People.

Documentation.

Good practice guidelines.

A methodology budget.

Guidance on the first three of these aspects can be provided in a methodology framework manual. Good practice guidelines cover aspects such as standards, style guide, use of methodology for the execution of projects, and so on everything that would have been done automatically for a waterfall approach and should not be forgotten just because a RAD method, for example, is being used.

Methodologies with poor maintainability characteristics are difficult to change and prone to operational problems and errors because they have an adverse effect on the budget. Conversely, methodologies with good maintainability characteristics are quicker and easier to change, are less likely to succumb to problems and errors, have longer lives, and make more effective use of available resources.

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The Project Office Influence

A project office can relieve a project or development manager of the details that can be obstacles to achieving success. It provides centralized management and coordination of multiple projects and resources, as well as establishes a project management culture. Further, a project office can serve as a center of excellence to provide quick and organized access to years of project best practices. Support is the most complex part of the rollout process. The project office must be able to keep track of the complete project portfolio. This includes the selection and prioritization of new projects coming into the organization, as well as cancellation of those that are not meeting the metrics set by the company executives. When a project is in trouble, executives do not want to hear about it only at the last moment. The project offices responsibility is, therefore, to provide a balance or checkpoint for all projects. Additionally, the management of the methodology pipeline is just one aspect of the project office.

Responsibilities of the Project Management Office (PMO)

The project office plays an important part in a methodology. The most logical choice to manage the methodology is the PMO. The relationship between the PMO and the project or development methodologies is shown by the following tasks, which become the responsibilities of the PMO:

Managing the portfolio of projects against the project framework and methodology.

Maintaining the project framework and methodology.

Ensuring that all projects are tracked and measured for performance.

Using tight internal controls to meet company goals and objectives.

Ensuring that best industry practices and standards are constantly applied.

Delegating responsibilities, which should be assigned for the duration of the project.

Participating in cross-functional activities such as QA, finance, and HR.

Monitoring, evaluating, and controlling progress in comparison to project plans.

Ensuring internal company processes are enhanced to support the project portfolio.

Support Tools and Techniques

The PMO supplies all the necessary tools and techniques for use by the company. It maintains the latest versions of these tools and ensures that the most efficient techniques are provided to the project managers working with the project methodology. Table 6.1 lists project support requirements.

Table 6.1: Project methodology support requirements

Documentation Supporting the Methodology

The saying goes that its not over until the paperwork is complete. Project documentation forms a crucial part of any project methodology. Each phase requires its own unique set of documentation, which should identify and capture the essence of the project. When a methodology does not have the correct types of documentation and they are inconsistent with the organizational objectives for managing projects, not only are they not used, but they most likely are completed incorrectly. Thus, the project office team has to ensure that the correct documentation is available to the people who use the methodology.

Cost of Supporting a Methdology

Nothing is free, not even maintaining project methodologies. In its simplest form, there may be minimal expenses if the methodology is relatively easy to use. If you have a complex SDLC or an iterative life cycle, the costs to support and maintain such methodologies rise incrementally. Either an internal department can maintain methodologies, or this support may be outsourced to an external vendor. In either case, it will cost you money.