An Inside Look at the U of G Program Management Office

U of G’s Program Management Office (PMO) was formed in 2018 and has oversight into all IT projects at the University. This allows for greater visibility, more strategic decision making, streamlined processes and reduced duplication of effort across the institution. It also helps to safeguard project success, ensure the right stakeholders are at the table and identify warning signs when projects are at risk. In addition, the PMO supports the U of G IT Governance Council (ITGC) which has ultimate authority over IT policy, procedure and project prioritization at U of G.

Prior to the creation of the PMO, the hundreds of IT projects going on at the University were mostly being performed in isolation, often with project leaders unaware of similar initiatives and investments at the institution. Through the PMO website and well-attended PMO monthly meetings, there is now greater awareness, visibility and transparency for all projects. This has been instrumental in breaking down silos and allowing for greater collaboration, efficiency and financial savings

PMO Areas of Focus

There are currently five main priorities for the PMO:

• ITGC Support: There are many significant ITGC-endorsed projects supported by the PMO. The team continues to optimize its capabilities to track project success and identify risks, including time, budget and deliverables.
• Organizational change: All projects bring about change, and this change must be effectively managed to ensure project success. Whether there are new processes in place or a new system to learn, helping stakeholders through the change with support and training is a critical part of any project.
• Resource management: Most organizations have many ways they want to improve and expand, and they want to get them all done immediately! U of G is no different, with many exciting projects always on the go and in the pipeline. At the same time, we need to ensure we have the resources (e.g., the people) to do the work. This protects U of G employees from being overburdened by multiple projects and ultimately ensures project success.
• PMO business plan: As a PMO team we want to be very clear on our objectives and our vision. Having a concise business plan allows us to stay focused on our mission and provide consistent support to the University community.
• Continuous improvement: We are firmly dedicated to continuous learning, pivoting and rethinking our work to improve the services we provide and make sure we are maximizing the value we bring to the University.

The PMO Team

The PMO is housed within Computing & Communications Services (CCS), U of G’s central IT department. The team is led by Kent Hoeg, Senior Manager, PMO and Business Operations, and includes seven full-time team members as well as contract-based staff and co-op students.

They are a dedicated team of professionals certified in many areas including project management, business analysis and change management. They provide leadership, manage resources, build and monitor budgets, manage timelines, lead change management efforts and so much more – all to ensure the success of the many IT projects in flight at U of G.

Vision for the Future

The PMO’s vision is “to empower the University of Guelph community with knowledge and services to advance strategic initiatives.” The team hopes to be top of mind for the U of G community when embarking on IT new projects, viewed as provider of best practices and a partner to support informed and strategic decision making at the University.

Find out more about the PMO by visiting our website: https://www.uoguelph.ca/cio/pmo-website