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What is the PPSOSIG?
The Programme and Project Support Office Specialist Interest Group (PPSO SIG) is a not for profit organisation which is owned by its members - It is not aligned with any methodology or industry. Membership is free and open to anyone employed or interested in Programme and Project Support Offices in any industry.
Its aim and objectives are to provide a forum for PPSO professionals to meet and discuss matters of mutual importance. The PPSOSIG has gone from strength to strength over the last five years and events are planned with its members needs in mind. The PPSO is an excellent event which makes sure there is enough time to network with other like minded people.
If you're a project support /programme management office professional - join up
today, membership is free and these are some of the benefits joining
the group provides:
- Networking opportunities with other like-minded professionals, enabling you to swap ideas and information in the area of project support offices
- Attend conferences and events which allow you to gain industry news in the area that most interests you - programme management offices (Project Management Office, PMOs, PSOs, PPSOs, Centres of Excellence...)
- An excellent line in your CV and performance appraisal KRA, becoming a member shows you're totally committed to advancing your career in the field of PMO
- Have fun - each event allows you to meet other people who understand exactly about the challenges you face in your role within the PSO
Arras People actively supports and maintains the PPSO SIG (press help, logistics and creation of the website) along with other PPSO enthusiasts - see the site for more details and sign up: www.ppsosig.co.uk.
The Next Event - Wednesday 19th March 2010
Spring 2010 Conference
"PPSO Competence and Competencies - High Level Performance"
In this 17th conference, the PPSOSIG continues to drive down the costs to PPSOSIG members and launches its first event at a member location. The Open University in Milton Keynes is our host for the day as we look at competence and competencies for the PMO professional.
The PPSO Competence and Competencies - High Level Performance Conference will provide the opportunity for you to discover your own individual competence levels; understand more about how competency and competencies affect your career within the PMO; practical advice on developing competency profiles for you and the PMO team; and the opportunity to hear what your peers are currently doing in the area of competence models.
So what is Competence and Competencies;
- Competence - "a standardised requirement for an individual to properly perform a specific job"
- Competencies - "characteristics which drive outstanding performance in a given job, role or function"
The one day conference provides expert led presentations and interactive sessions combined with networking and discussion groups on key topics such as competence frameworks for the PMO, role profiles in the PMO, understanding your own competence assessment and how competence and competencies are viewed and used in the real world.
The full agenda includes;
- Competence: A look at what competence is in the PMO context, the use of Competence Frameworks and Competence Profiles.
- Developing Competence Profiles: How one PMO Manager has developed competence profiles for the PMO team.
- Programme / Project Office Roles: Developing role profiles for the PMO.
- Online Assessment: Feedback from the completed assessments.
- Personal Journeys: How some of your peers have developed within their roles.
- Competencies in the Marketplace: Understand more about how competencies are used in the project management marketplace.
ABOUT THE PPSOSIG "COMPETENCE CONFERENCE"
| Date: |
Friday 19th March 2010, 9.30am - 4.30pm |
| Venue: |
Open University Campus, Milton Keynes | Link | |
| Prices: |
£100.00 (Early Bird Rate to 1st February) £115.00 after |
| Booking: |
To book your place, download the booking form and send it to the email provided in the form |
The Last PPSOSIG Event - 16th & 17th September 2009
In 2008, P3O, the new Portfolio, Programme and Project Office framework was launched to the PMO community. In September 2009, the ppsosig launched its 16th conference "From Acorn to Oak: PMO Maturity in your Organisation, Your Team and You" focused on the next steps in growing your PMO.
The two day conference, saw 60 delegates in attendance and focused on the move from awareness to a greater understanding of the current guidance and tools available to assess your organisational and PMO maturity.
The conference provided expert led presentations and interactive sessions combined with networking and discussion groups on key topics such as PMO maturity models, structures, assessments, PMO roles, PMO team development and personal development.
The full agenda included;
- PMO Maturity - Using Organisational Maturity Models to understand how weaknesses and improvements in PMOs are identified
- PMO Structures - Explore the challenges that organisations will have to face in establishing or re-energising PMOs
- PMO Assessments - Understanding the scope and value of performing PMO self assessments
- PMO Roles - Greater awareness of P3O guidance and typical roles & services
- Developing Your Team - Through identifying and reinforcing the key issues in establishing a professional PMO team
- Developing Yourself - Identifying key skills and competencies that are required to improve your professionalism
The conference took place on the 16th & 17th September 2009 in the Coventry area, so read on for more details, as well as the full programme and presentations.
