go things that made them successful in the first place. The truth is, when push comes to shove, people tend to revert back to the old behaviors, including the leaders. To overcome that, a good dose of enterprise level Agile coaching is not just required, but essential.
The PMO’s Advantage in Enterprise Level Coaching
- The PMO typically interacts with the leadership teams on a regular basis, including business branches, IT, Finance, HR, etc. The PMO has established the communication channels that a typical Agile team doesn’t have.
- Holding an unbiased and objective position is a must for successful PMO’s. And that is a tremendously effective position for Enterprise Agile Coaching.
