Just in Time: Project and Program Management Made in America … Expertly

April 9, 2020 | by Bruce Miller

One of the questions that often comes up in RFPs is whether PM Solutions’ PMaaS service offering includes an offshore component.  Although we have served clients around the globe with consulting and training solutions, we prefer to deploy our own home-grown project management resources. Not only does this sidestep a variety of security issues--particularly important as the shift to virtual work creates a slew of new cybersecurity challenges--but with 25 years of developing and recruiting skilled personnel, we feel that our US-based staff are best qualified to meet our clients’ needs. Among the roles and skills at our command we include:

Program Managers - The program manager manages complex, strategic programs that span organizational boundaries, managing multiple high-risk projects, including projects involving external vendors across multiple business units and locations. PM Solutions’ Program Managers have:

• 5-10 years’ program management experience with large, complex projects and management of distributed project teams
• PMP^®, industry-specific certification such as Agile or Scrum or equivalent experience

Project Managers - The project manager manages cross-functional teams responsible for delivering projects on time, within budget and with quality results. Project Managers plan, organize, monitor, and oversee one or more projects and project teams to meet specific requirements or business objectives. PM Solutions’ Project Managers have:

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
• 2-5 years’ experience with PM methodologies, techniques, and tools.
• PMP^® and/or industry-specific certification such as Agile or Scrum or equivalent experience

Project Controllers - Project Controllers have the primary responsibility of tracking enterprise or divisional program and project performance against budgets, plans and schedules. Their primary area of responsibility is managing the integration of multiple programs and/or projects; providing data, analysis, and reporting to program or project managers and management. PM Solutions’ Project Controllers have:

• Proficiency with PPM and/or Project Management software and tools
• 3-10 years’ experience in planning, scheduling and controls
• Experience supporting multiple programs either onsite or remotely
• PMP^® or certification in cost and schedule management  

Project Planners/Schedulers - Planner/Schedulers assist Project Managers by developing, analyzing, and managing project plans and schedules, and resource forecasts. The planner/scheduler expedites information from employees from throughout the company to develop, update, and monitor detailed project plans for all tasks, durations, resources, and the critical path. PM Solutions’ Project Planners/Schedulers have:

• Strong communication skills
• Proficiency with Project Management software and tools
• Experience supporting one or more projects either onsite or remotely
• 2-5 years’ project planning and scheduling experience

Project Controllers and Project Planner/Schedulers are very experienced project management team members and successfully support projects both onsite and remotely. Project Controllers and Project Planner/Schedulers can support project teams full-time onsite or, as it makes sense for each initiative, support multiple project teams up to 100% remotely. As we noted in a previous blog, when making the shift to working virtually, it helps to have a partner who is already experienced in this mode.

Our focus on providing remote service by skilled Controllers and Planners/Schedulers actually predates the popular use of the term “PMaaS” by over a decade! Our CEO, Kent Crawford, coined the term "Remote Controls" years ago; in this and many other areas of project management, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve. We feel confident that, once organizations experience the efficiency and cost savings of managing projects and programs virtually, they may find that what has begun as an emergency measure is here to stay.

Subcontractors: Yes, But

We periodically broaden our team with project management professionals from the subcontracting marketplace, when needed, based upon specific experience, skillsets and geographic requirements of our clients. Currently ten percent of PM Solutions’ project management resources are sub-contracting partners. 

We apply the same rigorous search, interviewing, and screening process for sub-contracting partners as we do for all our full-time hires.  This process includes sourcing candidates from our strong project management network, conducting an initial human resources interview for strength of interpersonal skills and initial fit against requirements, conducting a second level technical screen for depth and breadth of project management and client required specific knowledge, skills and abilities by a seasoned member of our consulting team, speaking with references and reviewing representative work products and, lastly, performing background and reference checks for all candidates.

PM Solutions takes on staff augmentation activities to allow the client’s staff to re-prioritize their time and focus on other core PMO activities.  PM Solutions’ PMaaMS resource processes include:

• Alignment and Proof of Concept Design
• Intake Screening and Selection
• Initial Onboarding
• Demand and Capacity Planning
• Account Management
• Ongoing Project Management Learning Opportunities
• Resource Offboarding

In our experience, organizations often do not allow enough collaborative time at the beginning of the PMaaS arrangement to allow PM Solutions to assimilate, understand, and adapt to the organization’s culture, making their PM approach our own so that each project management resource who provides services to the client is fully prepared for success after completing the onboarding process.  The clearer and more specific requirements we have for each project management position, the better the fit, likelihood for success and greater customer satisfaction with our project management team.

Our PMaaS approach is to plan and take proactive action whenever possible.  This includes mutually agreeing on key characteristics of what will make successful project management resources within the client’s environment.  These characteristics include not only PMP® and Agile credentials, experience and specific technical skills required within the client’s environment, but leadership style and interpersonal skills that will fit within the company culture.  By agreeing in advance to key attributes and characteristics of the ideal project management resources, PM Solutions proactively identifies our team, builds a local queue of qualified project management candidates based upon anticipated peaks and valleys of demand for project resources, and conducts on-boarding so that we are as ready as we can be when additional project management resource needs arise.  As an example, for a leading insurance company, PM Solutions ramped up from three to forty qualified project managers and project management specialists in a similar PMaaS within a twelve-month time period.

Read more about similar case studies here.

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