The Last Event - Wednesday 18th March 2009
Spring 2009 Conference
P3O – (Portfolio, Programmes and Project Office)
"P3O Examined – What does it mean for your PPSO?"
Guidance on how to implement a PMO, dozens of checklists on the services your PMO could offer, pointers on how to make your PMO successful and an insight into the different models of PMOs in existence are just some of the latest guidance from the OGC in the form of "Portfolio, Programme and Project Offices (P3O)©
So what will the new P3O guidance mean to your role, your PMO and your organisation?
In the Spring 2009 PPSOSIG (Programme and Project Support Office Specialist Interest Group) conference, being held on the 18th March 2009, delegates are invited to learn more about the P3O guidance; the practicalities of using the new P3O guidance; the opportunity to understand more about Portfolio Management and its links to P3O; become familiar with the new P3O accreditation and understand more about how P3O will work for you, your PMO and your organisation.
Delegates will hear from Sue Vowler, the lead author for P3O. Sue will be taking delegates through the guidance and taking questions on each area of the guidance.
Real-life case studies from organisations will cover the practicalities and challenges of setting up and running PMOs and how the P3O guidance will aid and assist in those challenges giving delegates a real insight into how P3O could make a real difference to their own PMO.
There will be an opportunity to hear the latest on portfolio management and how this links to the P3O guidance; this is the latest material on portfolio management not yet published by the OGC. There will be also an overview of the accompanying accreditation for P3O; the Foundation examination will be covered by an accredited training organisation covering what to expect from the course and exam.
There will be planned interactive sessions enabling delegates to further explore elements of the P3O guidance in more depth; concentrating on the areas that matter most to our delegates. Like all PPSOSIG events there will be ample time to network with other likeminded PMO professionals giving delegates the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge.
September 2008 - "Sweating Your PPSOs Assets"

The 14th PPSOSIG conference was held on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th September at Warwick Conferences in Coventry.
Successful PPSOs all have one thing in common – they know what their assets are and they really know how to work them for the benefit of the individuals who work within them, the programme and projects they support and the organisation they’re a part of. So will PPSOs continue to sweat their assets to extract the best possible service offerings in these belt tightening, credit crunch, recession fearing times?
In this 14th conference, delegates were taken through the most valuable assets their PPSO has and learnt more about how they can get the most value out of what they already have without the need for extra spend and resources.
Presentations, workshops, networking and Q&As concentrated on the four main assets of infrastructure, skillsets/knowledge, personal skills and information, gave delegates a whole host of new ideas to take away and implement.
The full agenda included;
- Physical Assets - PPSO Physical Resources and Infrastructure
- Personal Assets - Personal Skills Inventory
- Skills and Knowledge Assets – Risk Identification and Management, Earned Value and Configuration & Change Management
- Information Assets – Managing Information – Sink or Swim
- Future Assets – What’s on the horizon for PPSOs
Presentations by Andy Murray, lead author for the PRINCE2 refresh, Adrian Wilson, lead trainer for CITI his specialisms include PRINCE2 and APM, John Zachar, Principal Consultant, years of experience in delivering consultancy and training in PPSOs and Graham Shreeve, Target Practice, professional training and experienced coach.
> See further details and copies of the presentations on the PPSOSIG website
April 2008 - "All Aboard the PPSO – Knowing the Value of your PPSO and Getting your Organisation on Board"
The Spring 2008 PPSO SIG Conference looked at how to identify the type of PPSO you work in, and what your organisation needs, concentrating on helping you to determine your own business case, and identifying and working with your stakeholders to ensure that the PPSO's value is properly understood and appreciated across the business
Getting everyone onboard the PPSO ship and repelling the unwanted boarders!
This one day conference in Aston, Birmingham was well attended and presentations and workshops well received. Full outputs are available on the website now.
