One way to incorporate your IT-business alignment strategies into a single organizational effort is to introduce them as part of a project management office (PMO) initiative. When a 2004 survey conducted by Developer.com asked more than 1,000 CIOs to describe a key benefit of a PMO, 82% listed closer alignment with the business, and 72% listed increased IT credibility.
Here are some of the things an effective PMO can do for your projects and your company:
- Standardize cross-departmental processes.
- Align IT and business objectives.
- Establish a cross-departmental rewards system.
- Ensure consistent access to decision-makers and resources.
- Transfer knowledge.
- Improve cross-departmental lines of communication.
- Improve project standards.
- Provide continual education, communication and mentorship.
- Centralize project oversight and reduce disarray.
- Improve business integration.
- Leverage project management experience.
- Achieve business objectives.
Kinsey has more than 15 years of software engineering management experience in a variety of industries. He teaches Internet business and technology at the University of California, Berkeley, and project management for the operational management department at the University of Southern California.