Scope Management Plan (SMP)

Page 3 | © 2016 Project Management Solutions, Inc. (www.pmsolutions.com)

By December 2015, the EPMO was fully

established and the company had the

confidence to undertake the largest

project in its history, according to First

Bank executives.

“I like to think of this engagement as

‘privately held bank with strong values

seeks consulting partner with same.’ It

was imperative that we considered the

values of the organization as we drove

toward results.”

– Roger Bryson, Practice Director, PM

Solutions, Consulting

For this privately held financial services company, a compelling

journey of business transformation started with a good read.

The bank, which operates over 100 branch offices in three states, found itself

at a crossroads. Having spent significant time creating a good strategic plan for

the bank, they wanted to improve execution and delivery. Executive leadership

recognized the effectiveness of aligning projects and strategy; and realized that

the company’s existing project management processes were ad hoc and

inconsistent across IT and business projects.

The company had begun the process of building an Enterprise Project

Management Office (EPMO) and there was energy, support, and sponsorship for

the potential value that an EPMO could deliver. However, initial attempts to get

this organizational transformation program off the ground had faltered.

One of the executive team had read J. Kent Crawford’s book, The Strategic Project Office, which outlines plans to build an Enterprise

Project Management Office. Initially, the bank reached out to PM College in early 2015, with the thought of developing the skills first,

then working toward the structure and methodology. But as the PM College business development representative listened, she realized

that, in order to fully realize the benefits of the training, the bank needed to first create the structure and processes that would give

newly trained project managers the tools to succeed. She took the bank’s overview of their issues to her PM Solutions consulting

colleagues and enlisted their help to frame the problem and its solution.

As a result of those conversations, the company engaged a PM Solutions managing

consultant to advance the effectiveness of the EPMO and related disciplines. The

company identified four key challenges with respect to advancing the EPMO and

associated strategic capabilities:

» Clearly defining pragmatic scope, objectives, and role expectations for the EPMO

» Enabling effective delivery of large projects » Developing organizational capability in project management methods » Providing executive level education to effectively support project

management methods.

CASE STUDY: First Bank

Transformative Leadership Sets a Financial Services

Enterprise PMO on the Fast Track to Strategic Value

Establish foundational capabilities in

project and portfolio management

Launch an Enterprise PMO to link strategy

to execution

Create the momentum that set the

organization on a course for cultural

change.

In a matter of weeks, PM Solutions partnered with

the bank to:

Page 3 | © 2016 Project Management Solutions, Inc. (www.pmsolutions.com)

Bringing in an expert was viewed as the key factor in accelerating the adoption of the EPMO in the minimum amount of time. The

managing consultant quickly established a strong partnership with the new EPMO director. Some of the solutions agreed upon included:

» Partnered to develop a roadmap for EPMO formation, while coaching and mentoring the EPMO team to drive ongoing results. Create a charter and executive steering committee to guide the evolution of a strategic EPMO.

» Conduct Discovery—a process of stakeholder interviews and process mapping—to identify gaps and develop a roadmap to drive subsequent capability improvement.

» Initiate capability improvement efforts based on the roadmap. Where practical, capability improvements were initiated in parallel with roadmap completion.

The managing consultant did not just advise, but also worked hands-on to help accomplish the company’s goals. She accommodated the

bank’s need for urgency by accelerating the Discovery process; which meant that a roadmap for the initiative was in place in half the

time originally planned, allowing the company to move more rapidly into delivery and results.

Project management and project portfolio management (PPM) methodologies were developed, and workshops on the methodology

carried out. An EPMO organizational structure was established, along with role and responsibility definitions and a management

framework.

In addition, the managing consultant conducted a Project HealthCheck on a major

at-risk project and made recommendations to correct the course of the project.

Utilizing the new methodology, this allowed the company to see how a critical

project turnaround could be achieved. The intervention was successful, resulting in

a de-scoping of the project and significant cost savings.