> See the full conference materials
September 2007 - "PPSO Tools, Techniques & Approaches"
Tools, techniques and approaches are the lifeblood of the PPSO, without these we are unable to support, advise or assess our organisations programmes and projects. Feedback from previous conferences had shown that delegates wanted to see a more focused conference in the areas of tools, techniques and approaches and have the opportunity to see what other organisations and PPSO's are doing in this area.
The "Tools, techniques & approaches ... why bother?" conference over two days looked at the outcome when we said - we bothered!
> See the website for more details on the outcome of the conference
Previous Events:
Wednesday 14th March 2007
Friday 24th November 2006
The September 2006 Event
The March 2006 Event
The September 2005 Event
The March 2005 Event
The September 2004 Event
March 2007 - "It's all about you - developing yourself aligned to your PPSO"
That's right, the next event is all about you - the PPSO professional and in particular your skills, personal development and profile and ultimately ensuring your development is aligned with your PPSO
The event, on Wednesday 14th March 2007, promises to be our best yet, with plenty of interaction, presentations, and PPSO food for thought!
Kicking off with pre-conference homework, yes that's right - to get the best out of the conference we need to know more about you and your PSO. The results - all confidential - will be analysed and delegates will receive an individual analysis of their questionnaire responses to take away. We have guest speakers Kevin Moir and Sheilina Somani, PPSO qualifications, mentoring and coaching of PSO staff, development and research into the PPSOs and of course the opportunity to network with other PPSO'ers - a packed day!
> See the website for more details
November 2006 - Setting Up a Centre of Excellence for PPM
Tuesday 27th June and Friday 29th September saw the bringing together of David Marsh and David Wilkin of MMP Consulting Ltd with John Elliott of OGC and Graham Hawkins of Serco Solutions in promoting the concepts of the Project and Programme Management Centre Of Excellence (PPM COE).
This event will cover key areas and questions;
- What is a PPM COE and why do you need one?
- Designing a PPM COE – The Business Case and Terms of Reference
- Doing the right Programmes and Projects
- Assurance of Programmes and Projects
- Effective development, deployment and operation of Programme Management
> See the website for more details
> See the feedback on our project management blog
September 2006 - "Close the Gap" PPSOs Role in Portfolio, Programmes and Projects
On the 20/21st of September the Programme and Project Support Office - Specialist Interest Group held their fifth annual conference at the Aston University Business School. The conference like the others was well attended and chose as its theme looking at how the PPSO could help organisations ensure they were doing the right programmes and project as well as doing them right!
The conference opened with a presentation from David Wilkin of MMP consulting who described how the PSO could support the definition of the portfolio of programmes and project that they commission to meet its strategic goals. John Zachar of CITI further developed the theme by looking at the various definitions for and types of portfolio, programme and projects typically found in organisations and the need for the PPSO to report not just on the progress to the plan but more importantly progress in delivering the reason for the portfolio, programme and projects. The conference continued examining this theme through a series of workshops organised on the speed dating principle. This format proved to be great for developing the vital network connections that the PPSO SIG seeks to foster. The first day finished with a Question Time panel who attempted to answer the many interesting questions and queries raised by the delegates.
The evening dinner concluded with John Zachar donning his quiz master guise and running the PPSO Pub Quiz.
On the final day the delegates were challenged by David Marsh and John Zachar to identify ways in which the could provide progress reports that provided really useful knowledge for the senior managers of the organisation to help then ensure the business strategy was being delivered by the portfolio, programmes and projects. The delegates came up with some interesting and innovative ideas which will be made available on the group web site.
The conference concluded with a taster session of the next conference due in March 2007 which will look how the PPSO could develop its staff and their capabilities further.
> See the website for full sets of presentations from the conference

March 2006
"Benefits - From Fantasy to Reality"
This event looked at benefits realisation and making the changes stick. With presentations and opportunities to network with other likeminded Project Support Office professionals the event was a great success,
Visit the PPSOSIG website
The PPSOSIG website has been updated with all the presentations from the meeting
September 2005
Conference: "To Boldly Go Where No PPSO Has Gone Before"
The
Agenda - The last PPSOSIG event was held on the above date
with over 40 delegates
The output. presentations and slides are available on the PPSOSIG
website.
