Fixing Project Management: Consistent Standards are Key to Multi-Vendor Operating Models

Today’s complex multi-source operating models are characterized by numerous suppliers that provide infrastructure, applications and business services. At any given time, multiple concurrent projects are in flight and in the pipeline. These projects can range from updates to infrastructure components, systems interfaces or application functionality, to business initiatives around new product roll-outs and marketing campaigns. Project managers are typically drawn from a mix of suppliers, service providers and contractors (with a corresponding mix of management processes) to augment client staff and oversee development.

In such environments, Project Management (PM) standards and discipline are often inadequate, inconsistent or non-existent. The result is a significant negative impact on operational performance as measured by cost efficiency, productivity and service quality. Moreover, PM challenges manifest themselves at both a micro level, in terms of individual projects, as well as a macro level, in terms of multiple interrelated projects in the context of a broader operational strategy. 

Top-performing organizations increasingly recognize that effective program and project management is essential to today’s complex operational environments. This ISG white paper examines common issues around project management, and discusses steps that organizations can take to design and implement an effective Program/Project Management Office (PMO) to address these issues and ensure consistent oversight of critical operational projects.