Creating the project office 9. This is a book about improving organizational performance by implementing a project office system that develops project management as a core competency and thus adds value to the organization. A project office consists of a team dedicated to improving the practice of project management in the organization. The improvement in organizational performance is achieved by obtaining more value from projects, making project management a standard management practice, and then moving the organization toward the enterprise project management concept | 58 Creating the Project Office deals and gaining power and resources for their departments or projects to further corporate rather than entirely personal ends. It s Really a Power Thing The power wielded by a project office spans the spectrum from a sometimes weak-kneed project support office to the powerful concept of the chief project officer Dinsmore 2001 . Naturally this ambiguous span of power raises questions in the minds of other stakeholders. This in turn sets off conscious or unconscious resistance. The PO while seen as a savior by some begins to look like a big bad wolf to others. For that reason project office efforts may get shot down before they get off the ground even if concrete technical reasons buttress the well-intentioned movement. The causes that sabotage a PO s inception range from power plays to subtle undermining. Here are the players that can keep POs from taking hold or ultimately cause their demise Big-time steamrollers. Top managers often have strong views about how to organize work perhaps with a strong process stance or quality view. Although the PO approach is not inconsistent with other management tacks the PO may be seen as unnecessary organizational baggage under the assumption that projects should somehow work without PO support. The PO movement then is steam-rolled under the pressure of other top management priorities. Lateral roadblockers. These players sit at the same level as the champions of the PO cause. Resistance comes from the flanks sparked by lack of information poor understanding of how other areas will be affected and fear that the initiative will reduce the roadblockers relative power base within the organization. Oblique snipers. Managers with diagonal relationships may take potshots at an attempt to restructure work using a project office tack. Their power base may be threatened or they may not know enough about the concept to support it. Grassroots sandbaggers. At the project level professionals are unlikely to get
