I just finished reading this book and found it to be very solid. As another review notes, this would be a great resource for an organizational leader looking to set expectations and to understand how to effectively leverage the "power of enterprise-wide project management". I would also highly recommend it for those in the project management community looking to establish the project management function within their organization as a true value contributor and driver of organizational success. The book is succinct, well written, and contains a wealth of practical advice. Definitely a good read!
Craig Letavec, Author of "The Program Management Office: Establishing, Managing, and Growing the Value of a PMO.
Good advice from real life experience, December 1, 2005
In my opinion Dennis did a great job with this book:
- he proved along he knows all the Project Management (PM) aspects from real life
- on CD, and in the book also, there are a lot of good templates, easy to adjust for other purposes. As he said in introductory part of the CD, they are "some basic tools and templates"
- the steps he figured out are perfect for the ones looking for a way to create Project Management Office (PMO)
If you are:
- a begginer worker in PM, or PMO, I can say this book is enough to give you an idea what to look for, what to do and what to learn in future to improve you skills
- an intermediate Project Manager, this book is great to consolidate your past expertise and to open new dimensions which helps you look into the future, plan your work in a professional way, double check your ideas/thoughts
- an expert Project Manager, do not expect this book will answer all you unanswered questions; it is an opinion, a very good one, tailored in such a way to be valid for a wide range of readers, with different expertise levels from various industries. The book is a good refference, information source and actionable tool.
Thank you Dennis.
A PMO Owners/User Manual......Great value for the $$$, January 25, 2006
In using the book "Building Project Management Centers of Excellence" I found an extremely valuable resource to use as a proven roadmap to creating a Project or Program Management Office. The book showed a strategy to establish a PMO, challenges that can come up as well as how to deal with them and expectations associated with the creation of a PMO. Also valuable were the CD of templates in the book. This book was used as a reference to help implement a PMO at an $8B US branch of the government. As challenging as a large rollout can be, this book helped with explaining what to do, when to do it and what to expect. A must have for anyone building or managing a PMO.
Tony Johnson, MBA, PMP
President
Crosswind Project Management Training
Great forms, January 13, 2003
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Cindy (Grand Rapids, MI United States) |
Our company was able to use the forms in the back of the book immediately to improve processes. The author did an excellent job of explaining the concepts an organization must follow to be successful. I was happy to learn the author was affiliated with the Project Management Body of Knowledge and the PMI organization which are standards our company strives to follow. Nice job Mr. Bolles.
Thorough and Complete, October 1, 2002
Mr. Bolles' years of experience in, and deep topical knowledge of, PM techniques is very evident from the start. It is complete with many sample PM templates and also contains a CD chocked full of relevant and useful documents and templates. A must read for the PM professional!!
Building Project Management Centers of Excellence, September 7, 2002
As Chief Project Leader for a major bank, I struggled with finding a "cookbook" for setting up a Project Management Center of Excellence over one year ago. Fortunately, Dennis Bolles has written that cookbook so others will have a model to follow. This is an excellent guide for a step-by-step setup with pre-constructed templates in a helpful CD that comes with the book. I highly recommend buying and using this book for creating line of business and enterprise Centers of Excellence.
This book literally has something for everyone, October 18, 2002
By A Customer
Over the last few years, the strategic management of corporate projects has been widely written about as a crucial requirement for current and future business success. Limited resources, lack of integration and sub-optimization must be abandoned for a more pragmatic, structured approach to leveraging a multitude of corporate, divisional and departmental projects which often cover research & development, capital expansion, new products/product lines and extensive process improvements. An executive or manager considering any "enterprise-level" project management effort within their company should carefully review Section One of Building PMCOE before undertaking or progressing. Dennis Bolles provides insight on why the strategic PM efforts (via a Center of Excellence) need to be established as a "unique business function" within an organization, rather than being an add-on to an existing function or department. Dennis Bolles provides a consultative approach with appropriate tools to support enterprise-wide project management efforts. This is not, however, a "one-size fits all" solution. The author "describes" key elements and processes needed for success, rather than prescribes them. Although the descriptions are fairly detailed, using the information provided in the book presumes a working knowledge/experience of project management to fully appreciate the important, but loosely integrated points.This book literally has something for everyone in the arena of project management offices:
·Strategic perspective and insight for top managers and executives to ponder,
·Practical tools and techniques to support a sound methodology, and
·Many useful examples to tailor for your organization's needs!
A great value to organizations, October 18, 2002
By A Customer
I found the book to have great value to organizations that are serious about successfully implementing project management within their organization. This book not only contains the blueprint for Project Management Centers of Excellence by effectively communicating theory and concepts, but also provides practical tools and templates. The framework of the methodology is flexible to assist organizations at any level of project management maturity. I would consider this publication to be an important part of any organization's management library.
A must read for managers, senior managers and executives, October 18, 2002
By A Customer
Mr. Bolles combines his extensive knowledge of project management with his "real life" experiences setting up Project Management Offices and Centers of Excellence (PMCoE). There is an excellent balance of theory and experience, offering both high level planning and political considerations as well as detailed tools and techniques for implementing project offices.
The first section of the book provides a very thorough road map for establishing the PMCoE. While not examining every detail, it provides a well rounded overview of the challenges and opportunities those embarking on establishment of a PMCoE are likely to encounter. I have personally experienced many of the situations Mr. Bolles describes and can testify to the accuracy of his analysis. I believe this book will be a valuable tool for anyone contemplating, or actively engaged in setting up a Project Management Office. The second portion of the book offers a set of Project Management Methodology Guidelines I also consider extremely helpful. I would consider "Building Project Management Centers of Excellence" a must-read for managers, senior managers and executives preparing themselves for the arduous task of establishing project management within their organizations.
Someone who has been there and done that, October 18, 2002
By A Customer
Finally a book that examines the topic of building Project Management Centers of Excellence from someone who has been there and done it. I can't imagine the hours and dollars organizations will save by reading this book first. The guidelines, templates and tables speak for themselves. As someone who has been involved in the startup of several different Project Management Offices within several industries I indeed believe this book will stand the test of time. It's a contribution that spans all industries.
Significant contribution to the growing field of liturature, October 15, 2002
By A Customer
Dennis Bolles supports the concept that project management should permeate the whole organization, thus justifying the need to have a PMCoE at a high level to ensure that project policies receive enough prestige and visibility to be put into practice. This means that across-the-board buy-in is required for all types of projects, from classic capital project undertakings and IT ventures, to marketing, continuous improvement, annual operational targets, and organizational change. A well-positioned PMCoE can be the key to ensuring that all types of projects are carried out effectively, no matter what their nature may be.
Building Project Management Centers of Excellence is a significant contribution to the growing field of literature on how to best foster excellence in project management in organizations. Dennis Bolles's substantial professional background qualifies him to put forth his experiences and views on the subject. He adds a rich collection of samples, tables, templates, and figures that illustrate how to pursue excellence in project management through the implementation of a PMCoE. I am pleased to recommend this book for those project professionals and executives who want to improve the quality of projects in their organizations.
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