Reflections on Setting Up a PMO – A Trainers View

This week, we’re talking to our Setting Up a PMO trainer, and PMO coach, Graham Burke. Graham is talking through his experiences leading the course and what you can expect as a delegate!

Are you new to PMO?

Have you been asked to set up a PMO, because you look like you know something about it?

When in actual fact you just happened to show some interest in the subject, and know precious little?

Have you done a bit of research on Google and now can’t see the wood for the trees?

Then hopefully this article – Reflections on the Setting Up a PMO course from PMO Learning – might be of use.

Choosing a training option

Looking at different training options for any subject can be a difficult task. Typically there are lots of training providers all offering something very similar. The length and / or cost of a course can vary, leading to a second or even third comparison of the Course Objectives and ‘What you will Learn’ sections on the website. And that just creates more fog!

But eventually you pick a provider and then speak to someone about budget. But it turns out their idea of reasonable and what is out there, in the market, are vastly different.

And so you go around the loop again!

PMO Learning sets out all of this information on a single page, like most other providers. But what is not so apparent is the vast experience and credibility that sits behind that single page – and the design of a course about Setting up a PMO by, quite literally, the author of the book on the subject.

Before the course

So you’ve finally booked yourself on the course and think nothing of it for a period. Until one week before when you receive the usual joining instructions.

At this point you start to pay more attention – you read the materials and start to create a perception of what the course will be about. What it might look and feel like. You start to wonder if the other delegates will know a bit more about it all. You build a perception of the course and experience that will not be dispelled until you’ve completed the first morning.

Believe it or not, I went through a similar process. And I was delivering the two-day course on Setting Up a PMO!

Delivering the course

I was initially very excited to be asked to take on the Training Role – I’ve been doing PMO for years and enjoyed a previous life as a Trainer, so they were a perfect match in my eye. But rather like the delegate joining instructions, when I looked at the training materials all sorts of things went through my mind.

Can I do this? How on earth do you train virtually?

I was then sent a list of information about my delegates. My immediate reaction? Why are these people attending a Setting Up a PMO course – they’ve all got PMO in their Title!

So now my expectations and perceptions of the course are quite different to when I was first approached by Eileen Roden – the afore-mentioned ‘author of the book…’

Fortunately the whole two-day course and the experience around it was fabulous;

I had excellent technical support from their Training Administrator who ensured that we were all accounted for, and able to complete the course with no technical difficulties, and that all delegates were comfortable and able to use Trello – an online collaboration tool.

That support was available throughout the two days to ensure the virtual learning experience went as smoothly as possible.

And then the course itself was…nothing like I had planned for but actually even better!

Taking the course

The mix of delegates turned out to be great – all had some knowledge of PMO but to differing levels.

We had several different working contexts to juggle too – Public Sector, Manufacturing and a Start Up / recently acquired business.

At times I simply facilitated conversations and exchanges of experience amongst the delegates, as they listened to and helped each other grapple with their unique challenges and frustrations; of which some involved establishing the differences between project, program, and even portfolio offices!

The materials were of sufficient breadth and depth – written by the author of the book on PMO-  to address pretty much any of the delegates needs.

And the trainer – that is me – was half decent too, apparently!

So if you are looking at PMO in your business, and it looks like you may be the one being lined up to do something about it, I highly recommend PMO Learning’s Setting Up a PMO course.

And if you book onto the October course, I’ll see you there!

If you’re interested in our Setting Up a PMO course, the next virtual classroom is scheduled for the 12th – 13th October. Find out more and secure your place here!

If you’d like to find out more about Graham, you can visit his coaching page >>here.

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