Change is not new to the Insurance & Financial Services industry but consumer demand for the pace of change is unprecedented, fuelled by a combination of new digital technologies, social media, and the ever improving user experience offered by digital natives and start-ups. In this ‘Digital Age’, digital natives and start-ups find this environment natural[…]
One of the most common problems I encounter when coaching clients in effective change management is how to be more productive. There is a wealth of advice out there on tools and software and process, but for the harassed individual it often boils down to how they can increase their own personal effectiveness, and be[…]
Question I work in the power generation sector. I’ve already got more than enough work on my plate, and now I’ve been asked to take on the role of ‘Accountable Executive’ for a big project in the Operations area of the business! I don’t even know what that job title means, and even more confusingly, my[…]
At CITI, we have seen with many clients, over many years, the impact of poor or even absent project sponsorship. These are the top ten factors for project failure (source: Gartner Group): Project sponsor not committed to the objective Project not aligned to the strategic vision of the company Projects are started for the wrong[…]
Question Our PMO seems more interested in policing my projects than in providing useful help. They are always asking for updates against standard templates and exception reports but when we ask them for assistance e.g. development support, specialist advice or to organise facilities for us they simply refuse. Why is this the case and what[…]
To see ourselves as other see us – Robbie Burns 1786 (part two) As is nearly always the case, some very interesting observations arose from a recent workshop conducted at one of CITI’s periodic Coffee Club meetings. The fundamental question was; are PMOs seen as allies or adversaries? Five discrete sub-questions, which could be scored[…]
To see ourselves as other see us – Robbie Burns 1786 (part one) People’s perceptions of what they do are often at odds with their actual behaviour; in psychology the subject of cognitive dissonance, reality not corresponding to expectations, is a rich vein of study and one classic response to cognitive dissonance is rationalisation. Fitting[…]
Thoughtfulness in management There is an old anecdote, probably apocryphal, of the manager who enters the office to see all his reports diligently bent over their work with the exception of one; who is staring into space. “What are you doing?” demands the manager “thinking” replies the hapless worker. “Well stop it and get on[…]
The value of a bit of ‘navel gazing’ As usual the centres of excellence club, a periodic event chaired by CITI and hosted by a ‘blue chip’ organisation, proved the value of taking a few moment to step off the treadmill of daily activities and reflect on what we’re doing and why. PMOs were the[…]
CofEe Club 36 – The evolution of the PMO The 36th Centre of Excellence meeting was held at Aviva’s headquarters in St Helen’s, Undershaft and had as its theme The evolution of the PMO. The value a PMO brings to an organisation tends to be viewed differently depending on its function and positional perspective. This[…]