The Glue That Binds–PMO

It’s simple. Project management is the glue that binds an organization together. Fosters teamwork. Builds relationships and realizes cost savings. And, importantly, a PMO ensures that each project aligns with an institution’s mission, vision, and strategy.

For UMass Boston’s new vice chancellor and CIO, Raymond Lefebvre, creating a formal Project Management Office (PMO) was a top priority when he started at UMass Boston in June 2019. Today, Terence Phalen, appointed director of the PMO, embraces all the challenges that come with the job.

“Before creating the PMO, project requests came from an email, a casual conversation, a walk down the hallway,” said Phalen. “Since creating the PMO, our focus is to introduce project management’s ‘best practices’ to better manage how projects are requested, prioritized, and approved through the development and implementation of formal project management business processes and documentation.”

Managing work better means “full transparency—prioritizing requests, tracking each phase of the project, outlining project scope and deliverables, and producing weekly status reports for project executives and stakeholders.” said Phalen. “If managed successfully, each project is implemented in the most efficient and effective manner, ensuring the overall project is delivered on schedule and meeting the expectations of the sponsor.”

This process—and its transparency—goes a long way to building and nurturing relationships and, in the end, is crucial to producing results, driving innovation, and supporting business strategy.