Co-hosts Jeff Plumblee and Matt Stoltz host this Community of Practice Live Event! Jeff gave an overview of the principles of a community of practice and invited comments. He then introduced four questions for discussion: How do you manage project stakeholders and control communication? How do you justify the need to have a PMO? How do you communicate new processes? How do you celebrate a project’s successful closure?
Key Takeaways:
The essence of a community of practice (COP). 1.) Have a facilitator. 2.) Record sessions. 3.) Have a way to share files and a place to meet. 4.) Offer a workshop. 5.) Group drives the agenda. COP members to be at the same level, trained with SOPs. Kick-off by stating why they are here. Document everything.
Stakeholders and communication of a project. Get the right stakeholders. Track them. Have team members from all departments. Keep all updated. Use email distribution lists. Use workflow tools. Document all changes and decisions.
Justifying a PMO. PMOs structure projects for the best solutions. Look for pain points that can be addressed by a PMO. A PMO helps companies see the big picture with an un-siloed view. A PMO requires accountability and ownership.
Communicating New Processes. Provide training or a SharePoint page. Set up a hierarchy of processes. Use process councils. Use highlight meetings to share best practices.
Celebrating Project Closure. Reward people at work. Give challenge coins. Create storyboards of the accomplishments; show star awards. Post improvements on the work floor. Fly to a central point for a celebration. Send an ice cream truck or food!
