I often hear of organizations having many reasons, in my opinion excuses, for not implementing project portfolio management (PPM) software. Typically the view is very myopic because they truly do not understand the value and the cost savings that PPM can provide. I have compiled a list of the top 5 excuses that I hear from top-level management and PMOs. Don’t be a victim, take action.
No Budget
This is by far the biggest excuse in the book. Most organizations I talk to decide not to pursue PPM because they think it is too expensive. What they do not realize PPM software is a fraction of the cost that most organizations spend on wasted efforts:
- How many pet or unapproved projects are team members working on?
- How sure are you that your resources are working on the right projects?
- Are you aligned to the strategic initiatives of the company?
- Do you have the bandwidth or capacity to take on more projects?
- How many of your projects are actually on-budget and on-time?
PPM will help you answer these questions and more. By spending a little on PPM software, organizations will have a clearer understand of what is being worked on and by whom – ultimately saving money. Yes, that is right, PPM will save you money and for most it is a lot of money.
I’m Too Busy
Nothing worth doing is easy or simple. Yes, there is effort involved in getting a PPM tool up and running. You will have challenges and you will be busy. The question to ask yourself is why are you so busy now? Is it because you are working on projects or initiatives that are urgent, but not important? Or how about important, but not urgent? Are you working on projects that could be pushed out or even eliminated? The key is to be busy working on projects that are urgent, important, and adding value. With PPM you can score, prioritize and approve the projects that are aligned with the organizational goals, but more importantly approve the projects that you actually have resource capacity to execute. Taking a little time to get educated about PPM and embarking on some minor change management could help you become less busy. If not less busy, at least you will have the confidence that you are working on valuable projects and not running around like a chicken with its head cutoff.
We Are Not Mature Enough
There is no organization in world that does not need to prioritize, align, and successfully execute projects. Whether you are an IT group of 10 resources or a mature PMO within a large organization, PPM will provide ROI for your organization. The key is to understand where your pain points are and start there. Are you looking for a better way to prioritize projects? Maybe you are simply looking for visibility to understand where your resources are spending their time? Or, most commonly, you are simply looking for a better way to manage your resource pool. The key is to have a crawl, walk, run approach to implementing PPM within your organization. Start by focusing on one or two areas that need improvement and then work your way into more advanced functionality and processes. If you believe that you are not mature enough, then you are kidding yourself and have not taken the time to learn about PPM best practices.
My Manager / Executives Will Never Go For It
Are you saying that your management does not care to increase ROI, save money, and have more projects executed on time? Thought so. Take a leadership stance and create urgency within your organization. PPM solutions have several key benefits and once you are able to communicate these, then any smart, intelligent executive will have to agree. If not, then you are not working in an organization that has the foresight and passion to do better. At a high level, PPM solutions will provide the following benefits:
- Visibility For Better Decision Making & Communication
- Improve Business Alignment To Create More Value
- Proactively Allocate Resources Effectively
- Measure, Manage, Track and Trace All Work & Resources
- Improve Execution – Across Your Entire Portfolio
Start by having the conversation about “why” PPM matters (hint, hint, see above) and then start to discuss the “how” and “what.” If you start your discussions with “how” the implementation or adoption will go or “what” product you need to buy, then you are headed for a losing battle. Executives and management need to understand “why” first – start with the value, and then follow with how you will get it done, and then end with the tool or solutions that you need to buy.
Too Hard / Difficult
Last I checked, you were a project management professional. When was the last time you had an “easy” project or a “perfectly” functioning team? As project manager, CIO, PMO, or IT manager you are wired to take on challenges, take on difficult tasks, and herd the cats in the organization. Challenge the status quo of mediocrity and help improve your organization. It is very easy to sit back and hide in your organization, but if you are really passionate about increasing resource efficiency and holding people accountable for their work, then PPM is a battle worth fighting.
Ultimately, I agree that getting an organization behind a new initiative is not going to happen overnight or be simple. If you need additional help, download this whitepaper to learn How to Build a Business Case for PPM.
