What is project management?
Project Management is the art and science of delivering projects by maintaining cost, scope, schedule and technical performance that satisfies stakeholder expectations while respecting internal and external constraints.
It is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge, and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters, where final deliverables are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.
Project Management Office (PMO)
Role of IT PMO
The IT Project Management Office (PMO) is committed to supporting and furthering project management practices to assist delivery teams in providing a high quality of work and service required of any McGill University endeavor.
The McGill IT Project Management Methodology defines the method and approach to IT project management at McGill. It is developed using a combination of experience gained by managing projects at McGill and other organizations, and on the internationally accepted standards for project management, such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) and their Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).
The IT PMO focuses on 3 levels of service:
Enable:
- Alignment with Strategic Planning 2020-2025 projects and upcoming initiatives, including roadmap and capacity planning review every 2 months
- Tools: create work management templates, adapt tools and software to create a repository of project data that results in better decision-making; procuring Project for the web licenses
- Governance and Reporting: Serve as the authority on IT Project Management methods and practices, support project reporting delivery to McGill stakeholders and provide project updates and reporting to the government entities
Support:
- Work execution: Facilitate and guide the project and managers in daily project management activities
- Coaching: Train project managers, thus increasing the value of the team’s skill set while also promoting project management best practices
Deliver:
- Projects: Strategic projects are delivered successfully under the direct management of an assigned project manager and assembled project team of subject matter experts and stakeholders.
Key PMO members
The Project Manager (PM) manages the delivery of a solution in accordance with the established scope, budget, timeline, and guidelines to achieve the intended business benefits. To accomplish this task, the PM collects, integrates, and presents information to stakeholders, facilitating informed and timely decisions regarding the scope, costs, and timeline of the project.
The Project Control Officer (PCO) assists with the coordination of projects and programs in addition to administrative duties within the PMO. PCOs are also key players in the compliance and reporting of our projects.
In supporting an IT project, these key PMO members collaborate with clients, sponsors, vendors and project teams to guide the work towards the project’s goal. These teams and individuals may belong to various departments, units, and sectors that come together to bring a project to completion.
To contact us: gcp.pmo [at] mcgill.ca
