Welcome to Foundationville: The Start of Your PMO Transformation
Foundationville is the crucial second stage of your PMO transformation, designed to establish a solid training foundation and reporting capabilities. Here, you’ll:
- Key/Experienced Project Managers validate Scheduling Training meets the needs for organization scaling including:
- Dynamic Scheduling
- Resource Demand Management
- Issue/Risk management
- Develop custom reports for portfolio, program, and project-level insights
Create a Foundation for consistent project management practices to roll out across your organization
Benefits
- New Skills Acquisition: Key/Experienced Project Managers gain proficiency in a new software solution and approach, expanding their project management capabilities.
- Enhanced Efficiency: Learn to perform project updates quickly and easily, with instant results visible in the new system.
- Improved Communication: Develop skills to communicate project status and issues more effectively using the new tools and reports.
- Feedback Loop Creation: Establish a process for top PMs to provide valuable input, shaping the training for broader rollout.
- Early Adoption Advantage: Key PMs become early adopters, positioning them as internal champions for the new system.
- Customized Learning: Opportunity to tailor the training to your organization’s specific needs before full implementation.
- Foundation for Standardization: Begin laying the groundwork for consistent project management practices across the organization.
Major Deliverables
Foundations Tech (Training): A comprehensive training program for top Project Managers, covering:
- Dynamic Scheduling
- Resource Demand Management
- Communication and Collaboration
- Issue/Risk Management
- Feedback collection for training refinement
- Preparation of final training program for all PMs
First Look Observatory (Reporting): A suite of reports that:
- Showcase the impact of Foundations Tech training
- Offer real-time insights into project management practices
- Highlight areas for improvement
- Evolve based on top PM feedback and usage
What’s Included
- All deliverables from Demoland package
- Training development guidance based on the Navigating Enterprise Projects: Course Syllabus
- Report customization recommendations
- Senior PM feedback process outline
- All Compass Edition Deliverables
- Training for Key/Experienced PMs:
- Choice of OnDemand, Virtual, or In-person training sessions
- Comprehensive coverage of new software solution and approach
- Advanced Admin Training: Choice of OnDemand, Virtual or In-Person Training building upon Demoland training
- Report Developer Training:
- Choice of OnDemand, Virtual, or In-person training sessions for adding and customizing reports
- Can be taken by admins if they’re handling reporting duties
- Customized reports providing visibility from Portfolio down to Project level with traceability to task and assignments as recommended in the Overall Reporting Recommendations (PDF)
- All Atlas Edition Deliverables
- Fully Managed Implementation:
- Our experts handle all aspects of system setup and configuration
- Customization of the solution to match your unique workflows and processes
- Tailored Training Delivery:
- We conduct all training sessions (in-person or virtual) for Key/Experienced PMs, Admins, and Report Developers
- Real-time adaptation of training content based on participant feedback
- Comprehensive Reporting Setup:
- Our team develops and implements all required reports as per the Overall Reporting Recommendations
- Customization of reports to match your organization’s specific KPIs and metrics
- Feedback Collection and Training Refinement:
- We manage the process of gathering feedback from Key/Experienced PMs
- Our experts refine and update the training materials based on collected feedback
- Full Project Management:
- Dedicated project manager to oversee the entire Foundationville implementation
- Regular status updates and stakeholder communications
- Ongoing Support and Optimization:
- Continuous support throughout the Foundationville phase
- Proactive system optimization based on usage patterns and feedback
Prerequisites
- Ensure your chosen solution meets at least 90% of the Solution Validation Criteria
- Have necessary licenses for Senior PMs to undergo training
- Prepare resources for training development as per the Navigating Enterprise Projects: Course Syllabus
- Designate Senior PMs to take and provide feedback on the initial training
- Have report developers and application administrators ready for customization
With these prerequisites in place, you’re ready to begin your Foundationville journey. Let’s look at typical timeframes for implementation across different editions.
Typical Timeframes
Compass Edition: 3-6 months
Atlas Edition: 6-12 weeks
GPS Edition: 3-6 weeks
Understanding these timeframes helps in planning your PMO transformation. Next, let’s explore recommendations for a successful adoption strategy.
Recommendations/Adoption Strategy
Internal Focus:
- Keep initial activities within the PMO and key stakeholders
- Avoid widespread publicity until training is refined and validated
Incremental Training Approach:
- Begin with Key/Experienced Project Managers
- Actively solicit and incorporate their feedback to refine the training
- Utilize insights from the First Look Observatory reports to further improve content
Continuous Improvement:
- Finalize the training program based on all feedback before full rollout
- Prepare for broader implementation in Project Manager Center
Edition-Specific Considerations:
- Atlas Edition: Leverage OnDemand training courses for efficient implementation
- GPS Edition: Utilize our expert guidance for faster, customized implementation
Change Management:
- Prepare communication strategy for eventual organization-wide rollout
- Identify potential champions among Key/Experienced PMs for future phases
These strategies will guide you through the Foundationville phase. Now, let’s review the templates available to support your implementation.
Templates
Compass Edition:
- All templates provided in Demoland package (no additional templates for Foundationville)
Atlas/GPS Editions:
- Project Manager Training Schedule Template
- Admin Configurations Template
With these templates as a foundation, these are our recommended key participants in the Foundationville.
Participants
- Key/Experienced Project Managers
- PMO Leadership
- Selected Application Admin(s)
- Selected Reporting Developer(s)
These participants will play crucial roles in your PMO transformation. To measure success, consider the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
KPIs
- Training Completion Rate: Percentage of Key/Experienced PMs who have completed the training program
- Training Schedule Quality: Measure of how closely PM-created schedules adhere to training directions (Atlas/GPS editions provide specific reports for this)
- Post-Training Performance: Evaluation of PMs’ real-life schedules, focusing on:
- Schedule Timeliness: How recently the schedules were updated
- Task Status Accuracy: Timely updating of task completions and in-progress work
- Baseline Adherence: Degree of variance from the original baseline
(Measured through First Look Observatory reports in Atlas/GPS editions) Tracking these KPIs will help you gauge the effectiveness of your Foundationville implementation. As you progress, keep in mind the next steps in your PMO journey.
Next Steps
After completing Foundationville:
- Refine training materials based on Key/Experienced PM feedback
- Prepare for broader rollout in Project Manager Center
- Begin planning for organization-wide communication strategy
Finally, let’s review the support options available to assist you through this crucial phase.
Support Options
Compass Edition:
- Not as part of Free Compass Edition
- Support contracts available
Atlas/GPS Editions:
- Dedicated or as-needed support available
- Regular check-in calls with our implementation team
Are you Ready to Start?
Download The Ultimate PMO Roadmap now and you’ll be able to start in minutes.