Agenda
Session One - PPSO Audit - David Marsh
Auditing your Project Management Office (PPSO) and identifying where you may need to go in
the future
Session Two - Speed Dating - Chris Walters / Terri Hinton
You've told us that you value the networking opportunities that
the PPSO SIG can offer - well, here is an opportunity to share your
ideas and pick the brains of your fellow PPSO SIG members on a one-to-one
basis.
Delegates deemed this part of the conference has a great success
- we'll be looking to improve the format so you get more out of
an activity like this
Session Three - Making the Business Case Real - John Zachar
The Project Management Office (PPSO) supporting the benefits definition and measurement process
- making the Business Case - Real.
Session Four - Corporate Support PPSO - Gez Keating from
Serco
The corporate support function: are we doing (and how do we know)
the right programme and project - and how are programme and project
risks that impact the organisation dealt with - where does the Programme and Project Support Office
contribute to or lead the in emerging topic of Portfolio Management,
and how can it support "business as usual"? [suggested
- open to change!].
Gez gave an excellent overview and insight into the corporate PPSO
- a real life example
Evening Meal - including entertainment
Day Two
Session Five - Workshop - Taking the Programme and Project Support Office Forward - Chris
Walters
Three strands looking at how we might take a PMO into uncharted
territory through process definition, supporting toolsets (infrastructure)
and skills and training. The workshop was kicked off
Session Six - Workshop Reports
The delegates were split into three teams to discuss the three strands
Session Seven - Promoting the PSO - David Marsh
How to sell the PPSO within your organisation >presentation<
and the diagrams from the presentation
Conference Review and Close - Terri Kinton
March 2nd 2005 PPSO SIG Conference,
"Politics and the PPSO"
In
this conference a variety of workshops and presentations covered
the hot topic of Politics & The Programme & Project Support Office.
Politics & The PPSO
PSOs are frequently at the receiving end of a political environment.
Over the years, I've asked a number of associates, "Do
you live in a politically 'free' zone?" You all know
what the answer is. "NO!"
Organisational politics exist! We will never live in an environment
that is not influenced by politics! Working in or being responsible
for a Project or Programme Management Office. how do we recognise the political impact that we not
only create, but experience?
Politics, and the PMO! How do we make it work? What needs to be
considered?
Stakeholder Analysis and Expectations Management
Stakeholders - you can't live without them - can you live with
them?
Finding out and knowing who your Stakeholders are, followed by
having an idea of how to manage them, can be the making of whatever
it is you are trying to do. Not doing so can spell disaster. A workshop
to brainstorm all the various types of stakeholders and what might
be their individual foibles
Quantitative and Qualitative Benefits the PPSO Provides
It is a question of survival. How can you justify the existence
of your PPSO? Can you present the value of your PPSO to the key
stakeholders? Can you start to think in terms of your PPSO starting
to provide higher value than it does today?
This workshop will critically evaluate the benefits your PPSO provides
and of course trigger thought starters on what next?
The Relationships - PPSO and the Project Manager/s
"One of the key relationships for the PSO is with the Project
Manager. We'll have a look at types of PSO and Project Manager and identify
some possibilities for harmony and friction."
See the PPSOSIG - PMO
website for more information.
September
29th-30th 2004: "When good projects turn
bad"
September 29th-30th 2004 PPSO SIG Convention, "When Good Projects Go Bad... and what the PPSO
can do to prevent it... or recover from the consequences".
This two day event was packed
with lectures, workshops, networking opportunities and a major crisis!
And that was just during the day.
Kicking off at 2pm with "Starting
The Programme Or Project Off On The Right Foot" from guest
speaker John Zacher, it's not long before a stressed out Project
Manager with a problem project breaks onto the scene. Can the PMO-ers
save the day? Through workshops and further presentations from David
Marsh, we learnt more over the two day period about the role of
PPSO in problem programmes and projects.
> See
the PPSO SIG site for the full two days outline and outputs

The Programme and Project Support Office
Specialist Interest Group (PPSOSIG)
Further links of interest:
The Programme Support Office (PSO) at The Department of Education & Skills
Project and Programme Support Office courses at CITI
The Project and Programme Support Office Handbook at Amazon
Programme Support Office article at ProjectMagazine
The Programme Support Office reading list at The British Computer Society
The Project Support Office at the OGC
The Project Support Office Forum at PM Insight
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