Remember the simpler times when all you had to do to initiate a project at work was send an email to a few people? You might not have even thought of those endeavors as projects. They were simply the tasks you needed to complete to keep the lights on. You had no choice but to deliver. That was life before PPM for the enterprise.
Things are different now. You juggle a variety of projects and even have the luxury of putting some on the back burner. While that might mean that your business is more complex than it used to be, it also doesn’t have to usher in chaos. Defining, implementing, and refining PPM for enterprise-level projects will help keep your organization agile, efficient, and focused on initiatives that align with your long-term goals.
Defining Traditional PPM
Project portfolio management (PPM) gives project management offices (PMOs) a higher-level view of how individual projects affect a department or small organization. PPM and PPM software help PMO employees select, implement, and analyze simultaneous projects. They also ensure that project and department managers have the resources, time, and collaborative capabilities to execute values-aligned initiatives.
PPM for Enterprise Businesses
As businesses grow and scale, they typically establish discrete departments to maintain operational efficiency. While there are benefits to integrating departmental functions at some level, these silos often develop organically and can strengthen the organization by creating synergy.
A common challenge that arises when companies grow and gain departments is keeping projects efficient and aligned with enterprise-level objectives. In those circumstances, you need more than just PPM teams—you need a portfolio manager for all the project portfolios. More precisely, you need enterprise project portfolio management for robust project analysis and collaboration to ensure each project follows True North.
PPM for Enterprise vs. Small Teams: Differences to Consider
One major difference between PPM for enterprises and PPM for smaller teams is the technology needs. For instance, investigating a particular project’s resource needs may not require as much communication if the project only involves a particular department. PPM software is still important in this context, but it becomes even more critical when multiple departments and C-suite executives are involved. Otherwise, clear and concise communication and data retrieval becomes more difficult.
A related consideration is the importance of clearly defined roles for each team member. Project managers need clarification when they need to start interacting with project portfolio managers, who need clarification on what enterprise PPM managers need from them. Without thoughtfully separating employees and departments into roles that make the most sense for them, you risk putting too much on one worker’s plate while not giving another worker enough to do. Furthermore, you might create functional redundancies, which are not a recipe for efficiency.
EPPM & PPM Share Goals but Differ in Execution
If your company already has a PPM office, you’re well on your way to implementing an EPPM office. You’ve likely gained competencies in selecting projects that make sense for your company, prioritizing the most urgent ones, efficiently allocating resources, and gathering important data to inform future decisions.
Bumping your PPM outfit to the enterprise level requires the right tools and approach. Stick to the processes that have been working for you. But, ensure they will continue to make sense after you scale up. Talk to your PPM managers and department heads about sharing important information so transparency is never an issue. Above all else, you should help set the tone for the company’s future. Culture is a learned behavior.
Sciforma Builds the Foundation for PPM for Enterprise Businesses
You worked long and hard to develop a PPM office and strategy that delivers high ROI for your company. The time has come again for you to scale up, and you deserve software that supports your mission. Sciforma’s enterprise PPM software allows you to keep what works while helping you integrate company-wide objectives into each project portfolio.
Our software is easy to implement and works out of the box. All that’s left for you to do is make it work for you. Book a demo with us today to learn more about how Sciforma’s tech solutions adapt to fit your needs by booking a demo with us today.