Project Management &
Project Management Office (PMO)
90% of global senior executives and project management experts say “good project management is key to delivering successful results and gaining a competitive edge”
Do you find project management, however big or small, overwhelming?
At GKS Consultants our team have the experience to help you deliver your next project and take some of the delivery strain away from you. Our collective project management experiences come from a variety of fields, including the NHS (IT and new premises build/fit-outs), insurance sector, financial institutions, international logistics, the luxury goods market and general business expansions. All of these engagements add up to many 1000’s of hours of hands-on project delivery experience.
We are flexible on how you can engage our services. We can be your outsourced Project Manager, managing the duties this entails. Or maybe you just need help with a specific part of an existing project?
We are comfortable taking on distinct roles or responsibilities, for example:
- project initiation
- budget management
- running workshops to define the scope
- day-to-day task and information coordination, execution or control
- or through to a wrap-up workshop of a completed project.
Areas we can help progress your next project are:
Robust Governance.
With well-defined and robust governance in place, the project has specific guidance on protocols such as the responsibilities of delegated authority, a known valid escalation route for issues and processing of change requests. With good governance, confidence is imparted to your board of directors/trustees confirming that the investment in the project or programme is well managed.
Setting clear goals and objectives, as well as deadlines.
Taking into account your requirements, past experiences with project delivery, available (and adequate) funds/resources, we ensure that a realistic schedule ascertained from the outset.
Effective leadership.
A true definition of a successful leader is someone who has a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. A successful project manager possesses these skills and visualises the big picture associated with your project. They should convey your project’s deliverable effectively (the big picture) to the entire project team, answer any questions or concerns. By obtaining their buy-in, consolidating their understanding and start a two-way team dialogue, the team starts a project with strong foundations.
Assigning responsibilities.
Working collaboratively with all of the involved teams, setting clear and defined responsibilities is vital. We work to ensure all project members understand the programmes expectations and overall deliverable from them. A major part of everyone’s responsibilities is continuous two-way communications and reporting, allow detailed progress tracking against project commitments. Close progress tracking offers the best chance of spotting potential issues early enough before they negatively impact the project.
Conflict resolution.
When working with a group of people, regardless of size, conflict is inevitable (sad but true!). With our proactive approach, we aim to prevent or resolve conflict before it becomes a problem. Once again, having robust continuous two-way communication and reporting helps to maintain a cohesive team, reducing potential conflicts.
Coordinate people and processes.
To produce the desired result and inspire a sense of shared purpose within the project team, while encouraging personal growth. A good project team should be learning from each other, cross-training and stretching themselves whenever possible. A strong Project Manager should see where growth opportunities lie and capitalise on them.
Assist in defining milestones or iterations.
No matter the size of a project, there must be clear demarcation points (either milestones or iterations) within a planned delivery. These way-points are not always obvious, especially if you are in a rapid development delivery process. We can assist in defining the milestones, with clear objectives that must be accomplished for a milestone or iteration to be marked as complete.
Effective management of RAID log (risk register).
Irrespective of how good a project runs, risks are ever-present and left unmanaged, issues will occur. If the issue is significant, delivery is impacted, potentially with substantial time, resource and financial loses. The challenge is maintaining an accurate and meaningful risk register that all stakeholders have sight of and input too. We see this area of governance getting overlooked in later delivery stages, with risks that should have been mitigated ahead of time. Lack of ongoing care is a guaranteed way to lose control and allow risks to crystallise into issues. Our team can assist with this indispensable part of a project’s governance.
This is only an overview of what we can do to assist you, as there is much more to good governance. The key is getting the right level of balance – overall stringent governance vs. swift and effective delivery. That’s another piece we can help with!
What makes us different?
We lead each project with passion and dedication!
We treat each engagement as though it’s our business benefiting from the project’s output. Our flexible approach to implementing change ensures that innovative and original ideas are presented to you and tailored to your individual needs. We ensure that best practice PMO methodology (project management practices) is adhered to, and most importantly, we make sure that the planned tasks get actioned!
So, why not join their ranks and get that edge over your competitors?
Contact us now for an informal conversation and see if we can add value to your project's delivery?
Project Management Office (PMO)
In today's enterprise workplace, the PMO team act as the backbone of a successful project management approach and delivery.
They offer support and guidance to project teams and Project Managers, and they develop the right metrics on the practice of project management and its execution within an organisation. The main point of a PMO is to standardise project delivery practices and introduce economies of repetition throughout a project or programme implementation.
As you read this page, you might be asking yourself:
- “What will our company gain from having a successful and bespoke PMO?”
- “Isn’t this just process for process sake that will slow down our project delivery?”
- “This sounds like it will be costly to implement and unproductive at the same time?”
We’re sure that you have other questions too, but below are some of the main benefits that a PMO could bring to your business.
What are the benefits of having a dedicated PMO function available to your business?
- Governance – (a core benefit) as it makes sure that the right decisions are being made by the right people, based on the correct information. Good governance will free up a lot of lost time and energy of project managers and teams, allowing them to concentrate on the operational tasks. Part of the management includes auditing and peer reviews, assisting with developing a robust project structure and making sure there is accountability.
- Transparency – providing information that is relevant, up-to-date and accurate supports effective decision-making. By applying best practices and minimising errors, project risk is effectively managed, while optimising overall efficiency project.
- Repeatable – a library of information and proven processes gathered from previous projects. For example, lessons learned [so often ignored], persistent risks within your business, or known issues that must be avoided. Consistency of documentation, templates for reporting and best practices – why “reinvent the wheel” with each project?
- Delivery Support – to facilitate project teams and promote efficient information flow and communication not only across the project but the entire organisation. A PMO team can streamline process delivery and bureaucracy, offer training, mentoring and provide quality assurance. All critical pieces to ensure your projects are delivered on-time, in scope and within budget.
Setting up a robust PMO (Project Management Office) isn’t easy. It requires a solid understanding of your business, in combination with careful integration planning, so you get the maximum benefits.
- With our knowledge and capability, we can guide you through the process. At GKS Consultants, our team can assist with building up your PMO team and add value to your programmes and projects.
- Assist in working out the best method or methods that will increase your project throughout.
- Implement a standard methodology that fits your team’s capabilities and the business requirements.
- Introduce effective, repeatable project management processes.
- Assist in selecting supporting toolsets that work alongside your new delivery processes.
So, why not join their ranks and get that edge over your competitors?
Contact us now for an informal conversation and see if we can add value to your project's delivery?
A Project Management Office (PMO) is 'a group or department within a business, agency or enterprise that defines and maintains standards for project management within the organisation. The PMO strives to standardise and introduce economies of repetition in the execution of projects.'