11SIMPLIFY: BUILDING THE DEPARTMENT OF SIMPLICITY
“Our enemy is not the competition; it is unnecessary complexity in our processes.”
CEO of a Global Conglomerate
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Antoine de Saint Exupery
“The problem is one of perception. Most of the processes do not take that long to do,” David tried to explain, “those that do are intended to provide information required to think through the project before committing resources or changing course.” Ironically, the stakeholders of his PMO thought otherwise, and a few months after, I was not surprised to hear that his organization had reduced the role and nearly disbanded the PMO.
What comes to mind when you hear the term PMO? If you think of more work, documentation, processes, and red tape, you are not alone. In a survey by the Projectize Group, 78 percent perceived their PMOs as bureaucratic. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language defines bureaucracy as “an administrative system in which the need or inclination to follow rigid or complex procedures impedes effective action.” Bureaucracy is a critical ...
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