There seem to be a couple of immutable truths in the PMO world, especially in IT departments. First, there is always more work than can possibly be done. This usually surfaces in the form of an insatiable appetite for projects. Second, no matter how you prioritize the work, someone’s going to be unhappy – and they’ll try to make your life miserable by becoming the squeakiest wheel in the company.
The answer, as we PMO practitioners all know, is to elevate the prioritization decisions up to the company executives. This usually means some sort of cross-functional steering committee or other governing body. It’s great theory, with one major flaw. Those execs don’t readily participate. I can’t count the number of poorly attended steering committee meetings I’ve run across.
So, how do you get these all-too-busy executives to pay attention and take responsibility for prioritization? The best process I’ve found is what I call “shock therapy for the executive team” . . .