breakout session overview
Colorado Springs Utilities established a Project
Management Office in 2002 as part of a significant restructuring undertaken
to consolidate four separate companies into one. The PMO faces some
interesting challenges in this four-service, community owned utility that
provides electric, natural gas, water and wastewater services to more than
500,000 customers in the Pikes Peak region. The PMO’s initial charter was to
develop and maintain a project management process to meet the demands of
both construction and information technology business units that manage
everything from connecting individual customers to construction of mega
projects.
The PMO began its journey by contracting for an independent Project Management Maturity Assessment (PMMA). The Assessment clearly identified strengths and weaknesses and provided a seven point roadmap for improvement. This roadmap has been the foundation for a number of significant initiatives undertaken by the PMO.
To be truly effective, however, the PMO needed to integrate its efforts with those of other business functional areas including Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Finance, and Internal Audit. Much of Colorado Springs Utilities PMO’s effectiveness is due to its ability to leverage these partnerships. Additionally, the PMO has expanded its role to include governance of the organization’s Capital Review Board and responsibility for portfolio management across all service lines and support services.
This presentation will focus on the PMMA and its results, internal strategic partnership development, and portfolio management initiatives of the PMO that contribute to its success.
Jim Furfari is a retired Air Force fighter pilot who
naturally transitioned to project management when he noted the great
similarity between the skills required to bomb a bridge and those required
to build one. Jim currently works for Colorado Springs Utilities where over
the last five years he built their fledgling Project Management Office into
a highly respected and successful entity. He had previously been a project
manager with MCI where he directed the implementation of their largest
network releases. Jim holds a BSEE from the United States Air Force Academy.
His flying career included time in the F-106 and F-16 fighters, and he was
stationed in
