Implementing Organizational Project Management: A Practice Guide

A growing number of organizations have embraced organizational project management (OPM) in an effort to increase performance and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Research shows that a successful OPM strategy is dependent upon strong project management methodology – one that aligns organizational goals across the portfolio of projects.

An effective project management methodology provides a standardized, organization- or situation-specific approach that encourages efficient use of resources in order to enable the organization to focus on its most important tasks—leading, innovating, and delivering products and services. While some organizations recognize the importance of project management, others continue to execute projects without a methodology. The lack of a strong methodology could lead to project or program failure.

Project Management Institute has introduced Implementing Organizational Project Management: A Practice Guide to assist organizations in developing and defining effective project management methodologies. In a 2012 PMI market research project, more than half of the respondents identified a lack of published guidance on development of customized methodologies.

This practice guide outlines practical knowledge and steps to define and develop a methodology in alignment with the foundational standards and framework that were first provided in PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)

Implementing Organizational Project Management demonstrates how an effective project management methodology integrates globally-accepted best practices with business-specific processes and techniques.

The guide will help practitioners develop relevant and effective methodologies for their organizations, with emphasis on:

• Important elements of a methodology;
• Essential tools, templates, and resources;
• Custom-fit approaches for consistent management of all projects;
• Alignment of project management practices across the organization’s portfolio of projects;
• Application of lessons learned to capture organizational knowledge and learning, resulting in regular updates and refinements; and
• Consistent application of project management practices within the organization. This practice guide provides the necessary tools to help project management practitioners develop a living, evolving methodology that will allow them to assess and refine their practices and become “best in class” performers.