Making Change Welcome

The bank was determined to empower and develop an internal team and make them an integral part of the transformation process. In

alignment with their corporate values, they needed a partner who would implement organization change with them … not for them.

Also in keeping with their culture, it was important for them to enlist their team in shaping and driving the change. The EPMO director

was identified from within the company; an accomplished business leader with a strong process orientation, she readily accepted the

opportunity. Other EPMO roles were similarly filled from promising individuals within the bank. Collectively executives worked to

promote the attitude “let’s get on with change!”

Executives and the managing consultant agreed that the No. 1 priority was doing the right projects, so strategic alignment was a first

step. The PM Solutions consultant helped to identify the portfolio and classify projects, developing a clear list of active and pending

projects and a portfolio process that spelled out how to intake new projects, prioritize, and manage the portfolio. Methodology was

scaled down for quick adoption and staff was coached on necessary behaviors and knowledge. The theme was to promote enterprise

capability first, and project problem solving later.

The methodology was piloted on several projects, across the bank in different departments and different phases of implementation,

from initiation to closure. This varied population of projects ensured that the methodology would be fully tested. The feedback from this

pilot was very positive. Meetings were also held where people could discuss and make suggestions. In addition, training sessions were

conducted for project managers and other key leaders to accelerate adoption.

As a result of the successful pilot efforts, the bank announced that it was standardizing the methodology across the enterprise.

“The theme was to promote enterprise

capability first, and project problem solving

later.”

Page 3 | © 2016 Project Management Solutions, Inc. (www.pmsolutions.com)

» De-scoped a major project using the new project management methodology, allowing the company to spell out

immediate possible achievements

» Guided the enterprise-wide development of a project management culture, a significant organizational change

» Stronger partnership with business leaders and transparency of Project Inventory and Status

» Prioritization of project selection and timing including the declination of projects that did not meet strategic objectives

» 40% improvement in closing projects during first 6 months of EPMO.

Training for the Future

Concurrently with the consulting, PM College provided training that was aimed at culture change, beginning with PM for Executives, and

Project Management Essentials (PME). Multi-level training was targeted for top executives, functional managers, and the core team of

project managers with the goal of building executive sponsorship skills and establishing consistency of language and process at all levels

of the organization.

By March 2016, the organization launched the largest project in its history. The

EPMO’s project management framework and governance provided the Bank’s

leadership confidence that the project would be successful. Further training was

planned to supplement and support the efforts of the project managers to this

initiative. Business managers and key individuals assigned to the project were

provided with the Project Management Essentials course along with Strategies for

Effective Stakeholder Management. In addition, executive leaders participated in

the PM for Sponsors training, preparing them to work with project managers, ask

the right questions, and understand the process. Coaching and mentoring

continues to be delivered to the team of project managers to support their

leadership development.

The Partnership Difference

The consulting engagement lasted just 16 weeks; and all parties agreed that the momentum established in that brief time was

“astounding.” Training, consulting and mentoring continue as project management becomes fully institutionalized across the business.

This cross-pollination of consulting and training was the key to a holistic approach of driving culture change, in which the communication

style, deliverables, and process synched to the bank’s most pressing strategic objectives. Executives and PM Solutions representatives

agreed that the success of the project was attributable to the involvement of senior executives, paired with a consultative approach that

melded with the bank’s values: putting employees first and prioritizing “doing the right thing” over lower-level tactical solutions.

Combining agility in responding to operational needs with a right-sized methodology and an EPMO that hit the ground running, the bank

faces the future with the structure and tools it needs to engage employees, execute strategic projects, and support continuous

improvement.

Establish EPMO and mentor leader

Develop and implement foundational PM

and PPM processes and methodology

Identify training needs and deliver training

and mentoring

Project Health Check Assessment and

recommendations

Establish roadmap for ongoing capability

improvement.

Services Rendered

Business Impacts