For organizations that have either traditional cross-functional or departmental teams that are struggling to successfully plan and implement projects or that simply wish to take their project management capabilities to the next level, OEi is the partner you need. Additionally, individuals who are not professional project managers but whose jobs require them to periodically plan and manage projects will benefit from OEi’s proprietary Plan⇒Status⇒Solve™ methodology, which strips the complexity and mystery out of project management. Our consultants have the experience needed to expertly support both technical and non-technical PM functions via the services below:

• Project Management Activities Review

The best first step in improving an organization’s project management function is to evaluate the current state – what’s working and what’s not. OEi’s PM consultants will do a comprehensive evaluation of your organization’s project management activities, focusing on the success factors described in the PMO Establishment service description shown above. Upon completing this review, OEi will provide clear recommendations for how to optimize your PM function.

• Project Manager and Teams Capabilities Assessment

While having an effective project management structure, processes, protocols and systems is critical to success, the knowledge and competence of PM leaders and team members is no less so. To support the talent aspect of your project management function OEi will examine the effectiveness of the project managers and members using such methods as surveys, interviews, 360 assessments, document review, and observation of team meetings. Stemming from this examination will be a report that clearly identifies development needs and provides specific recommendations for meeting these needs (e.g., coaching, mentoring, training, etc.).

• PM Coaching & Mentoring

OEi’s consultants are ready to apply their expertise to reinforce the ability of your project managers to independently plan and lead organizational initiatives. Additionally, our consultants will coach and mentor not only project managers, but also individuals who are not professional project managers but whose jobs require them to periodically plan and manage projects. Development of full project teams is also provided.

• Plan⇒Status⇒Solve™ Methodology Training

Not everyone who finds themselves managing a project or participating on a project team has set-out for that to be the focus of their career. Aggravating this is the common methods used for guiding projects are often more complicated than is necessary to execute a good project.  OEi can help your organization simplify its PM activities through application of its proprietary Plan⇒Status⇒Solve™ methodology, which strips the complexity and mystery out of project management. This can be a powerful tool for improving the effectiveness of project managers and teams, as well as individuals who are not professional project managers whose jobs require them to periodically plan and manage projects. Even people who have spent months or years obtaining the popular PM certifications have learned to Plan⇒Status⇒Solve™  in two short days and proclaimed “I finally understand it!”

If much of the mission-critical work performed by your organization is done by cross-functional teams, then establishing a Program Management Office (PMO) may be what is needed to set the organization and its PM teams up for success. OEi can help you build the structure, processes, methodologies and governance systems needed for a smoothly-functioning PMO.

• PM Structure & Approach Development

OEi stands ready to help ensure that your organization’s PM function has the foundation needed for both immediate and long-term success. In partnership with you, our consultants will examine the unique characteristics and PM objectives of your organization and identify the PM structure, governance and approach that best fits its needs. Among the considerations examined are: whether PM outputs are external/customer-facing or focus on internal capacity building or continuous improvement, implications of a centralized vs. decentralized PM structure, and the level of responsibility and authority required or expected of PM leadership.

• PM Methodology Design

Having a methodology that is a fit to the work done by your PM teams is a key determinant of PM success. OEi’s deeply experienced PM consultants will examine such considerations as: industry or product specific requirements, whether your organization will have dedicated vs. shared PM resources, and the need for speed in PM work. Based on such considerations our consultants will ensure that your teams are equipped with right-fit PM methods – be that Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, or other methods such as OEi’s proprietary Plan⇒Status⇒Solve™ methodology, which strips the complexity and mystery out of project management.

• PM System & Tools

OEi’s PM specialists can assist your organization in selecting the PM systems and tools required to optimize this critical function, considering such factors as: size, scope and complexity of the organization’s PM function; need for on-line collaboration; needs related to project resource tracking and forecasting; and the benefit of the PM system to integrate with other organizational systems.

• PM Status & Escalation Protocols

Even the best-planned projects encounter barriers. The key to ensuring that barriers are quickly and successfully resolved is to have effective PM status and escalation protocols in place. OEi consultants will design the right protocols for your PM function, considering such factors as: the typical duration of projects, how rapidly project status changes, what hierarchical levels are involved in project reviews, whether project teams are cross-functional, and problem solving approaches used in the organization/PM function.

• PM Communication / Reporting

Often organizations do not consider project managers to be members of their leadership team, and do not make available to them the mechanisms and skill building resources provided to other management personnel. OEi will help you ensure that your project managers are equipped with the mechanisms needed to establish and maintain effective, on-going communications with their teams, their customers, and appropriate levels of organizational leadership.

If your organization has an urgent or short-term need for Project Management resources, OEi is able to meet this need. Our project management experts have over 20 years of experience planning and leading highly complex projects in a wide variety of environments, including highly-regulated industries. They are proven leaders of functional and cross-functional teams, possess a unique ability to translate strategic business needs into tactical plans, and have an excellent track record of identifying and managing to key metrics that drive high quality, on-time and on-budget project performance. They are also adept in a wide variety of project management methodologies and change management strategies, enabling them to adapt to your organization’s PM approach.

Specifically, our consultants have experience leading Product and Service Development projects, including hardware, software, firmware, Web app, IT infrastructure & application deployment in both highly regulated and non-regulated environments. Team sizes have ranged from 5-20 resources with budgets up to $87M, and often dispersed across several continents & countries (Japan, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, US, Canada, and Mexico).