Another problem in most organizations is not having standards or guidelines to follow that could help in performing project management. These standards or guidelines might be as simple as providing standard forms or templates for common project documents, examples of good project management plans, or guidelines on how the project manager should provide status information to top management.
The content of a project management plan and how to provide status information might seem like common sense to senior managers, but many new information technology project managers have never created plans or given a non-technical status report. Top management must support the development of these standards and guidelines and encourage or even enforce their use. For example, an organization might require all potential project information in a standard format to make project portfolio management decisions.
If a project manager does not submit a potential project in the proper format, it could be rejected. As described in Chapter 1, some organizations invest heavily in project management by creating a project management office or center of excellence, an organizational entity created to assist project managers in achieving project goals and maintaining project governance.
Finally
Rachel Hollstadt, founder and CEO of a project management consulting firm, suggests that organizations consider adding a new position, a Chief Project Officer (CPO). Some organizations develop career paths for project managers. Some require that all project managers have Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and that all 56 Chapter 2 employees have some type of project management training. The implementation of all of these standards demonstrates an organization s commitment to project management.
