Agile as a way to deliver projects, programs and portfolios (PPP) is gaining more and more popularity because of the inherent benefits. The PMOs that are supporting PPPs in an agile environment have to face a lot of challenges; however, the PMO needs to add value through building and designing services that are suited for such an environment.

The PMO has to play different roles in an uncertain environment to maximize the value it can deliver. For PMOs to support agile PPP, agile services requirements need to be gathered and services and capabilities should be particularly built and designed for an agile environment. This is an opportunity for PMOs to help build the knowledge and capability when faced with uncertainty.

This 1-day course covers how PMOs can start addressing the necessary challenges; particularly uncertainty and change, use different PMO roles to coach, train and advise to support organizational change, build the gaps in services and capabilities and add value to projects, programs and portfolios using agile methods.

• Project and program management professionals
• Senior management, IT managers, portfolio, program and PMO managers/directors and PMO core team members
• Consultants (involved in projects and/or organizational change)
• Those responsible to define and implement governance practices in the organization

• Understand the importance of PMOs supporting PPP using agile method, the challenges, and how PMOs can add value
• Understand what exactly is an agile environment, the principles and how to align them with your PMO principles to lead and support
• Learn how a PMO can add value using a framework approach to building and designing PMO services for an organization using agile methods across projects, programs and portfolios
• Identify and assess the various roles a PMO can have in organization using agile methods and how it can use those roles to support and advise efficiently and effectively
• Analyze PMO principles and assess how to define them for an agile environment

The training approach includes:

• Lecture
• Team exercises
• Group discussions on pertinent topics
• Presentations and role play
• Personal coaching (if time allows)

• Module 1: Introduction
• Module 2: Agile Environment
• Module 3: Agile Mindset to implement, Manage and Improve PMO Services
• Module 4: Value Management in an Agile Environment
• Module 5: Aligning PMOs to the Agile environment
• Module 6: Closing and Recap

What is Design Thinking:

Design thinking is a powerful process of problem solving that begins with understanding unmet customer needs. From that insight emerges a process for innovation that encompasses concept development, applied creativity, prototyping, and experimentation. When design thinking approaches are applied to business, the success rate for innovation improves substantially. (Management Executive Education, MIT University)

How it works?

In this one day practical workshop the participants will gain an understanding of the principles of Design Thinking, methods and tools to analyze the needs, developing prototypes, and generating ideas by following the five phases of Design Thinking, which are Empathies, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. They will learn that how to use the five phases are in sequential and in parallel and repeat iteratively approach. 

Participants will apply these methods in a small group leading by the coach. The workshop will focus on tangible learning process to solve a practical challenge.

Workshop Objective:

To give the participants hands-on experience to practice the  most modern and effective technique to help them solving complex problems, innovate collaboratively, and create holistic, sustainable solutions with a human-centered focus.

• Project and program management professionals
• Senior management, IT managers, portfolio, program and PMO managers/directors and PMO core team members
• Consultants (involved in projects and/or organizational change)
• Anyone in the project world that wants to know more about the Design Thinking Concept 

Design Thinking tackles complex problems by:

1. Empathizing: Understanding the stakeholders needs involved.
2. Defining: Re-framing and defining the PMO Services in human-centric ways.
3. Ideating: Creating many ideas in ideation sessions.
4. Prototyping: Adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping.
5. Testing: Developing a prototype/solution to the problem.

The training approach includes:

• Lecture
• Team exercises
• Group discussions on pertinent topics
• Presentations and role play
• Personal coaching (if time allows)

Module 1: Introduction

• Introduction to Innovative PMO
• Past, current and future challenges
• Design Thinking Areas of Impact
• Discussion

Module 2: What is Design Thinking? 

• Design Thinking in PMO Context.
• Design Thinking Process
• Examples of Design Thinking Projects
• Case Study.

Module 3: Why Design Thinking?        

• Design Thinking is for Everybody
• Design Thinking for Problem Solving
• Design Thinking for enhance or Initiate PMO Services.
• Case Study.

Module 4: Design thinking Steps      

• Understand
• Empathy
• Synthesis
• Ideation
• Prototyping
• Test

Module 5: Closing and Recap 

• Workshop Review
• How to apply what you learn on your current work.
• Q &A
• Closing